PSRP enews | June 2026

Weingarten unveils 10-point plan to boost learning in the AI era

AFT President Randi Weingarten delivered a major speech last month at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. During the May 27 event, Weingarten spoke about the importance of schools fostering human connections in the age of artificial intelligence. She unveiled a 10-point plan that addresses concerns around AI and other technology in schools.

Ginnie and Nancy’s big adventure: Bringing food service in-house

Faced with a series of companies that brought disastrous private food service into their Oklahoma public schools, AFT Tulsa President Nancy Leonard and school cafeteria manager Ginnie Holly used their wits to bring school meals back in-house. From homemade empanadas to real Reuben sandwiches, read how made-from-scratch cooking keeps school meals out of the trash and, instead, where they belong: in the bellies of hungry kids.

What artificial intelligence means for education staff

Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and as unionists, we should feel just as confident in harnessing the power of AI as we do in harnessing the power of our collective voices. Sarah Wofford, president of the Oregon School Employees Association, discusses how AI touches affordability, student safety and advocacy, and how employers are using AI as an excuse not to hire clerical and other support staff. Read her column on AFT Voices to find out how we can demand a say in determining the changes ahead.

Today: What’s changing for student loan borrowers

Major changes to the federal student loan system take effect July 1—and borrowers need to know what’s at stake. Join AFT President Randi Weingarten and Protect Borrowers Executive Director Mike Pierce this afternoon at 4 p.m. EDT for an emergency town hall on how new repayment rules, Public Service Loan Forgiveness restrictions, and borrowing limits could affect educators. Learn what actions you can take now, which deadlines you can’t afford to miss and how the AFT is fighting back.

Tyseeke Edwards: ‘I love coming to work every morning’

AFT Tulsa member Tyseeke Edwards has been the parent involvement facilitator for the city’s Anderson Elementary School for 14 years. To students, families and co-workers, she is the welcome, warmth and help in times of need that exemplify why public schools are the heart of their communities. Edwards won the district’s coveted Support Professional of the Year award in April. Here, she talks about why she loves her job, and her family’s tradition of public service that makes her work especially meaningful.

In Oregon, reading again opens the world for children

The Oregon School Employees Association and the AFT hosted a wonderful Reading Opens the World event in Eugene, Ore., on a weekend earlier this month. OSEA welcomed thousands of educators and families to hand out free books, promote literacy and bring the community together.

Care is a muscle: Strengthening trauma-informed practices

Traumatic experiences can lead to increased stress that affects student learning and well-being. Adults in school settings are not expected to be therapists, but all adults can implement strategies that support emotional health for all students. The current issue of American Educator explores trauma-informed practices that promote healing, de-escalate the stress response and create healthy boundaries and expectations—helping students build resilience, regulate their emotions and create space for learning.

World Cup visitors love America’s yellow school buses

More than a few soccer players and fans from around the world mistakenly thought that the classic yellow school buses our PSRP members drive, monitor and repair were somehow make-believe. Watch these short video clips captured during the World Cup. They show foreign visitors enraptured by our bright American school buses.