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89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Organize
This summer, RGV AFT members in Hidalgo ISD organized and won raises for teachers, certified staff, and hourly employees, above and beyond what was guaranteed by House Bill 2 from the 89th Legislature. Empowered educators produce engaged students. History consistently shows how unions can raise the bar for all of us. That is acutely true of our children’s teachers and...
Read MoreHouse Bill 8: Goodbye, STAAR. Hello, Who the Heck Knows?
The second special session call was a rinse and repeat of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities for Texas, including entertaining a bill to “eliminate the STAAR test.” While that phrase might earn lots of hearts on social media, the reality of what transpired in the Legislature over the last week paints...
Read MoreLouisiana, California Pass PSRP Bills of Rights
The Texas Legislature failed to act on meaningful workplace improvements for our paraprofessionals and support staff (PSRPs) in the 89th Legislature, allowing bills that would have addressed the working conditions of custodians (House Bill 1573) or established a minimum wage requirement for bus drivers (HB 419) to wither on the...
Read MoreUniversity, Community College Systems Decide the Fate of Faculty Senates
Texas AAUP-AFT members, faculty, and students wait to testify against Senate Bill 37 in a committee hearing of the 89th Legislature. After Senate Bill 37 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20, university and community college leaders were given only two months to completely restructure long-standing...
Read MoreAug. 22, 2025: The Ten Commandments
Friday, August 22, 2025 The Ten Commandments There is never a back-to-school season without chaos, at least not lately. But this year, the number of policy changes and overall uncertainty that educators, parents, students, and districts are contending with is off the charts. One source of that uncertainty has...
Read MoreTexas Special Session, Week 5 Recap
The Texas House this week approved a mid-decade redistricting plan that could significantly reshape the state’s congressional delegation. On Aug. 20, lawmakers passed House Bill 4 in an 88-52 vote, sending the measure to the Senate for final consideration this afternoon, though Houston Senator Carol Alvarado indicated she intends to...
Read MoreTEA Drops A-F Ratings (Again), Raising Stakes for Public Schools
The Texas Education Agency dropped not one, but two years of A-F accountability ratings last week, marking the third release in just one calendar year.
Read MoreFederal Judge Strikes Down ‘DEI’ Ban in Schools, Universities
Late last week, a U.S. district judge in Maryland ruled in favor of AFT and a coalition of associations, educators, and school districts, declaring that the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at schools, colleges, and universities is unconstitutional.
Read More89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Democratic Representation
Our 2022 Texas Needs Teachers report highlighted a deep concern among Texas educators about the lack of teacher input into state-level policies such as testing, school funding, licensure (renewal), and evaluation.
Read MoreTexas educators oppose woefully inadequate STAAR reform proposal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 21, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org House Bill 8 does not overhaul high-stakes testing in Texas schools AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas House Committee on Public Education will take public testimony on House Bill 8, its initial offering in this second special session on testing...
Read MoreFederal judge blocks Ten Commandments law for certain Texas school districts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 21, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Educators across the state remain worried about the implications of SB 10 AUSTIN, Texas – Yesterday, a federal judge in San Antonio issued an injunction against the implementation of Senate Bill 10 in select Texas school districts. SB 10 is...
Read MoreAug. 15, 2025: The Grift Is On
Friday, August 15, 2025 The Grift Is On If you read this newsletter regularly, you know that the education landscape is changing, and not necessarily for the better. Over the next year, Texas will prepare to implement Gov. Greg Abbott’s long-sought private school voucher program. Just this week, we...
Read MoreICYMI: New investigation reveals over 60 instances of nepotism and conflicts of interest at Texas private schools
Records show Texas private schools have made nepotism hires, awarded millions in contracts to board members’ private businesses, and offered personal loans to school leaders
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