Texas AFT Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Texas AFT and our Houston area locals are honored to host our fellow AFT members from across the nation for our union’s 88th convention later this month.
The AFT convention is the highest authority of our union and demonstrates union democracy at work. The convention will convene at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, on Monday, July 22, and will remain in session throughout the week.
The agenda is full and exciting, and we’ll share more updates as near the convention itself. Part of that excitement, however, is the celebration of our own milestone: 50 years as a state federation, leading the way in the fight for thriving public schools.
To commemorate the anniversary, we’ve added several special 50th anniversary items to our online shop at store.texasaft.org. Remember: Every purchase from our store acts as a donation to our Committee on Political Education (COPE), our state union’s political fund. In this momentous and harrowing election year, truly every bit helps in supporting candidates who will support educators.
Voter Deputy Registrar Training for Texas AFT Members
As we mentioned last week, Texas AFT and our Houston area locals are honored to host our fellow AFT members from across the nation for our union’s 88th convention later this month.
The convention is the highest authority of our union, and it’s a showcase of union democracy at work. And it has special significance in this election year.
The November elections are no longer just consequential for public education; they will act as a decision point on whether this country will remain a democratic nation.
Texas educators know this, and we consider it our duty to educate voters and support their participation in this vital election. At the AFT convention, Texas AFT will host a nonpartisan VDR training with Jolt Initiative on Monday, July 22, for our members in Houston and statewide.
We encourage all delegates to join us during the regularly scheduled convention breakfast. But AFT members in the Houston area who are not attending the convention are also invited to attend. Sign up online here to reserve your spot.
Countdown to AFT Convention in Houston: Join Our #RealSolutions Panel Discussion This Sunday
As we mentioned earlier this month, Texas AFT and our Houston area locals are honored to host our fellow AFT members from across the nation for our union’s 88th convention next week.
The convention is the highest authority of our union, and it’s a showcase of union democracy at work. And it has special significance in this election year.
Billionaire mega donors have been pouring political dollars into state legislative races across the country to push a far-right education agenda. Nationwide, lawmakers are diverting taxpayer dollars into private for-profit schools and forcing public school curriculum to fit their narrative.
So far, Texas has resisted vouchers, but policies on charter expansion, state takeovers of school districts, and curriculum battles show a tremendous increase of state interference in local schools.
At the AFT convention in Houston, educators will have a voice on these pressing issues, in Texas and nationwide, as well as the real solutions needed for a thriving public education system. If you plan to be at the convention or live in the Houston area, we invite you to our panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.
This panel conversation will be moderated by Sonal Shah, the chief executive officer of the Texas Tribune, and include perspectives from:
- Randi Weingarten, AFT president
- Zeph Capo, Texas AFT president
- Josh Cowen, Michigan State University professor of education policy & expert on school privatization
- Jessica Campos, Houston ISD parent and advocate with Community Voices for Public Education
RSVP to attend in person here. If you can’t make it, watch the event on Texas AFT’s Facebook page or YouTube channel.