Featured News
Action Needed: SBOE to Review TEA’s Bible-Infused New Curriculum
Typically, we would wait to preview the State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting in the Hotline edition closest to the date of the meeting. However, there is a hotly anticipated hearing happening at the board’s next regular meeting, Sept. 10-13, and we need our members engaged and taking action in advance of the meeting. Regular Hotline readers will be familiar...
Read MoreBuilding a Safer Future: Creating Schools and Communities Where All Students Can Thrive
Honoring Hadiya Pendleton: The Meaning Behind Wear Orange Weekend As we observe Wear Orange Weekend from June 7-9 and Gun Violence Awareness Month, it's crucial to recognize the essential role that educators play in creating safer schools and communities. On Jan. 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Barack Obama's...
Read MoreTexas AFT Members Are Building a True Educator’s Bill of Rights
By now, you probably already know the story, but it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves: Last year, the state of Texas had a $33 billion budget surplus – not a dime of that went to increasing public education funding. Over a 140-day regular session and four 30-day special sessions, the...
Read MoreSave the Date: Free Citizenship Clinic for Permanent Residents in Houston Area on July 21
Click to download English- and Spanish-language fliers for the upcoming Citizenship Clinic & Community Fair in Houston. The AFT national union, Texas AFT, and its local unions in Harris County are joining our extended labor family to offer a free citizenship clinic in Houston this summer to support lawful permanent...
Read MoreMay 31, 2024: Shaping Our Future
Friday, May 31, 2024 On Friday, May 24, the Houston Federation of Teachers worked with the Houston Food Bank (left) to distribute food and supplies to community members in need after the derecho. Houston Educational Support Personnel (right), meanwhile, delivered food, water, and disaster relief items to the Fifth Ward...
Read MoreICYMI: Texas AFT releases updated ‘Lost Decade (and a Half)’ report on stagnant educator salaries
Texas AFT’s updated report, The Lost Decade (and a Half), shows that, when adjusted for inflation, the average salary for Texas public school teachers has fallen over 9% since the 2009-2010 school year.
Read MoreVoter Approval Tax Rate Elections: What They Are & Why Your School District May Pursue One
Texas school districts find themselves grappling with severe budget deficits. More districts are turning to Voter Approval Tax Rate Elections (VATREs) as a potential solution.
Read MoreTake Action: Tell Gov. Abbott to Release the $4.5 Billion Our Public Schools Need
Texas public schools are in crisis. All Texas school districts must pass their budgets by the end of June, and we are seeing districts forced to lay off teachers and staff, cut student services, and close entire school campuses. While Gov. Greg Abbott may have tanked last year’s school funding...
Read MorePrimary Runoff Election Yields Mixed Results for Texas Public Schools
Left: Texas AFT COPE-endorsed Democratic candidate for House District 146 Lauren Simmons, pictured at a March rally with the Houston Federation of Teachers, prevailed in Tuesday’s primary runoff election. Right: Aldine AFT members write postcards to voters on behalf of Charlene Ward Johnson, endorsed candidate for HD 139, who also...
Read MoreRelease of HB 1605 Instructional Materials Launches Fresh Concerns, of Biblical Proportions
On Wednesday, a day that should have been spent taking in the afterglow (or afterburn) of the primary runoffs, the public education community was instead treated to increasingly eyebrow-raising news relating to the State Board of Education (SBOE)’s instructional materials and review process. Regular Hotline readers know of our...
Read MoreAFT Book Club: A Conversation with Mike Hixenbaugh
Join the June AFT Book Club session featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten and award-winning author Mike Hixenbaugh, discussing his new book, They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms. Dive into an enlightening conversation as Mike, a Pulitzer Prize...
Read MoreICYMI: The 74 Reveals New Biblical Content in State’s ‘High-Quality Instructional Materials’
On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency revealed its first round of Open Education Resources mandated by House Bill 1605. The new curriculum, as reported by The 74, includes significant Christian references and materials.
Read MoreStatement on Texas Primary Runoff Election Results
What have we learned so far from this year’s election cycle in Texas? Very little besides what we already knew: if you’ve got enough money, you can buy whatever seat you want. Mostly.
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