Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy addresses Texas AFT members gathered in the Capitol’s outdoor rotunda this past Monday.
For the second Monday in a row, Texas educators spent their Spring Break fighting for their students and their schools. This week, more than 175 Texas AFT members from Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Central Texas, and Dallas gathered at the Capitol to demand legislators pass their Educator’s Bill of Rights, increase the basic allotment in the school finance bill to match inflation, and stop playing games pushing costly and unpopular private school voucher scams.
Over the course of a busy day, educators engaged with lawmakers and spoke about the issues they see every single day at their neighborhood public schools. In the afternoon, educators gathered in the Capitol’s outdoor rotunda to celebrate our public schools and rally to action to support them, alongside Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, and the Rev. Megan Peglar, senior minister of the University Christian Church of Austin.
And just like last week, they brought the energy.
Members Hear from Legislators, Education Policy Experts
We are a union of educators, so naturally, our members started their day by learning and getting their facts in order. The day began with a morning briefing at the Texas Capitol Grill, where members reviewed the Educator’s Bill of Rights with Texas AFT staff and prepped for meetings under the pink dome. Many are seasoned advocates, but it was wonderful to see so many new faces at the Capitol for the first time. But most importantly, every single one had a story to tell about why Texas students deserve fully funded schools.
We thank Dr. David DeMatthews, Sen. Roland Gutierrez, Rep. John Bryant, and Rep. James Talarico for joining us and giving our members their valuable perspectives on the state of Texas public education funding and support. The discussion covered many important topics, including private school vouchers, the single biggest threat to our member-driven legislative agenda.
Advocacy at Work: Members Visit Representatives, Senators
Educators traveled to the Capitol because they were tired, upset, and running out of time. After two years of tumult amid an existential funding crisis for Texas public schools, educators need lawmakers to adopt common-sense reforms to improve the learning environment. Texas AFT’s Educator’s Bill of Rights includes a defined workday, safe classrooms, smaller class sizes, fair wages, a reliable pension, and more.
When educators’ working environments improve, so do their students’ learning environments. Our K-12, higher education, and retired members discussed these rights and their real-life experiences with the offices of their state representatives and senators. We are grateful for lawmakers and staff who took the time to listen and to learn.
As members advocated for themselves and their students, a meaningful increase in the basic allotment was critical to all the issues our members raised during their visits, which hasn’t kept up with inflation since 2019. Texas public schools need a $1,386 per-student increase, far beyond the $220 currently included in House Bill 2.
Vouchers Undermine Public Schools
At every meeting, in every office, members reminded lawmakers that vouchers aren’t just bad policy – they’re a direct attack on the very ideals that make public schools the heart of our communities. As they’ve done since the first voucher scam was proposed in 1957, Texas educators stood united against a plan that would devastate school funding, raise property taxes, and leave students behind. Public education is about serving all students, no matter their race, religion, socioeconomic background, gender identity, or disability. Vouchers promote an individualistic system that benefits a few at the expense of the many.
“For the second week in a row, Texas educators have sacrificed their spring breaks to come to Austin and make their voices heard. Educators are imploring their lawmakers to drop the voucher scam gamesmanship and fully invest in public school classrooms, which serve the overwhelming majority of Texas kids,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT. “Gone are the days where lawmakers can cast bad votes and sell out their communities without word getting out back home. We’ve seen the backlash at pro-voucher Republicans’ town hall meetings. We’ve seen folks travel from all corners of this state to testify for nearly 24 hours against this misguided proposal. Now we just need lawmakers to prove that they’re listening to their constituents over out-of-state billionaire donors.”
‘Whose Union? Our Union’
Texas AFT President Zeph Capo reminded all in attendance of a sobering and essential fact: No one is coming to save us. There is no calvary coming. We are the calvary. We must work together for thriving public schools, colleges, and universities for ourselves and our students.
And that starts by coming together as a union. If we’re going to defeat vouchers, fully fund our schools, and protect our right to teach the truth, we need everyone in the game. If you work in K-12 or higher education and haven’t yet joined our union, we invite you to do so with open arms. It’s time to be a part of an organization that has your back and also amplifies your voice across this state. You can join Texas AFT online today.