Friday, March 31, 2023 The Legislature Sends Its Thoughts & Prayers. A memorial for the children and teachers killed by a shooter at Robb Elementary It happened again Monday. At this point, you likely don’t need an explanation of “it.” On Monday, a shooter armed with two assault-style rifles...
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This week, committees of the Texas Legislature considered bills that had dramatic implications for public education, higher education, and retired educators. Public Education: House Committees Consider Charter School Expansion & LGBTQIA+ Pride Bans, Senate Committee Debates Instructional Materials & Book Bans This past week the Texas House considered two bills...
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Friday, March 24, 2023 Expectations vs. Reality This week in Texas education news has been a real study in the difference between expectations and cold hard reality — and not just at the Capitol. In Houston, the Texas Education Agency hosted its first community meetings after its announced takeover...
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This week, committees of the Texas Legislature considered bills that had dramatic implications for public education, higher education, and retired educators. Public Education: Senate Considers Vouchers & Teacher Working Conditions, House Considers Book Bans, Curriculum Regulation, and School Funding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJxPaiper5Q Texas AFT President Zeph Capo provides testimony opposing vouchers to...
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Friday, March 17, 2023 Respect Public Schools. Reject School Vouchers. Socorro AFT members wave signs in support of public education and against school vouchers at a rally outside the Texas AFL-CIO on Monday. Photo by Mariana Krueger, CCR Studios. “When I say ‘respect,’ you say ‘us,’” said Zeph Capo, president...
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Texas can have public schools that help kids thrive — or a voucher program. That's the only school choice in front of us. Check the Votes Call Your Rep Stay Updated Every one of us can name that one teacher — the one who helped us get ahead in school...
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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...
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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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This week, House Bill 567 by Rep. Rhetta Bowers (D-Garland) was referred to the House State Affairs Committee, making it one of the first bills to be referred to a committee this legislative session. HB 567, colloquially known as the...
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Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 The Campaign to Defund Public Schools Picks Up Steam This has been a whirlwind week in the world of Texas education. We’ll cover much of it in this newsletter (TEA scandal! State of the State! Dan Patrick’s priorities!), but the main theme: vouchers and their impact...
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This week's Hotline is sponsored by Texas AFT corporate supporter Horace Mann. Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 Shining a Spotlight on School Counselors To honor National School Counseling Week, we’ve given the top spot in today’s Hotline to a Texas school counselor. My name is Jessica Pecina Lopez, and I am...
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The Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for drafting the Senate’s version of the state budget, convened for a series of hearings this week discussing article III of SB 1, the public and higher education section of the state budget. Over three days, Committee Chair Joan Huffman (R-Houston), Vice Chair...
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