The Texas Education Agency announced Tuesday that the 2022-2023 A-F accountability ratings, initially set for release on Sept. 28, would be delayed. This appears to be welcome news; many education advocates assumed the release of ratings (with new, revamped criteria) prior to the expected special session was intended to make...
Read MoreLate this spring, at the height of legislative chaos, Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced that he would be updating the A-F accountability system for Texas school districts to raise the bar for meeting the college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) indicator. He also announced that these new standards would apply...
Read More
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced a timeline for release of the 2022-2023 state accountability ratings. For some school districts, the new A-F ratings, which will be released to the public on September 28, 2023, will show that they are doing a worse job compared to last school year...
Read More
Yesterday, the Texas Education Agency announced its takeover of HISD, ousting a democratically elected board and installing a selected board of managers, including charter CEO Mike Miles (more on that below). Despite great academic progress made in the last year, and an overall acceptable rating in 2023, TEA chose to...
Read More
This past Monday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released 2021-2022 school year accountability ratings for each of Texas’ 1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses. This is the first time since 2019 that TEA has published accountability ratings because of the COVID-19 disaster declaration during the previous two school years. While TEA...
Read More
Friday, April 19, 2024 This past Tuesday, April 16, the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security held a meeting to discuss the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), two provisions that heavily penalize many Texas educators and public employees. AFT members from across the...
Read More
Friday, April 12, 2024 Despite recent claims that public education is at a "record high," the real data shows Texas schools are starving. Full Speed Ahead and No Sign of Relief Texans are still reeling from the tornado of bad policy that came out of last year’s record-breaking five legislative...
Read More
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 More
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 More
Friday, March 22, 2024 Corpus Christi AFT president Nancy Vera presents about unions, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and social justice to high school students at the Garcia Arts and Education Center on March 13. The Work Doesn’t Stop Here. At the end of the month we celebrate César Chávez...
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2024 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org SBOE puts duty to donors over duty to schools and Texas taxpayers Texas State Board of Education Chairman Aaron Kinsey announced a reckless divestment of public school funds despite warnings from his own staff. AUSTIN, Texas — Last week, Texas...
Read More
Gov. Greg Abbott's "2024 Report to the People of Texas" paints a picture of a state thriving economically, leading in job creation, and investing in its future. However, a critical analysis, especially from the perspective of public education and the decisions made by the 88th Texas Legislature, reveals significant gaps...
Read More