Publish Date: October 22, 2024 5:10 pm Author: Texas AFT
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Friday, Oct. 18, 2024
United Against Book Bans
This Saturday, Oct. 19, libraries, bookstores, readers, and partners nationwide are hosting rallies and community events to unite against book bans and demonstrate our shared commitment to a fundamental freedom: the freedom to read.
Book bans and challenges in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2023 and continue to happen at an alarming rate. It’s crucial to show support for your local libraries and the freedom to read.
This is a crisis that impacts all of us. The freedom to read is a fundamental right that must be protected. How can you stand with fellow educators, students, and readers across America this weekend?
In this week’s Hotline:
Did y’all watch the debate between Rep. Colin Allred and Sen. Ted Cruz? We did.
Let’s look at one of the most important races for Texas schools this November: San Antonio’s House District 118.
Early voting starts Monday. Do you have your plan to vote?
A new report documents the unending churn of charter school closures and how they hurt the kids they claim to help.
In a pivotal moment for Texas politics, incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and challenger Rep. Colin Allred squared off in what may be their only televised debate before the Nov. 5 election. The Oct. 15 showdown in Dallas revealed the stark choice facing voters in the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate, pitting Cruz’s divisive brand of right-wing, culture war politics against Allred’s promise of unity and pragmatism.
Kristian Carranza is making waves in her run to represent District 118 in the Texas House of Representatives, with a focus on strengthening public education. As a community organizer who grew up in Southside San Antonio, Carranza has firsthand experience with the struggles of working families, which has shaped her political platform.
Early voting across Texas starts Monday, Oct. 21, and will run until Friday, Nov. 1. With only four days until early voting starts, now is the time to make your plan to vote!
Charter schools in Texas have become synonymous with instability, especially as the state has a 30-34% closure rate for charter schools according to a new report from the National Center for Charter School Accountability and the Network for Public Education. This trend has left countless students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, scrambling for a quality education and straining the limited resources public schools already have.
Texas AFT members: It’s that time of year. Our annual membership survey is in your inbox! Please check your email for the survey and share your feedback on our union’s priorities for the next year. Don’t see it? Email info@texasaft.org, and we will resend the link.
Recommended Reading
Education news from around the state and nation that’s worth your time.
HISD’s $4.4 billion bond requires trust. Mike Miles hasn’t earned it yet. | Endorsement. From the beginning, this editorial board made it clear that, if the takeover had to happen, we wanted Superintendent Mike Miles to succeed. Kids’ futures at chronically failing campuses depended on it. We also implored Miles to build trust among teachers, parents and the general community. At almost every turn, he failed to build that trust. (Houston Chronicle, Oct. 15)
Nearly half of Texas high school students who earn college credits are Hispanic, study says. Nearly half of all public high school students in Texas who earn college credits before they graduate are Hispanic, a new study found. That makes Texas a national leader in closing the gap between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students who participate in dual-credit programs. (The Texas Tribune, Oct. 16)
