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89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Academic Freedom
Academic freedom: the pillar of higher education, and the target of the 89th legislative session. For the past two years, the Texas Legislature has fixated on our public colleges and universities, attempting to control every aspect of what makes our schools great: the freedom the teach and the freedom to learn. While Senate Bill (SB) 37 took center-stage in...
Read More89th 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...
Read MoreJuly 18, 2025: Two Federal Threats to Public Schools
Friday, July 18, 2025 Two Federal Threats to Public Schools This week, Texas AFT hosted the first session of our Summer School briefings for public school employees and parents, trying to make sense of all the state and national changes affecting our schools, colleges, and universities. On the call,...
Read MoreTexas AFT Joins Coalition of School Districts, Parents, & Advocates in Lawsuit Against Trump-Vance Administration for Unlawfully Blocking Billions in Funding
Without Court Intervention, Unlawful Funding Freeze will Endanger Academic Programs and Staffing Across the Nation
Read More89th Legislative Session in Review: Your Right to Affordable, High-Quality Childcare
The youngest speaker at our Public Education Advocacy Day this past March. Our members brought copies of the Educator’s Bill of Rights to meet with their legislators. When we began our work on your 89th legislative agenda, working conditions were top of mind for members. One particular issue began to...
Read MoreSpecial Session Preview: Gov. Abbott Brings Lawmakers Back to Austin
On Monday, Texas lawmakers will return to Austin for a special session of the 89th Legislature, as required by Gov. Greg Abbott's formal call on July 12. Among the issues listed in the governor’s proclamation are improving flood warning systems, cutting property taxes, regulating hemp-derived products, and, most controversially, drawing...
Read MoreSBEC Preview: New Members and a Heavy Docket
The State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) will meet in Austin on July 24 and 25. The agenda for Friday’s meeting is relatively light with only a few action items. One item of note is the designation of a temporary suspension committee required by Senate Bill (SB) 571. This bill...
Read MoreTexas A&M System Joins Schools in Red States to Create a New Accrediting Body
The Texas A&M University System is joining with other public university systems in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina to create a new accrediting body, the “Commission for Public Higher Education.” This comes after the passage of Senate Bill 530, which loosens regulations on how public colleges and...
Read MoreJuly 11, 2025: Who’s on the side of working Texans?
Friday, July 11, 2025 Who’s on the side of working Texans? Earlier this week — a week of tragedy for so many Texas families — the Texas AFL-CIO officially released its Pro-Worker Scorecard for our state representatives and senators. This is BIG NEWS. By making this data publicly available,...
Read MoreUnpacking the 89th Legislature: Your Right to a Secure Retirement
Texas AFT members at our 2025 Public Education Advocacy Day at the Capitol. One Socorro AFT member holds a sign with one of the 10 essential rights in our Educator’s Bill of Rights: the right to secure retirement. Texas educators deserve better than broken promises and one-time checks. Despite a...
Read MorePublic Education at a Crossroads: Vouchers, Cuts, and the Fight Ahead
One of the young attendees at a rally outside of Sen. Ted Cruz’s Dallas office with Texas AFT and AFGE Local 252 in June 2025. Photo by Brooke Jonsson, CCR Studios. While educators across Texas are making plans for the new school year, big moves in Washington, D.C., are threatening...
Read MoreCentral Texas Flooding: What’s Happening and How You Can Help
Over the past week, Central Texas has been devastated by historic flooding that has killed more than 100 people, including at least 28 children. Some of the worst damage has been concentrated in Kerr County, where floodwaters overwhelmed communities with terrifying speed. Heavy rainfall, up to 20 inches in some...
Read MoreHouston ISD: School is out, but the headlines don’t stop
Signs from the No More Harm rally at the 2024 AFT Convention in Houston. Photo by Mariana Krueger, CCR Studios. It’s been less than a month since the Texas Education Agency announced a two-year extension of the Houston ISD takeover by Commissioner Mike Morath’s appointed board of managers and Superintendent...
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