Featured News
This Week in the Legislature: Lawmakers Get an Earful on School Finance Bill HB 2 in 2-Day Committee Hearing
This week was a busy one for the House Public Education Committee, with two days of hearings dedicated to House Bill 2, Chairman Brad Buckley’s school finance bill.
Read MoreUnmasking Vouchers: Texas Public Policy Foundation
Texas has become awash in dark money seeking to influence public education over the past several years. This dark money represents political and business agendas working to undermine our public schools and degrade the quality of public education in Texas and to advance privatization and vouchers.
Read MorePaxton Acquittal Sparks Renewed Hostilities between House, Senate
This past weekend, the Texas Senate voted to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment brought against him by the Texas House. Only two of 19 Republicans in the Senate voted to impeach Paxton on any of the articles. All 12 Democrats voted to impeach Paxton...
Read MoreSpring Branch ISD Trustees Withhold Recapture Payment to State
Spring Branch ISD has taken a stand against the state’s chronic underfunding of our public schools; this month, its school board voted unanimously to withhold the recapture payment the state requires of property-wealthy school districts. While this move could result in state penalties, Spring Branch ISD officials have made a...
Read MoreTRS Board Discusses One-Time Stipend Payments, TRS Health Fairs
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees convened in Austin last week for its quarterly meeting. At the hearing, the board discussed the disbursal of one-time stipend checks for retirees 70 and older. These stipend payments are a component of Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Joan Huffman...
Read MoreHB 900 Gets the Boot in a Scathing Opinion
Come And Take It: Get your yard sign at store.texasaft.org. All purchases act as a donation to our union’s political fund. On Aug. 31, Texas Judge Alan D. Albright issued a temporary injunction against House Bill 900. Known as The READER Act by Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), HB 900 is...
Read MorePreview: SBEC Meets Next Week in Austin
The State Board for Educator Certification will meet next Friday, Sept. 29, in Austin. Texas AFT is carefully watching three items on the board’s agenda: Educator Preparation Programs For the last several months, the SBEC, along with the Texas Education Agency, have been engaged in a full reorganization of Texas...
Read MoreNew poll of Texas school employees shows overwhelming concern about vouchers, disgust in Legislature’s inaction on funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 20, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org New poll of Texas school employees shows overwhelming concern about vouchers, disgust in Legislature’s inaction on funding Gov. Abbott continues his crusade for school privatization on a call with right-wing advocacy...
Read MoreUnmasking Vouchers: Texas Federation for Children
Texas has become awash in dark money seeking to influence public education over the past several years. This dark money represents political and business agendas working to undermine our public schools and degrade the quality of public education in Texas and to advance privatization and vouchers.
Read MoreA-F Accountability Ratings Delayed
The Texas Education Agency announced Tuesday that the 2022-2023 A-F accountability ratings, initially set for release on Sept. 28, would be delayed. This appears to be welcome news; many education advocates assumed the release of ratings (with new, revamped criteria) prior to the expected special session was intended to make...
Read MoreNext Week: Join Texas AFT at the Texas Tribune Festival
Texas AFT is a proud sponsor of this year's Texas Tribune Festival in downtown Austin, Sept. 21-23. The programs features more than 100 unforgettable conversations on topics including:
Read MoreWEP Improvements, Not Total Repeal, Proposed by Texas Congressman
Last week, Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) filed HR 5342 (entitled “the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act''), which would reduce the negative effects the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) has on retired teachers’ Social Security. The bill, however, would stop short of total repeal of the WEP. Instead, Arrington’s bill would...
Read MoreU.S. Senate Hearing Spotlights Texas Book Ban
This Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for a special hearing to discuss book bans instituted by states and in local school districts across the country. Across the nation, right-wing activists masquerading as “parent rights” groups have called for the banning of thousands of titles at school libraries and public...
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