Sept. 13, 2024: No More Harm

Publish Date: September 14, 2024 11:30 am
Author: Texas AFT


Header reads: Texas A-F-T. The Hotline.

Friday, Sept. 13, 2024


Photo of a yard sign that reads: Trust no bond.


No more harm. 

Just 53 days separate us and Election Day. We already know the stakes; from the presidency all the way down to control of our school boards and our municipal offices, the fate of democracy is on the ballot. Look no further for an example than Houston ISD, where educators, parents, and students continue to speak out against the harm being done by their state-installed superintendent and the appointed board of managers.  

And they do not stand alone. Last week, local union delegates of the 95 unions of the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO approved a series of additional endorsements in local, state, and federal elections. But they could not, in good conscience, recommend a vote for the $4.4 billion Houston ISD bond; local union delegates voted unanimously to oppose HISD Propositions A and B. 

“Mike Miles is a failed leader who has lost the trust of parents, educators, and the broader Houston community. His allegiance lies with Governor Greg Abbott who appointed him, and his state-installed board of trustees are not accountable to Houston voters,” said Hany Khalil, executive director of the Texas Gulf Coast AFL-CIO, in a statement after the vote. “It’s just not prudent to leave taxpayers on the hook for a $4.4 billion bond that will be spent by a man with a long history of mismanaging public funds.” 

We couldn’t agree more, and we thank our union siblings for their solidarity with the HISD community and with the Houston Federation of Teachers.  


In this week’s Hotline:  

  • Speaking of democracy, did y’all see that presidential debate?  
  • Yet another poll shows that over three-quarters of Texas teachers are looking at the exits.  
  • We had a great time at The Texas Tribune Festival last weekend. Here’s what we heard.
  • The State Board for Educator Certification meets next week with a beefy agenda.  



— Election

Screen grab of the presidential debate with Trump next to Harris.


In Presidential Debate, AFT-Endorsed Harris Presents Vision to Thrive, Trump Spreads Misinformation 

The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump was both exactly what you expected and a bizarre evening difficult to fully comprehend. Trump tossed out a slew of conspiracy theories and flat-out lies, including that noncitizens are being encouraged and helped to vote, that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets in Ohio, and that either the governor of Virginia or the governor of West Virginia (he cited both at different points) were committing infanticide. Read what other topics were covered, and what was missing online.  


— Poll


— Event



Educating Texas: What’s Up with the Interim Legislature?

Tuesday, Sept. 17 

6-7 p.m. CT 

Register online 


Over the next few weeks, several important interim committees will be meeting in the Texas Legislature and talking about your neighborhood public schools. Join us for what you need to know about these committees and how you can make clear your priorities for student safety, academic freedom, public education funding, and more. Join us for the latest Educating Texas webinar on Sept. 17! 



The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) will meet in Austin next Thursday and Friday, Sept.19-20. Some action items are anticipated, but most of the agenda will continue with discussions on weighty topics related to educator sanctions and discipline, teacher pedagogy standards, teacher assignment rules, and the teacher candidate experience.   


— Event

Texas Tribune Festival 2024 Recap: What We Heard 


We were a proud sponsor of this year’s exhilarating TribFest 2024! The Texas Tribune brought Texans closer to politics, policy, and the day’s news from Texas and beyond. Read more about it online. 



Recommended Reading

Education news from around the state and nation that’s worth your time.

Houston ISD records show more than 2,000 teachers do not have certification for 2024-25 year. Houston ISD has 2,097 uncertified teachers out of more than 10,000 teachers for 2024-25, according to district records first provided to and reported by ABC13 KTRK. About 1 in 5 teachers, out of a district total 10,618 teachers as of Aug. 5, are “working toward certification,” according to records requested by the TV station. (Houston Chronicle, Sept. 9)  

 

Austin ISD settles lawsuit over delayed special ed evaluations, creates fund for affected students. A federal court signed off on a settlement Wednesday between Disability Rights Texas and Austin ISD over its backlog of special education evaluations. The settlement requires the district to establish a fund to help cover the cost of services for students who were affected by the delayed evaluations. (KUT, Sept. 5)  

 

Texas school districts say upgrades to the state’s student data reporting system could hurt their funding. Upgrades to the system Texas uses to collect student, staff and financial data from school districts are causing serious concerns among school administrators and data specialists across the state who say the changes have led to thousands of unresolved errors that could potentially cause them to lose out on state funding. (The Texas Tribune, Sept. 10)  



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