Education Newsfeed

This November, we have the opportunity to send another union member to the Texas Senate. That’s why Texas AFT’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) is proud to endorse Taylor Rehmet in the special election for Texas Senate District 9. A veteran, union president, and working-class Texan, Rehmet will bring real-world experience and deep commitment to… [ more ]

On Sunday, Jan. 5, surrounded by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and representatives from national unions (including ours), President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law. This landmark legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, two pieces of federal law that have robbed millions of public servants of Social Security benefits they earned for over 40 years.

Across the state, dozens of school districts held Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections (VATREs) this week seeking to generate additional local and state revenue to provide educators and school employees with enhanced raises and help meet other pressing needs such as school safety and security. These VATREs are necessary because state funding for public education has remained stagnant since 2019 despite historic inflation during that time.

In many ways, any school bond election is a referendum on trust. Do voters trust district leaders to appropriately use taxpayer dollars, numbering into the millions and billions, to improve the learning conditions of their kids?