Featured News
AFT lawsuit settlement will put hundreds of thousands of educators on the path to student loan forgiveness
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education announced major changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, finally addressing the serious problems AFT members have faced in accessing student loan forgiveness. The changes, in part, were spurred by a lawsuit AFT filed against the department and then-Secretary Betsy DeVos, who stood by doing nothing as thousands of educators brought complaints...
Read MoreTexas AFT testifies against two crucial accountability rule changes for charter schools: ESL and Special Education indicators
On Monday, Texas AFT Legislative Counsel Patty Quinzi testified at the Texas Education Agency about the proposed Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF) for charter schools. The indicators within the CSPF are supposed to evaluate each charter school’s compliance with federal...
Read MoreIDEA charter schools sues state to keep public records on extravagant spending hidden
IDEA charter schools sued Attorney General Ken Paxton last week to halt the release of records of its expense accounts sought by a local news outlet. The Progress Times—a publication covering the lower Rio Grande Valley—filed an open-records for those documents more than a year ago. In particular, it sought...
Read MoreOur state is headed in the wrong direction to prevent school violence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2021 CONTACT: Rob D'Amico, 512-627-1343, rdamico@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented today on the school shooting at Timberview High School in Mansfield ISD. What’s heartbreaking about this shooting is that we are again left with the reality that our schools will be targets for...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2021: Redistricting maps for Senate/SBOE move ahead; New TEA charter rules could weaken accountability; Enter to win $2k in DonorsChoose project funds
Legislative wrap: Redistricting continues as state Senate/SBOE maps move forward; Gov. wants voting mistake penalties increased After several days of public and invited testimony, the Senate Redistricting Committee approved maps for the State Board of Education (SBOE) and state Senate...
Read MoreTexas Education Agency considers rules that weaken charter accountability for special ed and ESL
The Texas Education Agency has proposed changes to the Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF) that leave out consideration of two important student groups: students receiving special education services and students in bilingual education/English as a second language. The indicators within the CSPF are supposed to evaluate each charter school’s compliance...
Read MoreFriend of public education moves to runoff in San Antonio House district
Texas AFT congratulates Frank Ramirez on moving to a runoff in the special election for HD 118 in San Antonio (election date to be determined). Ramirez was also endorsed by the San Antonio Central Labor Council. Ramirez worked in the Texas Legislature serving as a legislative director and then as...
Read MoreLegislative wrap: Redistricting continues as state Senate/SBOE maps move forward; Gov. wants voting mistake penalties increased
Photo by Crashworks After several days of public and invited testimony, the Senate Redistricting Committee approved maps for the State Board of Education (SBOE) and state Senate districts this Tuesday. The committee approved the SBOE map unanimously, but the Senate district map...
Read MoreEnter to win $2,000 toward DonorsChoose projects
Texas AFT corporate supporter, Horace Mann, is kicking off the new school year with $10,000 in DonorsChoose funding! Still have some items on your wish list? Enter your DonorsChoose project, from September 13 to October 8, for your chance to win. Every day from October 4 through October 8, Horace...
Read MoreSept. 24, 2021: TRS decides on building move; Third special session kicks off; Dept. of Ed investigates Texas
Texas Legislature convenes for third Special Session (Photo: Sen. José Menéndez speaks on the Senate floor Wednesday.) On Monday, the Texas Legislature convened for a third special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to address redistricting, ban vaccine mandates, restrict...
Read MoreReport: Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-old children is safe and effective; provides ‘robust’ antibody responses
Pfizer announced this week that recent trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective in children ages 5 to 11. The trial included 2,268 participants ages 5 to 11 and used a two-dose vaccine regimen administered 21 days apart....
Read MoreTexas Legislature convenes for third Special Session
Photo: Sen. José Menéndez speaks on the Senate floor Wednesday. On Monday, the Texas Legislature convened for a third special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to address redistricting, ban vaccine mandates, restrict transgender athletes, appropriate federal stimulus money, and outlaw certain tethering of dogs in unsafe conditions. On Wednesday,...
Read MoreNew TEA guidance on masks stirs the legal pot on mask mandates and spurs a federal investigation
See Texas AFT’s COVID-19 Resource Page for info on how to take action and stay safe. The U.S. Department of Education is launching an investigation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order prohibiting mask mandates, which federal officials said could break federal law and discriminate against students with disabilities. The USDOE has...
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