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This Week in the Legislature: Budgets on the Move, Alongside Gov. Abbott’s Voucher Scam
Texas Budget Update: Public & Higher Education in Focus This week, both chambers of the Texas Legislature advanced major budget proposals, with public and higher education taking center stage. The Texas Senate unanimously passed a $336 billion budget for the 2026–27 biennium. The proposal includes $71 billion for the Foundation School Program, the main source of pre-K-12 public education funding,...
Read MoreA New Era for Texas Higher Education: Wynn Rosser’s Appointment to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
At a special board meeting last month, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board named Wynn Rosser as the state’s next commissioner of higher education. With his background in leading rural initiatives and shaping education policy at Texas A&M University, Rosser’s...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Pre-Filed Support Staff Bills
State legislators continue to pre-file bills for the upcoming 89th legislative session. We are closely following bills that would support Texas AFT’s Educator’s Bill of Rights, as well as those that are contrary to our members’ needs and priorities.
Read MoreRetiree 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...
Read MoreStatement on Social Security Fairness Act Vote in the U.S. Senate
Texas AFT President Zeph Capo and Texas AFT Retiree Plus Chair Rita Runnels issued the following statements following the U.S. Senate’s 73-27 vote to proceed toward a final vote on the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82).
Read MoreDec. 13, 2024: Common sense for the common good
Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 Common sense for the common good This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten and her wife Sharon Kleinbaum, the Senior Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, published an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle. The topic: The State Board of Education's vote in November to...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Threats to Our Members’ Priorities
State legislators began pre-filing bills for the upcoming 89th legislative session last month. While we are excited by a slew of bills that have been filed advancing key priorities in our Educator’s Bill of Rights, we are equally concerned by a record number of bad bills that would threaten those...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Three Proposals Moving Forward
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on Dec. 6. There were three items up for proposal that Texas AFT has been closely following for many months. Texas AFT again delivered testimony in alignment with its partners at the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation (TCEP) regarding the...
Read MoreDec. 6, 2024: Finding common ground
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 Finding common ground We have a mental health crisis among our kids. This much we know; both the data and our experience as teachers and school staff agree. The reasons for it are many and varied, but one that has escaped regulation for too long...
Read MoreThe State of Higher Education in Texas: Addressing the Affordability Crisis
The costs of attending college have doubled over the past 15 years, and many Texas students are finding postsecondary education well out of reach. A flurry of recent announcements on tuition prices have highlighted this crisis and point to differing approaches at the state and local levels.
Read MoreWhere the Texas Legislature’s Voucher Fight Stands
Following an aggressive campaign to reshape the Texas Legislature by supporting primary challenges against Republican state representatives who voted against taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in the last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have both designated the passage of universal voucher legislation as their top priority...
Read MoreHow Vouchers & Charter Schools Hurt Public School Funding: A Q&A with Dr. David Knight & Dr. David DeMatthews
Despite a resounding defeat in the 88th Legislature, private school vouchers will return as a major issue in the 89th Legislature, which begins Jan. 14. After pouring money into Republican primary races to defeat anti-voucher incumbents, Gov. Greg Abbott claims...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Pre-Filed Childcare Bills
In our 2023-2024 Texas AFT member survey, 45% of educators who needed regular childcare said they had trouble accessing or affording it. Additionally, more than half of Texas counties are considered childcare deserts. This is an issue that impacts the entire workforce, but disproportionately affects women. Many working parents, including...
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