Featured News
House Committees on Public Education and Higher Education Convene for Marathon 12-Hour Hearing
Texas AFT member Rebekah Ozuna (left) testifies late in the evening at the joint committee hearing This Tuesday, the House Committee on Public Education and the House Committee on Higher Education held a joint hearing to discuss solutions to the teacher retention crisis. The marathon hearing lasted 12 hours and included 14 panels of invited testimony discussing the teacher recruitment...
Read MoreCongress Moves Social Security Fairness Act Out of Committee
This Friday, the House Ways and Means Committee discussed HR 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, and ultimately voted to report the bill without recommendation so that it can be considered and voted on by the whole House of Representatives. The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination...
Read MoreWill the 2020s be another ‘lost decade’? New map shows depth of Texas’ underfunding of public schools
As legislators meet Tuesday about educator recruitment and retention, Texas educators’ union collects the data behind the funding and staffing crisis. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 20, 2022 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, 512-317-2232, nhill@texasaft.org AUSTIN, Texas — A new data map from...
Read MoreTexas AFT Joins the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation
Texas AFT has joined forces with other educator associations, several universities and alternative certification organizations, and many special interest groups to form the Texas Coalition for Educator Certification (TCEP). This new organization features many of the same members as the ad-hoc group that collectively fought against the edTPA certification exam,...
Read MoreTexas AFT Retiree+ Member Advocates for COLA at TRS Board Meeting
Texas AFT Retiree+ member Phyllis Ruffin speaks during the public comment portion of the TRS Board of Trustees meeting. This Thursday and Friday, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees convened for its quarterly meeting. The TRS board received a report from contracted economic analysts discussing the...
Read MoreTexas Parent Group Comes Out Against Greg Abbott
Texas Parent PAC, a bipartisan political action committee of parents who support high-quality public education, is urging Texans to vote against incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. This is the first time the organization has ever taken a stance on the governor’s race. “Abbott is failing our kids and neighborhood public...
Read MoreHouse Appropriations Committee Discusses TRS Pension Fund, TRS-Care, and TRS-ActiveCare
Contribution rates from various entities to the TRS Pension Fund. This past Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee discussed a number of issues affecting Texas educators and retirees. The committee heard testimony from Brian Guthrie, executive director of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), who discussed the TRS pension fund,...
Read MoreHouse Ways & Means Committee Talks Property Taxes
The Texas House Committee on Ways & Means held a hearing Thursday on interim charges related to property taxes, appraisal, and the economic implications of allowing the Chapter 313 corporate property tax abatement program to sunset at the end of the year. The issue of Chapter 313 is particularly important...
Read MoreFor Labor Day, We Celebrate the Power of Solidarity — Even in Texas
We wish all Texas AFT members a restful Labor Day weekend. Our offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 5, in honor of the holiday. But for now, we’ll share some updates that show the true power of organized labor. As our friends at the Texas AFL-CIO like to say, enjoy...
Read MoreState Board of Education Delays Social Studies Revision until 2025
In a disappointing turn of events, the State Board of Education voted this week to delay the revision of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for social studies until 2025.
Read MoreEducation Secretary Cardona: We Have a ‘Crisis of Respect’
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has put issues of educator respect front and center, calling for increased teacher salaries and better working conditions.
Read MoreAFT Leaders Meet with Houston Area School Admins, Discuss Solutions to the Educator Shortage
With 43,000 Texas teachers either resigning or retiring since the last school year and with widespread reports of classrooms so crowded that students have run out of desks and supplies, Texas schools are in crisis — but one that can be solved.
Read MoreKnow Your Rights: Joining a Union
How many times have you heard the following from a colleague, a friend, or a Facebook comment: “There are no unions in Texas”?
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