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Texas loses more education funding than any other Republican-led state in latest cuts to fund billionaires
The Trump Administration has announced that it will illegally freeze $6.2 billion in federal education funding nationwide across five federal programs that support our public schools.
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Threats to Our Members’ Priorities
State legislators began pre-filing bills for the upcoming 89th legislative session last month. While we are excited by a slew of bills that have been filed advancing key priorities in our Educator’s Bill of Rights, we are equally concerned by a record number of bad bills that would threaten those...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Three Proposals Moving Forward
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on Dec. 6. There were three items up for proposal that Texas AFT has been closely following for many months. Texas AFT again delivered testimony in alignment with its partners at the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation (TCEP) regarding the...
Read MoreDec. 6, 2024: Finding common ground
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 Finding common ground We have a mental health crisis among our kids. This much we know; both the data and our experience as teachers and school staff agree. The reasons for it are many and varied, but one that has escaped regulation for too long...
Read MoreThe State of Higher Education in Texas: Addressing the Affordability Crisis
The costs of attending college have doubled over the past 15 years, and many Texas students are finding postsecondary education well out of reach. A flurry of recent announcements on tuition prices have highlighted this crisis and point to differing approaches at the state and local levels.
Read MoreWhere the Texas Legislature’s Voucher Fight Stands
Following an aggressive campaign to reshape the Texas Legislature by supporting primary challenges against Republican state representatives who voted against taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in the last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have both designated the passage of universal voucher legislation as their top priority...
Read MoreHow Vouchers & Charter Schools Hurt Public School Funding: A Q&A with Dr. David Knight & Dr. David DeMatthews
Despite a resounding defeat in the 88th Legislature, private school vouchers will return as a major issue in the 89th Legislature, which begins Jan. 14. After pouring money into Republican primary races to defeat anti-voucher incumbents, Gov. Greg Abbott claims...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Pre-Filed Childcare Bills
In our 2023-2024 Texas AFT member survey, 45% of educators who needed regular childcare said they had trouble accessing or affording it. Additionally, more than half of Texas counties are considered childcare deserts. This is an issue that impacts the entire workforce, but disproportionately affects women. Many working parents, including...
Read MoreUNT’s Course Censorship is a Violation of Academic Freedom
The University of North Texas administration has made sweeping changes to over 200 course titles and descriptions in its College of Education, removing references to race, class, gender, and equity in what Texas AAUP-AFT leaders are calling an extreme overreach that threatens academic freedom. "Censoring course content is a clear...
Read MoreSocorro AFT Advocacy Wins School Board Resolution in Support of Educator’s Bill of Rights
When someone asks what “the union difference” is, you can tell them to look out West toward El Paso, where teachers and school staff are showing the meaning of local advocacy.
Read MoreNov. 22, 2024: What is there to be grateful for?
Friday, Nov. 22, 2024 What is there to be grateful for? This has been a bruising year, another in a long string of them. We have endured an unrelenting election cycle that exposed the deep rifts within our country. And many of you have done it while clocking into work...
Read MoreSBOE Recap: Board Approves Controversial Bluebonnet Learning Materials
The November meeting of the State Board of Education (SBOE) began Monday with the fanfare of another public hearing on the instructional materials submitted for consideration and adoption under the new process established by House Bill 1605. The focus was almost entirely on the Texas Education Agency-developed English language arts...
Read MoreTexas Revives Ten Commandments Bill Amid Louisiana Ruling
A federal judge in Louisiana has struck down a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, citing it as “unconstitutional on its face.” The ruling cited concerns about religious coercion and violations of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. This decision could foreshadow legal battles for...
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