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89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Healthy, Safe Working Conditions
Texas AFT United members visit a lawmaker’s office during the 89th legislative session and discuss the need for our Educator’s Bill of Rights. This plank in your Educator’s Bill of Rights states that “safety is a prerequisite for learning.” If our educators and students do not feel secure in their classrooms, then teaching and learning cannot take place effectively....
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: Let’s Talk About Educator Pay Raises
Things are heating up in this legislative session, with a metric ton of bills being filed and some of the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s stated priorities moving through the committee process. Several of those bills are various attempts at pay incentives for teachers – and we do mean just...
Read MoreNew Report Highlights the Failed Charter School Experiment in Texas
A new report from Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) lays out a damning reality: while Texas public schools struggle with historic underfunding, privately run charter schools are expanding unchecked and draining billions from local school districts with little oversight or accountability. It’s time for Texas parents and the public to...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Bills to Guarantee Your Voice in Your Workplace
The Legislature’s 89th session is seeing a wave of proposed legislation that could reshape workplace democracy in public schools for the better, a key right outlined by our K-12 and higher ed members in our Educator’s Bill of Rights. From expanding collective bargaining rights to strengthening grievance procedures, these bills...
Read MoreU.S. House Budget Cuts $880 Billion from Medicaid, Another Blow to School Funding
The U.S. Congress is discussing a budget proposal that will mean steep cuts to Medicaid, a program that supports people from birth to retirement and beyond. Last week, House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution that directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find $880 billion in “savings”;...
Read MoreFeb. 21, 2025: ‘The Votes Are Not There’
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...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: House Rolls Out Bills to Fundamentally Change Public Education in Texas
The Texas House made news last week with a new slate of committee assignments that will determine the fate of the Educator’s Bill of Rights and other critical education policies, including school finance, teacher and school staff pay, and private...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Three Sets of Rules Adopted
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on Feb. 14. There were three items up for adoption that Texas AFT has been closely following for many months. Texas AFT, in alignment with its partners at the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation (TCEP), was active throughout the rulemaking...
Read MoreDeep Dive: Does Money Matter in Education? The Answer is Clear
A new report from the Albert Shanker Institute, “Does Money Matter in Education?” confirms what educators have long known: money matters in education, and even more so for students in underfunded communities. The study, a comprehensive review of decades of research, finds that increased investment in schools leads to better...
Read MoreFeb. 14, 2025: Show us the love
Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 Show us the love We’re just educators, standing front of a Legislature, asking it to fund us. As we've said, we’re ready to work with any lawmaker who's willing to prioritize our public schools and everyone who works and learns inside of them. Our members have...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: Texas House Committee Assignments Are In
The 89th Texas Legislature is in full swing, and with it comes a new slate of committee assignments in the Texas House. These assignments are more than just titles—they will determine the fate of the Educator’s Bill of Rights and other critical education policies, including school finance, teacher and school...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Defending Academic Freedom in the 89th Legislature
Texas educators and students deserve classrooms free from political censorship, universities that protect academic freedom, and schools that foster open inquiry and debate. Yet, recent legislative attacks — through tenure rollbacks, bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education, and curriculum restrictions — have weakened Texas public...
Read MoreCTE in Our Schools: Programs of Study
In 2013, the Texas Legislature revamped Texas high school graduation requirements to the current Foundation High School Program. This new plan created multiple pathways to graduation and though it still emphasized college readiness, the new program also elevated career and technical education (CTE) as an equal pathway to postsecondary success....
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