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November 19, 2021: Members save thousands erasing student loan debt; Locals in high gear with vaccine clinics; Vote in HISD race
The Hotline will take a break next week for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return on December 3. Local unions kick into high gear with campaigns urging vaccinations at free clinics Texas AFT local unions have been holding dozens of free COVID-19 and flu vaccination clinics the past month, and with shots allowable expanding to aged 5-12 students, they are...
Read MoreSBOE approves new health and science curriculum, hears info on classroom censorship and a misguided proposal for charter school enrollment
SBSBOE Member Rebecca Bell-Metereau On November 20, the State Board of Education (SBOE) made some headway in recognizing the need for a broader sex education curriculum when it voted to include education around the use of contraception and the prevention...
Read MoreFederal appeals court temporarily reinstates governor’s prohibition of mask mandates in schools
In a seesaw battle over mask requirements in Texas Schools, a federal appeals court has reinstated Gov. Greg Abbott’s authority to prohibit mask mandates. The November 24 ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a federal district court judge’s order on November 12, invalidating the governor’s executive order...
Read MoreSenate Ed Committee Chair Larry Taylor is bowing out
Sen. Larry Taylor Longtime Senate Education Committee Chair Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) announced this week that he will not be running for reelection. Taylor, who took the District 11 seat in 2012 after serving five terms in the House, has been a key legislator shepherding unsuccessful attempts to create private-school voucher...
Read MoreEarly voting coming to a close for critical Houston ISD School Board runoffs
Vote now! Three seats for the Houston ISD Board of Trustees are up for grabs in a Saturday, December 11 runoff election. We need to make sure they’re filled with candidates who will listen to the needs of students, parents, and employees—not their big-money political donors. Early voting for the...
Read MoreProposal aims to reduce scrutiny of school-district tax breaks for companies
Houston Chronicle graphic Every Texan, a nonprofit policy research organization, has uncovered a proposal that would drastically reduce the ability to assess the financial impacts of companies that get large school-district tax breaks. The tax breaks—formally called Chapter 313 school property tax abatements—are intended to spur employers to provide economic...
Read MoreNew appointments made to Sunset Advisory Commission
On November 22, House Speaker Dade Phelan unveiled his appointments to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission following Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s announcement of his appointments on September 21. The appointment of State Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney) is of note. As a veteran member of the House Public Education Committee, Rep....
Read MoreNovember 19, 2021: Members save thousands erasing student loan debt; Locals in high gear with vaccine clinics; Vote in HISD race
The Hotline will take a break next week for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return on December 3. Local unions kick into high gear with campaigns urging vaccinations at free clinics Texas AFT local unions have been holding dozens of...
Read MoreWhat We’re Grateful For This Year
2021 has been a profoundly difficult year, on every front. But there have been bright spots. From the start of November through Thanksgiving, we have highlighted on social media some of the incredible work of our members and our union that we're grateful for this year. Here are the wins...
Read MoreLocal union member testifies at nation’s Capitol on special education funding
Melina Espiritu-Azocar Northside AFT’s Melina Espiritu-Azocar traveled to Washington DC on Tuesday to testify on how historic underfunding of the the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has impacted students with disabilities. Espiritu-Azocar joined several other organizations to promote “Fulfill the Promise,” an initiative to fully fund IDEA and ensure...
Read MoreSan Antonio locals win innovation grants for cultural curriculum
The San Antonio Alliance and Northside AFT have won grants from AFT’s third round of Innovation Grants. The grants, intended to help local unions “Return, Recover, and Reimagine,” totaled $200,000 nationwide in this round, with more than $1 million invested since the start of the pandemic. Northside AFT’s grant will...
Read MoreImportant Houston ISD School Board runoff needs your vote!
Voters believe pay for teachers and support staff are a key issue in upcoming Houston school board runoffs. Educators have the chance to support three candidates that have ALWAYS stood up for increasing school employee salaries. The best Holidays gift you can give yourself this year is to vote for...
Read MoreAFT settlement on student loans leads to big results for members
After AFT settled its lawsuit over the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSFL) program, members started seeing big results in their efforts to erase student loan debt. AFT member Jeri O’Bryan said she was able to wipe away $73,000 in loan debt with the program. "There’s a huge weight coming off...
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