Featured News
Retiree Issues in the Spotlight
We continue to await news of the final outcome of the bipartisan effort in Congress to pass the Social Security Fairness Act and finally repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) to ensure that public employees – including educators, firefighters, and VA nurses – receive the Social Security benefits they are due.
Read MorePriority Education Bills Filed Before Legislative Deadline
Texas AFT regularly participates in coalition work with allies related to our legislative priorities; in the past week, we have had the chance to join our coalition partners at the Capitol for successful advocacy days.
Read MoreMarch 3, 2023: Celebrating Maintenance Workers & Women’s History Month
Friday, March 3, 2023 ‘Respect for Those of Us Who Are the Foundation of Every School’ Saturday, March 4, is Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day, an important time to recognize the too-often-ignored contributions of the support staff who keep schools safe, clean, and usable for our kids. Too many of our...
Read MoreAllies Rally for Public Education, School Safety at the Capitol
Texas AFT regularly participates in coalition work with allies related to our legislative priorities; in the past week, we have had the chance to join our coalition partners at the Capitol for successful advocacy days.
Read MoreWhat’s in the Teacher Vacancy Task Force Report? Compensation
This is the first of three deep dives we will take into the final report from the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Vacancy Task Force issued last week. The recommendations from the report fell into three broad categories: CompensationTraining & SupportWorking Conditions Today, we will take a closer look at the...
Read MoreSenate, House Education Committees Begin Hearings
The House Public Education Committee met for its first official hearing of the session Tuesday. The committee, under the new leadership of Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), heard invited testimony from the Texas Education Agency and the Texas School Safety Center. Commissioner Mike Morath gave a broad overview of the agency’s...
Read MoreLawmaker Calling for Bans on Public Drag Performances Appears to Have Performed in Drag Publicly
A recently surfaced video appears to show freshman state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) wearing a dress while dancing in a park. In the 88th Legislature, Schatzline has filed HB 1266, which would effectively ban public drag shows. The bill would amend Texas Business and Commerce code such that any...
Read MoreAFT Calls on Congress to Raise the Debt Ceiling
The American Federation of Teachers, along with dozens of our union’s partner groups, have called on the U.S. Congress to raise the national ceiling before the country defaults on its debt. Raising the debt ceiling in no way subjects the country to additional debt by increasing federal spending, it simply...
Read MoreFeb. 24, 2023: Teacher Vacancy Task Force Report Is Finally Out
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 Strong Public Schools Need Empowered Educators No decisions about Texas school employees should be made without the input of Texas school employees. That’s our message to the Texas Legislature, and it's the subject of our newest union T-shirt! Buy yours at store.texasaft.org and help fuel our...
Read MoreBrownsville AFT Members Win ‘Right to Recess’ for Students
Every elementary school student in Brownsville ISD is now guaranteed a minimum 15-minute recess every day thanks to advocacy from Brownsville Educators Stand Together (BEST AFT). In December, members of BEST, an organizing committee building toward becoming a full AFT local union, asked district administrators and the Board of Trustees...
Read MoreTeacher Vacancy Task Force Releases Report, Largely Agrees with Texas AFT Report from Last Year
More than a year in the making, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, convened by the Texas Education Agency, has issued its final report with recommendations for the Legislature. In a statement, Texas AFT President Zeph Capo thanked the task force for its work and made special note of the contributions...
Read MoreTexas AFT Receives $50,000 AFT Grant for Educator Apprenticeship Program
This month, our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, announced grants totaling $500,000 to fund 14 projects for AFT affiliates across the country, including Texas AFT. This latest round of grants is part of the AFT Innovation Fund’s “What Kids and Communities Need” grant program, which has committed $1.6...
Read MoreHouse Appropriations Committee Considers Community College Budget, Hears Testimony from AFT
https://youtu.be/AoC0KpRRDQQ This past Thursday, the Article III subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for the education-related portions of the state budget, heard testimony related to budget appropriations for the state’s community colleges. Dr. David Albert, president of Austin Community College AFT, was among those who testified. In...
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