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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 MoreNew Charter School Regulations Targeting Self-Dealing, Lack of Transparency Set to Go Into Effect
HB 1707 was meant to increase charter school expansion. Instead, it will work to rein in self-dealing from charter operators.
Read MoreSupreme Court Tanks President Biden’s Student Debt Plan
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan was unconstitutional.
Read MoreJune 30, 2023: The Work of Our Union
This week's Hotline is brought to you by Horace Mann. Friday, June 30, 2023 Daniel Alvarez Photo The state of our union is strong. The state of our schools is on life support. This weekend, for the first time since 2019, Texas AFT members convened in person for our statewide...
Read MoreStatement on Property Tax Relief, Education Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 6, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented today on Rep. John Bryant and House Democrats’ alternate property tax relief plan that would boost public school funding and educator pay: “The 88th Legislature, in many ways, has made clear to Texas educators who their...
Read MoreUnpacking the Legislature: School Safety
As a union, we like to say “educators’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.” While this adage applies to diverse issues such as class size, school funding, and facilities, nowhere is that phrase more relevant than when it comes to school safety.
Read More#TogetherWeThrive: Recap of Texas AFT’s 31st Biennial Convention
Daniel Alvarez Photo For the first time since 2019, Texas AFT members convened in person for our statewide convention, passing resolutions, electing officers, and managing the business of our union. The 31st Biennial Convention, hosted jointly by McAllen AFT, PSJA AFT, Edinburg AFT, and La Joya AFT, arrived on the...
Read MoreLegislative Update: Back for Another Property Tax Special Session, Senators Propose a Bonus Check for Teachers
Just as the first special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott was scheduled to run out of time this Wednesday (with legislators passing zero bills), Abbott immediately called a second special session on the very same issue that stalled the...
Read MoreIn Response to Book Ban Bill, Texas School District Halts All Book Purchases
This week, the Katy ISD school board directed the school superintendent to halt the purchase of any new library books and to store any newly purchased books in a warehouse until at least April 2024 in response to a recently passed law by the Texas Legislature. HB 900 by Rep....
Read MoreU.S. Department of Education: TEA Finally in Compliance with Special Education Standards after Years of Violation
In a recently released letter from the U.S. Department of Education addressed to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Department stated that TEA has finally fulfilled its obligations to Texas students outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)...
Read MoreSupreme Court Targets Efforts to Promote Diversity on College Campuses
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision that found certain practices promoting a diverse student body on college campuses are unconstitutional. The majority decisions issued by the court’s six conservative justices in the cases Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC found...
Read MoreJune 23, 2023: Together We Thrive
This week's Hotline is brought to you by Horace Mann. Friday, June 23, 2023 One Judson AFT member pictured at Thursday’s school board meeting. Together We Thrive It simply isn’t enough for Texas public schools to survive (which many of them are struggling to do at all, especially in rural...
Read MoreJune 16, 2023: The Impending Special Sessions
This week's Hotline is brought to you by Horace Mann. Friday, June 16, 2023 New Committees, New Laws, New Special Sessions… No New Raises Two weeks after Sine Die, Texas elected officials are still crossing t’s and dotting i’s on one of the most disappointing sessions for public education in...
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