Every week, Texas AFT compiles important news, updates, and information on public education policy in Texas. The Hotline covers a wide range of topics, including statewide education news, updates from the legislative session, and our current union campaigns.
Friday, November 7, 2025 We Take Care of Us Across Texas and the rest of the nation, federal workers are missing paychecks, and millions are waiting to see if they’ll receive any SNAP benefits at all amid the government shutdown. The fate of those benefits remains up in the air, with courts ordering the Trump Administration to fund them...
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Friday, May 9, 2025 We carry on. Veteran teachers roaming the halls of the Capitol, asking lawmakers to fund their schools and to focus on bills that would help their students instead of harm them. School librarians cut off from testifying against a book-banning bill at 3:30 a.m. but...
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Friday, May 2, 2025 An Educator’s Bill of Rights Win There is no shortage of bad news for public schools and educators, at the local, state, and national levels. But there is also reason to hope and to stay locked in the fight for schools that help our kids thrive....
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Friday, April 25, 2025 Post from AFT President Randi Weingarten on Bluesky It never stops. Neither can we. This week, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders regarding pre-K-12 and higher education. You would be forgiven for not being aware of half of them, as they’ve come...
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Friday, April 18, 2025 Can We Talk About Real Solutions? There is no shortage of news out of the Legislature this week, and we will break down all that public school employees and parents need to know about this week’s votes on public school funding and private school vouchers. ...
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Friday, April 11, 2025 McAllen AFT President Sylvia Tanguma (left) and members attend their school board meeting Tuesday with a message to trustees: stand with us in fighting against the privatization of our schools. We can – and must – do better This week, the Texas House passed its...
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Friday, April 4, 2025 We’ve got eyes, governor. Last week, the Texas Tribune published a school finance explainer that puts to rest false claims from Gov. Greg Abbott and his pro-voucher ilk that Texas education funding is at an all-time high. The analysis concludes that the $15,000 per student figure...
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Friday, March 28, 2025 Voucher Math 101 On Tuesday, while Gov. Greg Abbott (bafflingly) hosted Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to promote his private school voucher scheme, fifth-grade math teacher Tay Carriker-Cavin, an Education Austin member, delivered a tough lesson in "Voucher Math" just feet away from their press conference. Armed...
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Friday, March 21, 2025 Heard, loud and clear Over the past two weeks, close to 800 of our members have come to the Texas Capitol. They have testified before committees, met with lawmakers, and spoken with members of the media, all with a clear message: they need fully funded public...
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Friday, March 14, 2025 'Whose Union? Our Union.’ On Monday, 500 Texas AFT members, parents, and students traveled to the Capitol to make their voices heard. (More on that below.) Why? Because, as Texas AFT President Zeph Capo reminded us, no one is coming to save us. It’s up to...
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Saturday, March 8, 2025 Left to Right: Texas AFT Retiree Plus Member Margaret Daniels with Education Austin Members Megan Vasquez, Taylor Cavin, Megan Holden, and Mallory Vinson. Every Voice Matters “Every staff cut directly harms students. The rising cost of living is overwhelming. Without salary raises to match inflation, I'm...
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Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 History repeats itself Gov. Greg Abbott has done a marvelous job manufacturing momentum for private school vouchers, a policy “solution” that is bankrupting other states, has provided no tangible benefit to student learning outcomes, and is manifestly unpopular when put directly to voters. If it feels...
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Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 ‘The Votes Are Not There’ In case you missed it, we were joined by Rep. Aicha Davis for last night’s Organizing Texas meeting. Davis was able to boost morale during these ... constantly upsetting times. Watch the full recording here. Of the bigger points she made...
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