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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 MoreRetired Educator COLA set as Proposition 9 on November Ballot
Last Friday, the ballot order for the Nov. 7 statewide constitutional amendment election, which will include a vote on a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to retired educator pensions, was set by the Texas Secretary of State’s office. The order of the 14 propositions on the ballot this November was determined by...
Read MoreTexas AFL-CIO Demands Action to Save Workers’ Lives
Last week, the Texas AFl-CIO launched a new letter campaign to push Gov. Greg Abbott to include statewide heat protections for Texas workers in the upcoming special session call. This summer, Texas workers have been exposed to some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Texas. In these types of...
Read MoreAug. 4, 2023: Houston, we have a problem
Friday, August 4, 2023 Alliance/AFT member and Dallas ISD teacher Rosie Curts attends a Houston community protest this summer against TEA’s takeover and Mike Miles’ appointment as superintendent. It starts in Houston. It doesn’t end there. We start this week with a message from Texas AFT President Zeph Capo and...
Read MoreLocal Businesses Sue Texas over “Book Ban Bill”
Last week, a coalition of Texas-based book sellers and several bookstore associations filed a lawsuit against Texas over HB 900, the book ban bill passed during the legislative session. Under HB 900 by Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), private book vendors, not school librarians or elected officials, would assign ratings to these...
Read MoreAcademic Freedom Under Fire At Texas A&M
The Texas A&M University System has been accused of making politically motivated attacks on the employment of two highly respected university professors. These two separate cases of apparent political interference in the administration of one of Texas’ top public university systems comes in the wake of broad attacks against academic...
Read MoreAFT Releases New Report Connecting Social Media to Mental Health Crisis
Last month, the American Federation of Teachers, along with the American Psychological Association, Fairplay, ParentsTogether and Design It For Us, released a new, groundbreaking report pointing to social media companies as a “root cause” of the nationwide mental health crisis. The report, entitled “Likes vs. Learning: The Real Cost of...
Read MoreAFT Represents At Texas AFL-CIO Convention
More than a dozen Texas AFT members and leaders attended the 2023 Texas AFL-CIO convention in support of a ‘Bigger, Broader, Bolder Labor Movement’. Educators are central to the labor movement in Texas and understand, as Texas AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Leonard Aguilar said, “Workers get that bettering our livelihoods requires new...
Read MoreA-F Accountability Ratings to be Released in September
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced a timeline for release of the 2022-2023 state accountability ratings. For some school districts, the new A-F ratings, which will be released to the public on September 28, 2023, will show that they are doing a worse job compared to last school year...
Read MoreStatement on Houston ISD Plans to Fill Staffing Gaps with Uncertified Teachers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 2, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo & Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson commented today on reports that Houston ISD’s state-installed superintendent will seek waivers from the Texas Education Agency to hire uncertified teachers: “Educators have been told throughout the process of...
Read MoreJuly 28, 2023: AFT in Washington, in Austin, in Your District
Friday, July 28, 2023 Education Austin, Houston Federation of Teachers Presidents Represent Texas at Nation’s Capitol Last week, two Texas AFT local union presidents traveled to Washington D.C. to represent Texas educators on the national stage. Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, journeyed to D.C. to participate...
Read MoreFact vs. Fiction: The ‘Demand’ for School Vouchers
David DeMatthews, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas, and David S. Knight, associate professor of education finance and policy at the University of Washington, broke down school voucher rhetoric in the Houston Chronicle this week. The Legislature may be adjourned (for...
Read MoreTEA Recruiting Advisory Committee Members, Application Deadline Aug. 25
Just because the Legislature is not in session (for now), that doesn't mean the policy work stops. The Texas Education Agency is always in the process of revising its rules and regulations for our Texas classrooms. Frequently, TEA seeks educator involvement. It’s critical that our members participate in these ongoing...
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