Featured News
Nov. 18, 2022: Results from Our Task Force; SBOE’s Final Meeting of the Year
Texas AFT offices will close for the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and there will be no Hotline next week. We hope you and yours have a warm and restful break! Texas AFT Announces Respect Agenda for 88th Legislative Session Up to 70% of Texas teachers say they’re thinking of leaving education according to survey data collected in the...
Read MoreNov. 11, 2022: Recapping the Election; TEA Proposes Safety Changes
Texas AFT offices are closed Friday, Nov. 11, to commemorate Veterans Day. Today, we honor all who have served in the U.S. armed forces. If you are looking for ways to teach your students the true meaning of the holiday, take a look at Share My Lesson’s free lesson plans...
Read MoreNov. 4, 2022: Voting FAQs; TRS COLA would boost economy
More than 4 Million Texans Have Voted. Have You? Today is the final day to vote early for crucial elections in Texas. Not only are statewide offices, the Texas Legislature, and the State Board of Education on your ballot, but so are local and county offices, school boards, and important...
Read MoreJuly 29, 2022: Collier Stands with Educators; House Hears from One Teacher
Texas AFT Launches Statewide Campaign for the Respect Teachers, School Employees Deserve On Monday, Texas AFT gathered members on Zoom and in person at the Children’s Museum of Houston to officially launch our Respect Us or Expect Us campaign for the 2022 midterm elections and 88th legislative session next year....
Read MoreJuly 22, 2022: AFT and Texas Democratic Convention Recap, TX Ledge Report on Uvalde
This Monday, Texas AFT Summer School Is In Session — and Respect Is on the Agenda With a return to school approaching, districts across the state still have hundreds and hundreds of teaching vacancies to fill — not to mention shortages of staff in other crucial areas. It’s no...
Read MoreJuly 15, 2022: Our Statewide Endorsements; the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act; and Student Debt Relief Clinics
Texas AFT Endorses Slate of Candidates for Statewide Office This November At a time when 66% of our members tell us they’re thinking of leaving education because of stagnant pay, out-of-control workloads, concerns for their safety, and a general lack...
Read MoreJuly 8, 2022: Texas introduces random intruder audits; SBOE prevents TEKS whitewashing
Texas to Begin “Random Intruder Detection Audits” this Coming Academic Year In this coming academic year, Texas State University's Texas School Safety Center will conduct random intruder audits in every school district across the state. The stated goal of these exercises will be to identify weak access points on 75%...
Read MoreJuly 1, 2022: Finance Committee hears mental health testimony; Abbott allocates money to school safety, mental health
Senate Finance Committee hears testimony on state mental health services Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) Presiding Officer Dr. David Lakey testifies in front of the Senate Finance Committee on the state of the consortium. The Senate Finance Committee...
Read MoreJune 24, 2022: State Senate hearings on school safety; SCOTUS makes ruling favorable to vouchers; Some unsavory details about the charters rejected by the SBOE
Education Commissioner Mike Morath takes questions from state senators in a school safety hearing this week. Texas Senate hears testimony on school safety and mental health in the wake of Uvalde This week, the Texas Senate Special Committee to...
Read MoreJune 17, 2022: Victory over charter expansion with rejections by SBOE; High school STAAR results released
State Board of Education votes down four charter applications—a huge victory over harmful charter expansion SBOE also nixes new teacher certification process On Friday, the State Board of Education rejected four of five applications for new charter schools recommended for...
Read MoreJune 19, 2022: Survey–77% oppose arming teachers; House committee hearing on TRS COLA; Take the KXAN safety/gun survey
Our survey shows school employees overwhelmingly (77%) do not want to be armed Educators instead support legislation on gun access Our survey of Texas school employees released Wednesday shows that 77% of respondents do not want to be armed...
Read MoreJune 5, 2022: Protest targets Ted Cruz for abominable response to the Uvalde shooting; Abbott ignores calls for special session, announces new directives; TRS trustee election news
Texas AFT President Zeph Capo rallies a call to stop gun violence on the steps of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s office building. Texas AFT Protest targets Sen. Cruz for being an obstacle to popular gun-safety measures and a proponent of...
Read MoreMay 20, 2022: Poll shows gov on wrong side with vouchers, parents want STAAR opt out; A-F ratings kick back in; Big hearings coming up in #TxLege
A big push for respect With the message of “Raise & Respect = Retain,” Socorro AFT members continued their push for significant salary increases and retention bonuses at the Socorro ISD School Board meeting this week. Members sent the school...
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