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Urgent Call to Action: Texas House Public Education Committee Hearings on 08/12 and 08/13
The Texas House Public Education Committee is holding critical hearings on Monday, August 12 and Tuesday, August 13 on issues that are having or will have a profound impact on the future of public education in Texas. Perhaps most critically, the committee will consider the implementation of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers and the effect that the increasing quantity of uncertified...
Read MoreLt. Gov. Dan Patrick Releases Legislative Priorities
Ahead of the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 10, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has released his 21 legislative priorities, including a number of items related to K-12 and higher education. While the priorities Patrick listed at his Wednesday press conference are mostly “concepts” at this stage, Texas AFT sees...
Read MoreACLU Calls for Civil Rights Investigations on Frisco ISD and Keller ISD Over Anti-Transgender Policies
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called for an investigation on Frisco ISD and Keller ISD over newly implemented policies that the ACLU characterizes as discriminatory against transgender students and a violation of their civil rights. Frisco ISD passed...
Read MoreSupreme Court Maintains Pause on Biden Student Debt Relief, Will Hear Arguments Next Year
The legality of President Biden’s plan to wipe out billions of dollars in student debt will be decided by the Supreme Court early next year, according to a recent announcement from the court. On Thursday, the court moved to hear arguments for a lawsuit filed by six Republican-led states alleging...
Read MorePresident Weingarten Responds to Mike Pompeo’s Latest Claim that She Is the ‘Most Dangerous Person in the United States’ (Previously ‘the World’)
Over the Thanksgiving holiday break, you may have heard about former Trump Administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referring to AFT President Randi Weingarten as the “most dangerous person in the world,” before adding that what educators do every day...
Read MoreNov. 18, 2022: Results from Our Task Force; SBOE’s Final Meeting of the Year
Texas AFT offices will close for the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and there will be no Hotline next week. We hope you and yours have a warm and restful break! Texas AFT Announces Respect Agenda for 88th Legislative Session Up to 70% of Texas teachers say they’re thinking...
Read MoreSBOE Lays Out Legislative Priorities, Gives Approval to Social Studies Standards
This week in Austin was the final meeting of the year for the State Board of Education (SBOE). Among their standard duties, the board agreed upon several legislative priorities that fell under some broad topics: charter school transparency, charter regulation, instructional materials, board support, and school funding/appropriations. Their specific priorities...
Read MoreEducator Perspectives from Working Conditions Task Force Guide Texas AFT’s Legislative Priorities
Over the past two months Texas AFT leaders and staff have met with members from across the state during biweekly meetings of the Working Conditions Task Force to hear first-hand accounts about their experiences as educators. The feedback from the Working Conditions Task Force will direct Texas AFT’s policy work...
Read MoreTEA Proposes New Rules to Address Student Safety
Last week, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) proposed a new rule intended to increase school safety. TEA announced this sweeping new rule roughly five months after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. In the wake of the Uvalde tragedy, Gov. Greg Abbott specifically...
Read MoreCollin College Professor Reinstated After Free-Speech Lawsuit
Suzanne Jones, an education professor at Collin College, will return to the North Texas community college in January under a two-year contract and with a new salary. Jones was terminated last year due to her comments and actions on political issues, including criticizing Collin College’s response to COVID-19 on...
Read MoreTexas AFT responds to Lt. Gov. Patrick comments disparaging urban school districts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 7, 2022 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT responds to Lt. Gov. Patrick comments disparaging urban school districts Lieutenant governor blames school districts for problems his charter schemes created AUSTIN, Texas – In his comments last week pushing private school vouchers, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called urban school districts “dropout factories,” specifically...
Read MoreTRS Retirees Grow the Texas Economy, TRS ‘Value Brochure’ Show
This week, TRS released its annual “Value Brochure,” highlighting the value that TRS has brought to both its members and to the Texas economy over the past fiscal year. While TRS has had an increasingly positive impact on the Texas economy as a whole, TRS members who have retired since...
Read MoreStudent Test Scores Decline During Multiple Years of Global Pandemic
Early Monday morning, reports from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed drops in reading and math scores in fourth- and eighth-graders. The ongoing global pandemic has deeply affected students in the classroom. Often referred to as “the nation’s report card,” the NAEP exam was administered to over 400,000...
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