The State College Area Education Association is a union whose purpose is to create a better environment for the SCASD community. These efforts are coordinated by the SCAEA Teachers Union. The union poses great advantages in the oversight of the SCASD community.

The association encourages general education among all students. The State College Area Education Association believes that coming together as a collective society will help them gain a better understanding of the specific needs of students and staff. 

This emphasizes the value of creating better connections and value within State College Area schools. While none of this comes without contracts and licensing agreements, it is important to note the impact this organization has on the broader community.

Allison Becker, SCAEA Board Member and State High English teacher explained her role in the union.

“SCAEA is a union that is also part of PSEA [Pennsylvania State Education Association] and NEA [National Education Association]. We represent about 630 educators, counselors, nurses, therapists, and mental health clinicians in the district K-12,” Becker said. “The purpose of this Association is to promote the general educational welfare of our community, to protect and advance the interests of the teaching profession, to foster professional zeal, to advance educational standards, and to establish and maintain helpful and friendly relationships with the community at large.”

“We do something known as collective bargaining, which means that we make sure our employment contract is fair for everyone we represent. I think teachers deserve the world, so I am happy to help them any way can,” Becker added.  

SCAEA also makes sure that no one would unfairly lose their job or get disciplined for something they didn’t do. The work is done to ensure that everyone gets treated the same when it comes to other benefits.  For example, the SCAEA team negotiates a contract so that everyone is paid the same rates, based on years of experience and education. Teachers don’t have to go by themselves and talk to the school district every year to ask for a raise. 

Being a part of a member of the Union is a rewarding experience. 

“For me, the best part of being a SCAEA member is the satisfaction in knowing that I am helping to make teaching a better profession for those that are teachers now and for those that want to be teachers in the future. I honestly think that democracy depends on everyone having a free, high-quality public education, which means we need people to want to be teachers,” Becker said. “I am currently working with a team of teachers in negotiating our next contract with the school district, and we meet every Wednesday. Teachers are showing support for our team and sending us ‘good vibes’ by wearing their shirts. It is really uplifting to see the support!” 

All the teachers wear their SCAEA shirts on Wednesday. The shirts are worn in order to commemorate and show support in the union along with fellow colleagues.