Featured News
Action Needed: SBOE to Review TEA’s Bible-Infused New Curriculum
Typically, we would wait to preview the State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting in the Hotline edition closest to the date of the meeting. However, there is a hotly anticipated hearing happening at the board’s next regular meeting, Sept. 10-13, and we need our members engaged and taking action in advance of the meeting. Regular Hotline readers will be familiar...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Educator Preparation and Assessment Changes
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin last week on Dec. 7-8. During this meeting, the board gave preliminary approval to two significant proposals affecting educator training and certification. Over the last several months, Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff have been engaged in a major update and...
Read MoreTexas AFT Names Wanda Longoria as Its New Secretary-Treasurer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 14, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org As the statewide union federation enters its 50th year, Longoria becomes the first Hispanic woman to serve as a Texas AFT officer. AUSTIN, Texas — 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, and now...
Read MoreDec. 8, 2023: COLA Controversies
Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 You tracked your working conditions. Here’s what we learned. This fall, over 600 K-12 and higher education employees participated in Texas AFT’s Strive to Thrive working conditions project. It was the largest statewide effort of public school employees in Texas to document the real issues in...
Read MoreYou tracked your working conditions. Here’s what we learned.
This fall, over 600 K-12 and higher education employees participated in Texas AFT’s Strive to Thrive working conditions project. It was the largest statewide effort of public school employees in Texas to document the real issues in our schools. Every week from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, participants tracked certain...
Read MoreAs 4th Special Session Wraps, Retired Educator COLA Faces Legal Challenges
This week, the fourth special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott came to a close without a single education bill passed — including Abbott’s private school voucher scheme. At least for the time being, it seems that Abbott does not intend to call another special session, and instead intends to...
Read MoreSBOE: Public Comments Needed on Instructional Materials, Library Policy
The State Board of Education (SBOE) is holding a special called meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Ahead of that meeting, there are two important topics for Texas educators to weigh in on. HB 1605: Instructional Materials Rubrics Among its agenda items, the board intends to review and approve the rubrics...
Read MoreKaty ISD Students File a Federal Complaint Against New ‘Gender Policy’
A student-led group called Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) is fighting back against Katy ISD’s new anti-trans policy. On Monday, Nov. 13, SEAT filed a formal discrimination complaint with the US Department of Education, citing Title IX violations and decrying the adverse effects of the policy on trans students....
Read MoreStatement on Election Lawsuits, Impact on Proposition 9
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 4, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org This past week, it was reported that at least six lawsuits have been filed challenging the results of November’s constitutional amendment election. Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented on these baseless accusations, made by known election deniers and conspiracy theorists, which threaten...
Read MoreDec. 1, 2023: Thankful for the 84
Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 Teaching the truth On Monday, Nov. 27, Texas State University officially dedicated the Shirley R. Harris Student Lounge, honoring a civil rights trailblazer and 40-year San Antonio educator. Shirley Harris was the first Black graduate from the university (then known as Southwest Texas State College), earning...
Read MoreAction Needed: Special SBOE Meeting Dec. 13 on Instructional Materials, Library Books
The State Board of Education (SBOE) is holding a special called meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 13, to take action on a few issues before the end of 2023. First, the board intends to review and approve the rubrics for the new Instructional Materials Review and Adoption Process (IMRA) required by...
Read More4th Special Session Winding Down
The fourth special session has been an exercise in persistence. This special session started slowly, but, over the course of several weeks, picked up pace and then reached a climax on Friday, Nov. 17, a milestone for nearly a year’s worth of advocacy against vouchers. Chairman Brad Buckley (R-Killeen) crafted...
Read MoreSocial Security Fairness Act Gains 60 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. Senate, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the bill’s author, announced this week. “Social Security is a bedrock of our middle class,” Brown...
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