Aaron and Jeff sit down with three Region Advocacy Coordinators from across eastern Pennsylvania to talk about grassroots efforts educating members and communities on Project 2025. From press conferences to paycheck emails to Labor Day outreach, hear how PSEA members are turning worry into action — and drawing on hard lessons from past education cuts to fuel the push back.
Aaron and Jeff sit down with three Region Advocacy Coordinators from across eastern Pennsylvania to talk about grassroots efforts educating members and communities on Project 2025. From press conferences to paycheck emails to Labor Day outreach, hear how PSEA members are turning worry into action — and drawing on hard lessons from past education cuts to fuel the push back.
Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you. From cutting edge classroom strategies to thought-provoking policy discussions, if it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin:
Hello, and welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA President Aaron Chapin, and I'm here today with PSEA Vice President Jeff Ney. Good afternoon, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
Greetings, Aaron.
Aaron Chapin:
Brand new school year.
Jeff Ney:
Brand spanking new.
Aaron Chapin:
Yep. And we don't have any time to delay. We got to get right to work today.
Jeff Ney:
Busy.
Aaron Chapin:
Busy, busy, busy.
Jeff Ney:
Very important stuff.
Aaron Chapin:
Because today we are checking in on some of the boots on the ground work that's happening across the state right now. We're educating our members and the public about Project 2025, and what it means for public education in our schools in Pennsylvania. I'm sure all of us out there, we've been hearing a lot about Project 2025, and that's because it really is driving damaging policy decisions that are coming out of Washington DC, and there's a lot worse in store for us, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
There is.
Aaron Chapin:
Yes, it is. And that's why PSEA members have been getting even more vocal about holding key elected leaders in Congress accountable for their actions. So we decided today, let's bring in some of our great staff across the Commonwealth. Joining us, we've got three of our Region Advocacy Coordinators, otherwise known as RACs, who are helping lead that charge.
We've got Sam Schlundt. She is from the Southern Region, which covers Congressional District 10. We've got Jess Sabol, from the Northeastern Region, who covers Congressional District 8. And Tiffany Dollar from the Eastern Region, who covers Congressional District 7.
Jessica, how you doing?
Jessica Sabol:
I'm doing well. How are you?
Aaron Chapin:
Great. Welcome to Duty Free Lunch. Sam, how you doing?
Sam Schlundt:
I'm doing great, thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. What are you, like two miles away?
Sam Schlundt:
Yeah, about that.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Well, welcome to Duty Free Lunch. And Tiffany, how are you doing this afternoon?
Tiffany Dollar:
Fantastic.
Aaron Chapin:
All right.
Tiffany Dollar:
Thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
You got it. Well, Sam, Jessica, Tiffany, welcome to the podcast. Let's get things started. Let's start with the basics for our listeners who may not really know the ins and outs of PSEA. What exactly does a region advocacy coordinator do, and what has it looked like day to day these past few weeks? So let's go right to the Northeast. We're going to work our way south.
Jeff Ney:
That's it.
Aaron Chapin:
Jessica, what-
Jessica Sabol:
Oh, thank you. Well, you get the heavy lifting and then everybody's going to say, "Say what Jess said."
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, yeah. The same thing.
Aaron Chapin:
Jessica, what does a region advocacy coordinator do?
Jessica Sabol:
You know what? We do a little bit of everything. We wear many hats in our regions, and we keep a pulse on our regions all the time. We carry out the mission, vision, values, and goals of PSEA, while staying flexible and adapting to everyday needs of our members, right across our regions. So lately, the past few weeks I've been juggling, making sure that people are aware of Project 2025, and raising awareness about that. But I'm also juggling the inner workings of locals, and supporting them on the ground, whether it be through ongoing negotiations or organizing campaigns that are currently going on in the locals.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Tiffany, what does it look like these days, these past few weeks, as we've gotten out of August into September with this job right now?
Tiffany Dollar:
Busy, busy, busy. As Jessica said, we wear many hats. I would say, I like to consider the region advocacy coordinator job the fun stuff. So we don't usually work directly with contract enforcement or negotiations, but we support the internal and external communications that go along with those things. And we also help build the power of the union through organizing new locals.
For the next few weeks, or the last couple of weeks I would say, we've been doing a lot to onboard new members of PSEA as they have started working in new districts for the first time. In addition to the Project 2025 awareness, we are always thinking about, "How do we grow the strength and power of PSEA as an organization on the RACP?"
Jeff Ney:
Sam, before we turn it over to you, I'm going to combine anything else that you want to add with another little question that you can kind of roll into. Talking about Congressional District 10, what kind of events and outreach have members been doing to educate folks in your Congressional District 10 about the actions taken by Congressman Scott Perry in support of Project 2025?
Sam Schlundt:
Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Jeff. First on the role of the RAC, to piggyback off of Jess and Tiffany, we are also working to educate our members and fight against Project 2025. We said the RAC, we wear many hats as an RAC, and one of the things that we're doing is taking on the charge of educating our members about the dangers of Project 2025, what that will mean for public education, and who in our government is voting for Project 2025, who is supporting those policies. That is something that our members should know and be aware of as well, so that way they can be the most educated that they can be.
Our members are so busy preparing for the new school year, they are busy preparing to make sure that their classrooms are a perfect environment for learning every day, and it's our job to make sure that we're filtering through all this information and sharing it with them. So that way it's not overwhelming, but so that way they're well-educated.
So in Southern Region, we have been doing a few different things. We had a press conference just two weeks ago. We have a few others coming up as well, to educate our members about the dangers of Project 2025, and to also share experience of some members who have had experiences in the past of Project 2025-like cuts, and what that did to affect their day-to-day, and their students' day-to-day.
We have also been sharing emails with our members. We call them our paycheck emails. They come out every two weeks, and they're sent to local leaders, and they are welcome to send them to their members around payday. And those paycheck emails share critical information about the damages of Project 2025, and how we can stand together and how we can be educated together to fight back against it.
Aaron Chapin:
So Jessica,. Yeah, I know there's a lot going on down there. Jessica, what's this advocacy work look like up there in Congressional District 8, up in the Northeast Region? And what's the response been from the members when you're asking them to get involved?
Jessica Sabol:
Sure. So Northeastern Region, as you know, we have a very rich labor history, and it is literally embedded into the very heart and soul of our members. And it really shows through, because our members have been working tirelessly to be out in the community, having conversations with area labor federations, community groups, and leaders, about the importance of working together to hold our elected officials accountable. So our members, they're trusted advisors in the communities, they're committed to their professions, they're committed to their students, and they're willing to do whatever is necessary to spread the word about the importance of investing in public education, and helping to elect pro-public education candidates who will fight for what is right.
Jeff Ney:
Tiffany, you had a high profile press conference in Congressional District 7, so high profile that President Chapin joined that press conference as well. And it already delved into our Season 4 opener, for those listeners who want to go back and take a look at those things-
Aaron Chapin:
Of course.
Jeff Ney:
... that was just released on September 2nd. So what's been happening beyond just that event there, in Congressional District 7?
Tiffany Dollar:
We went to a lot of Labor Day events over this past weekend to get the word out. I think most importantly is not just educating members, but the public as well, on what Ryan McKenzie has voted on in the past year, since he came on board. So he voted no for workers having the ability to negotiate their contracts quicker. He voted yes on the Big Beautiful Bill, which only passed by one vote. So he could have been the deciding vote to protect the funding that is going into education, and SNAP and Medicaid. And instead he decided to vote to make class sizes larger, and to make kids hungrier when they show up to school. So those are the key components of what we're doing in Eastern Region, and specifically, Correctional District 7 right now.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, this question's going to go for all three of you. And it's really about the energy that's out there, that you're picking up on right now. I know that when Jeff, Rachael, and I have been going out over the last few months, but especially over this past weekend when we were out at some Labor Day events, we're certainly picking up on a vibe out there. Do you feel like the members are fired up? Do you think they're worried, motivated? Like when you are meeting with educators, and I know a lot of the meetings are really going to start revving up over the next week or two, but what are you sensing as you go through the region?
So Sam, I'll start with you. What's the feeling on the ground there?
Sam Schlundt:
Obviously, like Tiffany said, our Congressman Scott Perry has also voted. He voted yes to the Big Beautiful Bill, and then that bill was to cut Medicaid, to cut SNAP benefits. He has also continuously voted to hurt collective bargaining, and to hurt our students in public education. So our members I think are rightfully worried, but that worry is not driving them to inaction, it's driving them to action. They are motivated, they are fired up, because of that worry of what could happen. We want to make sure that we're not continuing to have Scott Perry promote the views of Project 2025, so our members are fired up. They want to educate others in their locals. They want to educate others in their coordinating councils, and they want to continue to talk about what the ramifications of Project 2025 are, so that way we can make sure that our members and members of the public are educated about it. So worried, I think is a very clear theme, but worried has turned into action and motivation.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, that's good to hear. What about you, Tiffany? What about there in the Lehigh Valley, and all around the Eastern Region? What's the feeling you get right now?
Tiffany Dollar:
Yeah, very energized. I would echo what Sam just said, and say that we have folks asking us, "What can we do?" So it's very much just providing those opportunities, and making sure folks are plugged in, because they want a place to put that energy that's positive.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Jessica, what about the Northeast?
Jessica Sabol:
Yeah, it really is the same here. Our members are back to school, they're working hard like they always do, providing high quality education for our students. And at the same time, they are worried. They're worried about the same things that most of us are worried about, affordability, what life is like right now, because they feel it themselves and they see it in their students. They know what cuts in education will do for their students and their communities, because a vast majority of them lived through the cuts in the past.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah.
Jessica Sabol:
So yes, they are fired up, and you both know that when Northeastern Pennsylvanians get fired up, we get fired up. We roll up our sleeves, right? We don't mess around. We roll up our sleeves and we mobilize. So Northeastern Pennsylvanians, we do not like to see other people hurting. So our members will not rest, and they are right on the ground, and they are not resting until they know that they have educated members of the public, educated each other, mobilized one another to be able to talk about what education should look like. And hopefully, how we can maintain it, and work against these cuts that are proposed.
Jeff Ney:
I want to tee up this next question a little bit. So Jess, I'm going to stay with you.
Jessica Sabol:
Okay.
Jeff Ney:
PSEA continues to reorganize itself and change the way that we service the members of Pennsylvania. RACs is a program that's been around for a while, but each of you have different timelines that you've been an RAC. So Jess, how long have you been an RAC up in the Northeast?
Jessica Sabol:
I'm now in my 16th year. In the Northeastern region, I've been here since 2018.
Jeff Ney:
Tiffany, how long have you been an RAC?
Tiffany Dollar:
Almost eight years.
Jeff Ney:
And Sam, in Southern Region?
Sam Schlundt:
I feel like I'm walking amongst the greats. Just nine months.
Jeff Ney:
There you go. So in that timeframe that you have served in this capacity, can you share with our audience an anecdote, or a key moment, or a conversation you've had with a member or a student or a parent about education that really stuck with you, about the work that you do? Jess, we'll stay with you. We'll go right around, and do senior to least senior.
Jessica Sabol:
Oh, senior. Thanks a lot for that, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
Veteran. How about veteran? A veteran RAC.
Jessica Sabol:
Veteran. Thank you. Thank you for that, Jeff. Yeah. I can say that when the process began of eliminating the United States Department of Education, a parent of a special needs child said to me, "I can't believe that the federal government are saying that programs that help my son are a waste of money. I need your help. My son needs your help. Can't the union do something about this?" And I remember, there were a lot of emotions that I felt, but I remember feeling enraged. And also, incredibly proud at the same time. I was enraged because she and her son were feeling that way, that they were experiencing this, but I was also incredibly proud that she would place her faith in us, and in the power of our union to help her. So asking us directly for that help.
So I remember consoling her and simply saying, "We have always been on your side. We will always be on your side. We are working tirelessly for your son, and we will continue to be doing whatever we can." And I encouraged her to get involved, speak out, and keep advocating because the reality is, we need our communities to speak out on the importance of public education. We need them just as much as they need us. So it was a really, really powerful exchange, and it was one that stood with me. Stuck with me.
Jeff Ney:
That's great. Tiffany, how about you?
Tiffany Dollar:
I'm going to go a little bit off script, because I have two that I want to share. One is when we were doing some rounds of phone banking about a year ago, to ask members what they thought about these proposals with Project 2025. And a member spoke to me specifically about her child, who has a hearing impairment and was receiving early intervention services that were provided through Medicaid, and also some school-based services provided by Medicaid. And similar to what Jessica said, she was very concerned about, "How am I going to access these services if and when this is phased out, and what's that going to mean for my son and his education?" And she was speaking as an educator who knows the value of public education for students, and that public education serves all students.
The second one I would speak to is, earlier this year I was at the ESP House of Delegates, and we were having a conversation specific to Project 2025. And we had a lot of folks who work in the food service departments of their school district speaking out about the impacts of hunger on their students. Not to mention that some ESGs have had to access these services in the past, before their contracts came up to speed. And they know how meaningful that food assistance can be for families.
So that's really the motivation that underpins why members are so ready to act, to hold legislators accountable because they know that the impact that this can have on students and families, and the community as a whole.
Aaron Chapin:
Sam, I'm going to shift gears here. I'd really like you to weigh in. We've got members who want to get involved, but sometimes they're just not sure where to start. So Sam, if you had to, what's the easiest first step for them to take to get involved?
Sam Schlundt:
First step that I would recommend is either reaching out to the local leaders in their local, or reaching out to their UniServ representative, or the RAC that covers their region. There are lots of folks within PSEA and within our locals who have information about what opportunities are available, to have to ask the question.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. So you heard it everybody. You know what to do. Jess, so Project 2025 offers a vision that really is damaging the public education as we know it. So what is the vision that you want people to know for a different and better path forward in Pennsylvania?
Jessica Sabol:
Oh, geez. Can we have another podcast on this, Aaron?
Aaron Chapin:
Well.
Jessica Sabol:
Oh my God.
Jeff Ney:
We'll see what the ratings are for this one.
Jessica Sabol:
No, I mean, I'm serious when I say, I don't think we have enough time in this podcast to properly explain what the vision of public education and the place in the foundation of the American dream. We don't have enough time to talk about that, because that's just, wow.
But I think I just want to say that I wish that our society would just keep having conversations. No matter how difficult they may be, we just need to keep talking to one another, and working hard to find common ground. Because we all want the same things. We all want the same things for our profession, for our unions, for our communities, for our kids, for our future. And we just need to keep talking, and seeing each other, and finding that common ground, and working together to make it happen.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. Despite our differences, there's still a lot that we have in common. And ultimately, public education is what really binds us together in the end, don't you agree?
Sam Schlundt:
Absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. Ready?
Jeff Ney:
I'm always ready.
Aaron Chapin:
Time for a bonus question, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
Bonus question.
Aaron Chapin:
Bonus question.
Jeff Ney:
All right. So this might be a little bit difficult for all three of you, because you said you wear so many hats and you do so many different things, but I want to really focus in on the work and the advocacy that you're doing around Project 2025. Can you give me one thing that surprised you most about doing that specific piece of your job as an RAC? Something that may be different than usual duties than an RAC does, that specifically target the Project 2025 education? Sam, how about we start with you? Something that surprised you most.
Sam Schlundt:
What surprised me most personally were the stories that I've heard from members in our region, and the stories that I've heard from my own colleagues. A lot of my colleagues in the Southern Region as well as many of our members lived through previous cuts. Jess mentioned cuts before, a lot of our members and our staff here lived through the Corbett cuts, in the early 2000s. And I was shocked to hear so many of these stories, and how so many of our staff in the Southern Region and so many of our members in Southern Region, worked through these cuts and their students never knew any different. And I was even one of those students, I went to school in the Southern Region during the cuts. I didn't know any different, because my teachers did such a good job making sure that I didn't. And that has been so powerful to me, and I think that that's where we see that motivation come from, that we can't go back to these cuts, and we can't have legislators in office who support them.
Jeff Ney:
Jess, how about you? Something that surprised you?
Jessica Sabol:
It's very much the same. It has been surprising, too, to see how much the average person who might not be engaged in education, right? They're not necessarily involved in the everyday workings of our union. It's been amazing to see how many of them have said, "Wait a minute, they're trying to do what? They're trying to eliminate what? Well, this is going to affect me." So it's been amazing to see how much members of the public tie education into their everyday lives. It's no longer a separate issue that, "Oh, this is something that someone else has to worry about." They realize how much that's going to affect, and how the trickle effect happens in their towns, in their schools. They're worried about their kids. And like Sam said, so many people remember all too well the cuts that we had to deal with X number of years ago, and no one wants to experience that again. No one. That's a universal feeling, from what I've heard. So it's been nice to know that people are engaged, and they want to help, and they're very much aware of what's being proposed.
Jeff Ney:
Tiffany, how about you?
Tiffany Dollar:
For me, especially with this busy season of back to school, I've just been surprised and inspired by how much members are willing to do to step up on this particular issue. I think a lot of times we say, "Let's insulate, and not ask people to do a bunch at the beginning of the school year." But like I said, we have members coming to us asking, "What can I do?" Because like Jess and Sam said, they do not want to go back to the Corbett cuts, or even worse.
Aaron Chapin:
That's great. I'm not surprised at all, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
Not at all. Not at all.
Aaron Chapin:
No, it seems like... Just, we've talked about this on a podcast a couple of weeks ago. I still remember very vividly, it's still very raw and fresh to me, what happened after the Corbett cuts. And our members that were around, it'll never leave them. It's always going to be that nightmare that follows us.
Jeff Ney:
It just seems like every generation of educators has that unfortunate story, that really galvanized the association together, and Corbett did exactly that.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. Well, that does it for all of our time today. Our guests have been Sam Schlundt, Jessica Sabol, and Tiffany Dollar. Ladies, thank you very much for everything you're doing back in the regions. And I know that work goes across the Commonwealth, it might be specific to your regions, but it truly is affecting our entire Commonwealth, but also our nation. And I know how hard the three of you have been working.
We've got a slew of staff, Jeff, that since last July, July of '25, that have been working hard every single week. I sit on these, they used to be twice a week meetings, but these meetings continue, they're intensifying as we move through the fall. And I appreciate, ladies, just how hard you're working. So thank you very much. Thank you.
Jeff Ney:
Right, they're all-
Tiffany Dollar:
Thank you.
Jeff Ney:
... they're all scrambling for the [inaudible 00:23:17]-
Sam Schlundt:
Thank you for having us.
Jessica Sabol:
Thanks for having us.
Aaron Chapin:
You got it.
Sam Schlundt:
Thank you for having us.
Jessica Sabol:
[inaudible 00:23:21]-
Aaron Chapin:
No, thank... I know you're very busy, thanks for the work that you're doing in Congressional District 7, 8, and 10. And I know how busy you are, and I know you've got some work to get off to, as the evening hours come along. So again, thank you for being here, and thanks all of our listeners for tuning in again. You got some feedback for us? Well, you know you got to send us an email. The email address does work. I've checked it. It's podcast@psea.org. All right, everybody. Email us.
I'm Aaron Chapin.
Jeff Ney:
And I'm Jeff Ney.
Aaron Chapin:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit psea.org/podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.