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Fact Check: Do Voucher Programs Really Increase Public School Funding?
Governor Abbott's “School Choice” Claims Don't Hold Up to the Facts Gov. Greg Abbott has recently made some bold claims about the impacts of voucher programs like Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) on public school funding. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Abbott stated that, "In 97% of states with school choice programs, funding for public schools has gone UP"...
Read MoreFact Check: Are Texas schools secretly better funded than ever before?
Gov. Greg Abbott and some Republican lawmakers have recently claimed that Texas is funding public education at its highest level ever despite the high-profile failure of the 88th Texas Legislature to increase the basic allotment or provide raises for educators and school employees when those bipartisan priorities were held hostage...
Read MoreAustin Community College Passes Free Tuition Program for Eligible High School Seniors
Last week the Austin Community College (ACC) Board of Trustees approved a proposal to offer free tuition for high school graduates and GED completers starting with the class of 2024. This pilot program - referred to as the College Affordability Plan - will fully cover tuition for the next five...
Read MoreTexas AFT, Every Texan announces plan to fully fund public schools
Every Texan has released a report named “Texas is the Tale of Two Economies” to highlight the amount of wealth inequality being created in Texas by millions of workers not receiving their fair share, despite the consistent hours of hard work being put in. This series of reports will be...
Read MoreHate Crimes Against LGBTQ+ Youth Surge in States with Restrictive Laws
The safety of LGBTQ+ students in K-12 schools is under scrutiny as hate crimes targeting them surge across the United States, particularly in states with laws limiting their rights. An analysis of FBI data by The Washington Post unveils a disturbing reality: hate crimes on K-12 campuses have more than...
Read MoreApril 5, 2024: Starting April Strong
Friday, April 4, 2024 April 3 tweet from state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, whose district includes the University of Texas at Austin. Happy Celebrate Diversity Month ... Though April is nominally Celebrate Diversity Month, its first week in Texas this year has been far from joyous. In response to heightening pressure...
Read MoreSBOE Preview: What’s on the April Agenda & What’s Conspicuously Not
While the rest of Texas basks in the total eclipse afterglow, the State Board of Education (SBOE) will begin its regular meeting in Austin on Tuesday, April 9.
Read MoreAmid Attacks on Higher Education, Texas AAUP Votes to Affiliate with Texas AFT
Last Saturday, members of the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors voted to affiliate with the Texas American Federation of Teachers.
Read MoreEquality Texas Launches LGBTQ+ Campus Climate Project
Senate Bill 17 mandates the closure of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices on Texas campuses and prohibits mandatory diversity training, raising concerns about the inclusivity of higher education environments.
Read MoreTexas AFT Political Action Committee Announces 2nd Round of Election Endorsements
Texas AFT’s Committee on Political Education (COPE), our union’s political arm, is proud to announce its second round of endorsements for the upcoming primary runoffs and 2024 general election.
Read MoreEscalation of “Electioneering” Crackdown: Denton ISD Principals Indicted for Alleged Criminal Election Interference
In a remarkable escalation of the politically motivated legal attacks against seven local school districts accused of violating state “electioneering” laws that prohibit the use of public resources to express support for or opposition to a specific candidate, party, or...
Read MoreMarch 29, 2024: Why We Keep Going
Friday, March 29, 2024 Why we keep going As has become the norm, much of the news we have for you this week is bleak. In times like these, as districts announce cuts and layoffs and as the attacks on education from the state government continue, many teachers and...
Read MoreUpdate: American Indian/Native Studies Course Still in SBOE Limbo
As of this writing, the agenda for the April meeting of the State Board of Education has yet to be posted, and so we anxiously await whether the proposed American Indian/Native Studies course will finally be on the agenda for first reading.
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