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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 MoreAFT Leaders Meet with Houston Area School Admins, Discuss Solutions to the Educator Shortage
With 43,000 Texas teachers either resigning or retiring since the last school year and with widespread reports of classrooms so crowded that students have run out of desks and supplies, Texas schools are in crisis — but one that can be solved.
Read MoreKnow Your Rights: Joining a Union
How many times have you heard the following from a colleague, a friend, or a Facebook comment: “There are no unions in Texas”?
Read MoreTexas AFT Retiree+ Executive Board Convenes in Austin
This past weekend, members of the Texas AFT Retiree+ executive board gathered in Austin for the group’s first in-person board meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreLocal Solutions to the Texas Educator Shortage Exist. Now We Need State Action.
Roundtable discussion with the American Federation of Teachers, Houston area school administrators, and the University of Houston and Texas A&M University-Commerce highlights initiatives to retain and recruit qualified educators. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 31, 2022 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org HOUSTON, Texas — With 43,000 Texas teachers either resigning or retiring since...
Read MoreStand with Uvalde Parents Tomorrow in Austin
On Saturday, Aug. 27, March For Our Lives will rally with parents from Uvalde, as well as survivors from Santa Fe, and youth activists from across the country to demand action to end gun violence.
Read MoreWhat President Biden’s Student Debt Announcement Means for You
On Aug. 24, President Joe Biden announced a monumental package of student loan debt relief.
Read MoreEducation Austin Member Kari Johnston Selected as Finalist for Teacher of the Year Statewide Honors
Earlier this month, the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) announced that Education Austin member Kari Johnston was selected as the Elementary Teacher of the Year for Region XIII and is one of three finalists for their statewide Elementary School Teacher of the Year award. Johnston is a bilingual teacher...
Read MoreBig Win for Houston Public Schools After Charter Privatization Attempt
The Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT), led by president Jackie Anderson, along with a coalition of Houston community leaders including Sen. Borris Miles, Rep. Alma Allen, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the NAACP, and faith leaders, successfully fought off an attempt by some Houston Independent School District (HISD) board members to rush...
Read MoreTEA Releases A-F Accountability Ratings for the First Time in 3 Years
This past Monday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released 2021-2022 school year accountability ratings for each of Texas’ 1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses. This is the first time since 2019 that TEA has published accountability ratings because of the COVID-19 disaster declaration during the previous two school years. While TEA...
Read MoreFormer Texas House Speaker Joe Straus Calls For Increasing Funding for Public Education, Criticizes Voucher Schemes
Republicans and Democrats alike — with districts spanning from rural agricultural communities to dense urban areas — have begun speaking out in support of the priorities of our Respect Campaign, among them: safe working conditions, fair pay, reasonable workloads, and...
Read MoreTexas AFT Hosts Capitol Listening Session on Teacher Shortage Research
In support of our recent report, Texas Needs Teachers (released with Battelle for Kids), Texas AFT hosted a virtual informational session this past Tuesday. We were joined by Rep. Art Fierro, Rep. Donna Howard, Rep. Rhetta Bowers, Rep. Terry Meza, and Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, as well as dozens of...
Read MoreTexas AFT Talks Public Education on Progress Texas Podcast
Texas AFT’s Patty Quinzi, director of Public Affairs and legislative counsel, appeared as a guest on this week’s edition of the Progress Texas Happy Hour podcast. On the podcast, Quinzi shared her knowledge of the public education system in Texas and explained the multitude of issues plaguing public school teachers...
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