Our work advocating for stronger Texas public schools, colleges, and universities is not easy, and it comes with a variety of setbacks and more than its fair share of mourning.
But there is always progress — because there are always people fighting to make it happen. This year is no exception.
Even now, as institutions falter and politicians wield their offices as cudgels against the foundations of high-quality public education, there is hope in the work we do together.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, let’s take a moment to reflect on just a few of the people, moments, and victories that we are grateful for this year.
Educators, Union Members Winning Big at the Ballot Box
This calendar year saw voters in Texas engage enthusiastically in what is typically an off-year election environment: nearly 3 million Texans cast ballots, representing roughly 15 % of registered voters. Our union’s political fund, Texas AFT COPE, backed candidates who rooted their campaigns in the everyday concerns of school communities, not divisive culture-war headlines.
In Cy‑Fair AFT’s school district (Cy‑Fair ISD), voters elected three new trustees — Lesley Guilmart, Dr. Cleveland Lane Jr., and Kendra Camarena — all educators or parents who pledged to rebuild community trust and reject the far-right agenda that had steered the board. Guilmart and Camarena are long-time AFT members, and Lane is currently a professor.
Meanwhile, in the Houston Federation of Teachers’ backyard (Houston ISD), the “End the Takeover” slate won seats on the real school board. Voters chose Maria Benzon (another AFT member) and Michael McDonough, signaling that Houston’s educators and families are ready for genuine local control. Even though the state-appointed board remains in place, the HISD community once again sent a clear message to state-installed Superintendent Mike Miles and the Texas Education Agency.
And in the special election for Texas Senate District 9, Taylor Rehmet, a union leader with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW and an Air Force veteran, earned nearly 48% of the vote despite facing billionaire-backed opponents. He brought the message of working families, union strength, and affordable living straight to voters. Rehmet has Texas AFT COPE’s endorsement, and we wish him luck in the scheduled runoff election on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Advancing the Educator’s Bill of Rights in the Legislature
Against all odds, Texas’s 89th legislative session yielded important wins for public school teachers and support staff by embedding several pay and benefit-enhancing provisions directly into the Texas Education Code.
Backed by consistent advocacy, member engagement, and our Educator’s Bill of Rights, Texas AFT helped advance key legislative victories that support educators and staff in tangible ways. Among the wins:
- Expansion of the Teacher Designation and Incentive Allotments: Increases the base award for “master teacher” status and boosts incentives for high-needs and rural campuses.
- Creation of a grant program under the teacher designation system to help districts establish local pathways for teacher incentives.
- Expansion of eligibility for free public pre-K to include children of full-time classroom teachers: Our work ahead? Making sure the children of all public school employees are eligible.
- Introduction of a Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA) and Support Staff Retention Allotment (SSA): Districts receive dedicated funds under the TRA with bonuses tied to years of service, and under the SSA to raise pay for paraprofessionals, custodians, food-service workers, bus drivers, and other support staff.
These changes are meaningful, though they don’t make our schools whole, after years of the state failing to keep up with the pace of inflation.
Find more information about our wins in the 89th Legislature, as well as the challenges ahead, in our legislative recaps on how these core tenets of the Educator’s Bill of Rights fared:
Building Power Through Local Organizing
The statewide wins are only one part of the story of this year. Across Texas, our local unions have converted policy into practice, making their voices heard on the issues that affect them most. Among the important items to celebrate:
- RGV AFT members in Hidalgo ISD secured raises for all teachers and support staff — exceeding the floor established by HB 2. In Judson ISD, meanwhile, our Associate Membership Program (AMP) members ensured dyslexia specialists would receive raises under HB 2, as well.
- San Antonio Alliance members gathered 1,500+ signatures to push the San Antonio ISD board to pass a compensation package (outside of state raises) that included 3% raises for teachers and professional staff, 4% for hourly employees, two extra planning days for teachers, and “peace rooms” to support student mental health.
- After years of advocacy by Education Round Rock, the school board approved a new policy that grants full due process rights to non-certified and hourly employees who work without a contract.
Centering Solidarity in Our Shared Work
The real strength in being a union member shows up most when things get difficult. Solidarity is not a slogan; it’s a practice in mutual aid and community-building.
As SNAP benefits were cut during the longest government shutdown in history, Texas AFT members, along with fellow AFT and AFL-CIO members nationwide, stepped up by donating to food banks and hosting food drives to support their communities in times of need.
Likewise, when Central Texas was devastated by historic flooding that killed more than 100 people (including at least 28 children), communities across the Hill Country were left navigating the aftermath. In the wake of this devastation, Texas AFT joined in community efforts to provide emergency support via our Disaster Relief Fund.
On Labor Day, workers at Houston’s Hilton Americas hotel — members of UNITE HERE Local 23 — began a nine-day strike to demand higher wages. Our union adopted their picket line as our own, with Houston Federation of Teachers members logging hours alongside striking workers outside the hotel. Texas AFT, similarly, sent a letter to the leadership of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), urging them to change their headquarter hotel for the TxEDCON conference planned during the strike. Ultimately, they did not, breaking the historic picket line. Yet, after 40 days on strike, UNITE HERE Local 23 reached a deal to raise the minimum wage for housekeepers, stewards, and laundry attendants, ending the first-ever hotel strike in Texas.
Closer to home, we are also grateful to have good news about Education Austin President Ken Zarifis, who was severely injured in a car accident in June. After three months of rehabilitation, Ken is now home and continuing his recovery journey.
On behalf of Ken and his family, he wants to thank everyone who reached out with care, support, and encouragement during these difficult months, including everyone who donated to his GoFundMe.
Remembering Those We’ve Lost
With gratitude, there is also grief. Not every member of our union is here today to celebrate these important victories.
On June 19, our union family suffered the sudden twin loss of Northeast Houston AFT organizer Idemudia “Ide” Uwagbale and member Kierra Dunn. Their colleagues, families, friends, and union members remember both as passionate, bright, and enthusiastic advocates for Texas public schools. That legacy lives on in the Northeast Houston AFT union hall, as well as with a planned scholarship fund for paraprofessionals seeking their teaching certification.
We also mourn James Howard, a longtime PSRP advocate in San Antonio, where he led efforts to improve pay, benefits, and working conditions for paraprofessionals. Delegates to the Texas AFT biennial convention in June passed a resolution honoring Howard’s life and legacy.
Finally, we remember Rodney Brown, an instrumental leader in forming what would become Education Austin, who passed away at age 86. He was a lifelong teacher whose work helped carve the path we now tread.
With Respect & Resolve
This year has been far from perfect. The politics of public education are messy and hard. But for all that, our union showed up — at the ballot box, at the Legislature, in school districts across the state, and everywhere it mattered. As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we carry forward the wins, the momentum, and the people who make public education in Texas possible. For that — we give thanks.
In Solidary,
Texas AFT