So, it is particularly galling to read reports like the latest from Texas Monthly about the town of Canyon Lake in Comal County, where a small supermarket now stocks an ammunition vending machine — next to a middle school. From the story:
“Asked about the concern that some Canyon Lake residents have expressed about the machine’s proximity to a middle school, the manager didn’t mince words: ‘Do you really think a 13-year-old could buy ammo from that thing considering how secure it is?’ he asked.”
Project 2025: What it is and why it should terrify educators, parents, and unionists.
The AFT convention arrives in Houston next week! Join us Sunday for an important panel discussion.
A new report from the Texas Observer finds even more cause for concern in the financial dealings of the charter school network founded by Houston ISD’s state-installed superintendent.
The efforts to repeal the WEP/GPO have reached a major milestone in the U.S. Congress.
— Project 2025
Sounding the Alarm on Project 2025: The Far-Right’s Blueprint to Dismantle Public Education and Workers’ Rights
As the race for the November elections gains momentum, you may have heard Project 2025 mentioned in the news by those warning about the dangers of a second term should former President Donald Trump win the election.
In short, Project 2025 represents an agenda that would dramatically alter the structure and function of the federal government, roll back civil rights protections, dismantle environmental regulations, and reshape American society in ways that would have profound negative impacts on public education, workers’ rights, and democratic institutions.
The document is nearly 1,000 pages long. In the full article on our website, we try to summarize the biggest components of Project 2025 with implications for public education, including both K-12 and higher education, and labor.
The convention is the highest authority of our union, and it’s a showcase of union democracy at work. And it has special significance in this election year.
Billionaire mega donors have been pouring political dollars into state legislative races across the country to push a far-right education agenda. Nationwide, lawmakers are diverting taxpayer dollars into private for-profit schools and forcing public school curriculum to fit their narrative.
So far, Texas has resisted vouchers, but policies on charter expansion, state takeovers of school districts, and curriculum battles show a tremendous increase of state interference in local schools.
At the AFT convention in Houston, educators will have a voice on these pressing issues, in Texas and nationwide, as well as the real solutions needed for a thriving public education system. If you plan to be at the convention or live in the Houston area, we invite you to our panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.
This panel conversation will be moderated by Sonal Shah, the chief executive officer of the Texas Tribune, and include perspectives from:
Randi Weingarten, AFT president
Zeph Capo, Texas AFT president
Josh Cowen, Michigan State University professor of education policy & expert on school privatization
Jessica Campos, Houston ISD parent and advocate with Community Voices for Public Education
Additional Irregularities, Possible Impropriety in Mike Miles Charter School Saga, Texas Observer Report Reveals
Coming off the heels of Spectrum News’ jaw-dropping reportthat uncovered a possible multi-million-dollar scandal involving state-installed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ formercharter school, a new report from the Texas Observer has uncovered even more irregularities and possible financial improprieties.
As previously covered in the Hotline, the Spectrum report revealed that Third Future Schools— a network of charter schools over which Miles previously presided as superintendent and that operates schools in Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Tennessee — allegedly funneled roughly 40% of their Texas taxpayer-funded budget out of state for “unspecified administrative costs and services.” Miles’ tenure at Third Future Schools began in 2016 after he was ousted from his role as Dallas ISD superintendent by the majority of that district’s democraticallyelected school board; he left Third Future Schools in 2023 to take his current position as HISD’s appointed superintendent.
New reporting from the Texas Observer reveals additional irregularities in Third Future Schools’ finances and governance documents. The irregularities are primarily concerned with the interrelations between the Third Future Schools parent entity and each of its state branches, including Third Future Schools-Texas.
Hurricane Beryl: 2 Ways to Help Houston Members in Need
Donate to Texas AFT’s Disaster Relief Fund
Texas AFT has activated our union’sDisaster Relief Fund to assist affected members in the Houston and Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.
If you are an AFT member whose home, car, or property experienced significant damage during Hurricane Beryl, please email info@texasaft.org to receive an application for assistance through the Disaster Relief Fund.
Social Security Fairness Act Gains 60 Senate Co-Sponsors
The Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal two federal provisions that cut public employees’ Social Security benefits, has reached a new milestone with 60 co–sponsors in the U.S. Congress, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the bill’s author, announced this week.
“Social Security is a bedrock of our middle class,” Brown said in his opening statement at a hearing on the legislation.“It’s retirement security that Americans pay into and earn over a lifetime of work – and workers count on it to be there for them when they retire. And I’m committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security for those who have worked and paid Social Security taxes throughout their careers.”
Join the Texas AFT Bridges Institute for an information session about the National Board Certification process, the five core propositions, and the advantages of becoming an NBCT. We will also explore support systems for Texas teachers.Register on Mobilize.
📖 AFT Launches Push for Academic Freedom, Job Security, College Access. The American Federation of Teachers, of which the American Association of University Professors is an affiliate, is launching a $1 million campaign to support campus and statewide AFT/AAUP chapters in fighting for academic freedom, job security and college costs. (Inside Higher Ed, July 18)
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