Education Newsfeed

On Wednesday, the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT) filed a lawsuit in Harris County district court against the Houston ISD Board of Managers and state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles for mismanaging state funds and denying the district’s teachers state-funded pay raises as required by law. As Hotline readers know, the Legislature passed House Bill 2 earlier… [ more ]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Statement from Texas AFT President Zeph Capo on House Bill 4 and the proposed set of new congressional districts released this week: “We as Texans have let this state’s so-called ‘leaders’ divide us along party lines for too long. Tearing up districts on a… [ more ]

When lawmakers rolled out House Bill 2 in the 89th Legislature, they promised a historic investment in public education. As the bill worked its way through the legislative process, the contents of the bill changed repeatedly, and educators across Texas were left wondering what actually ended up in the final version. Now that HB… [ more ]

When we began our work on your 89th legislative agenda, working conditions were top of mind for members. One particular issue began to come to the forefront: the right to high-quality affordable childcare. In our 2023-2024 Texas AFT member survey, 45% of educators who needed regular childcare said they had trouble accessing or affording it,… [ more ]

While educators across Texas are making plans for the new school year, big moves in Washington, D.C., are threatening the foundation of public education — and putting our students, our profession, and our funding on the line. Let’s break it down. The “Big Beautiful Bill” — Not So Pretty for Public Schools The U.S. Congress… [ more ]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Governor Abbott calls in President Trump to bail him out with his own caucus. AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas House gave initial approval to Senate Bill 2, the private school voucher scam legislation. Never one to fight his own battles, Governor Greg Abbott relied… [ more ]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Small increase to the basic allotment means underfunded schools will continue to struggle. AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas House of Representatives gave initial approval to House Bill 2, its attempt at a school finance bill. Both the process and the substance of the bill… [ more ]

On Thursday, legislators in the Texas House discussed their version of the state budget deep into the night. Hundreds of amendments were proposed, but fewer were actually voted upon, let alone debated. Unfortunately, budget writers affiliated with House leadership made a deal early on to stifle debate on important amendments that would have all but… [ more ]

Despite Gov. Greg Abbott and billionaire donor Jeff Yass pouring millions into pro-voucher campaigns, the public remains firmly against privatizing our schools. Texas AFT President Zeph Capo brought the receipts this week to a press conference with Local Progress Texas, a coalition of local government officials and community partners working to advance racial and economic… [ more ]

In his relentless quest to pass a private school voucher scheme in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is calling in reinforcements.

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.

Texas AFT President Zeph Capo and Texas AFT Retiree Plus Chair Rita Runnels issued the following statements celebrating the bipartisan passage of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82).

After Gov. Greg Abbott and his allies in the Texas Legislature hijacked $4.5 billion in additional public education funding in a failed attempt to force the passage of universal private school voucher legislation in the 88th legislative session, public schools across Texas have paid the price as communities have seen a wave of mass layoffs, school closures, and growing budget deficits.

Texas AFT President Zeph Capo and Texas AFT Retiree Plus Chair Rita Runnels issued the following statements following the U.S. Senate’s 73-27 vote to proceed toward a final vote on the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82).

Following an aggressive campaign to reshape the Texas Legislature by supporting primary challenges against Republican state representatives who voted against taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in the last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have both designated the passage of universal voucher legislation as their top priority next year and expressed confidence that they finally have the votes necessary to do so.

Despite a resounding defeat in the 88th Legislature, private school vouchers will return as a major issue in the 89th Legislature, which begins Jan. 14. After pouring money into Republican primary races to defeat anti-voucher incumbents, Gov. Greg Abbott claims he has the votes he needs to pass a voucher program; meanwhile, both he and… [ more ]