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House Committees on Public Education and Higher Education Convene for Marathon 12-Hour Hearing
Texas AFT member Rebekah Ozuna (left) testifies late in the evening at the joint committee hearing This Tuesday, the House Committee on Public Education and the House Committee on Higher Education held a joint hearing to discuss solutions to the teacher retention crisis. The marathon hearing lasted 12 hours and included 14 panels of invited testimony discussing the teacher recruitment...
Read MoreTexas AFT Retiree+ Executive Board Convenes in Austin
This past weekend, members of the Texas AFT Retiree+ executive board gathered in Austin for the group’s first in-person board meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreLocal Solutions to the Texas Educator Shortage Exist. Now We Need State Action.
Roundtable discussion with the American Federation of Teachers, Houston area school administrators, and the University of Houston and Texas A&M University-Commerce highlights initiatives to retain and recruit qualified educators. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 31, 2022 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, 512-317-2232, nhill@texasaft.org HOUSTON, Texas — With 43,000 Texas teachers either resigning...
Read MoreStand with Uvalde Parents Tomorrow in Austin
On Saturday, Aug. 27, March For Our Lives will rally with parents from Uvalde, as well as survivors from Santa Fe, and youth activists from across the country to demand action to end gun violence.
Read MoreWhat President Biden’s Student Debt Announcement Means for You
On Aug. 24, President Joe Biden announced a monumental package of student loan debt relief.
Read MoreEducation Austin Member Kari Johnston Selected as Finalist for Teacher of the Year Statewide Honors
Earlier this month, the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) announced that Education Austin member Kari Johnston was selected as the Elementary Teacher of the Year for Region XIII and is one of three finalists for their statewide Elementary School Teacher of the Year award. Johnston is a bilingual teacher...
Read MoreState Comptroller Weakens TRS, Permanent School Fund by Limiting Investment Activity
This past week, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced a list of 10 companies and 348 investment funds that he declared “boycotted energy companies” and would thus be barred from doing business with any state entity.
Read MoreWe’re Hiring: Student Fellowship Available
The Bridges Fellowship Texas AFT is looking for the next generation of labor & education policy activists through our fellowship program. Fellows will get to hone their policy and communications skills as part of Texas AFT's Public Affairs team. Our fellows are committed to helping improve the lives of our...
Read MoreBig Win for Houston Public Schools After Charter Privatization Attempt
The Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT), led by president Jackie Anderson, along with a coalition of Houston community leaders including Sen. Borris Miles, Rep. Alma Allen, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the NAACP, and faith leaders, successfully fought off an attempt by some Houston Independent School District (HISD) board members to rush...
Read MoreGov. Abbott Continues to Show His Backward Priorities on Public Education
When a politician tells you who they are, you should believe them. As the fall semester gets into full swing, Gov. Greg Abbott has been signaling repeatedly what kind of leader he is. Abbott’s Inaction Since Uvalde Eighty-seven days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb...
Read MoreTEA Releases A-F Accountability Ratings for the First Time in 3 Years
This past Monday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released 2021-2022 school year accountability ratings for each of Texas’ 1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses. This is the first time since 2019 that TEA has published accountability ratings because of the COVID-19 disaster declaration during the previous two school years. While TEA...
Read MoreFormer Texas House Speaker Joe Straus Calls For Increasing Funding for Public Education, Criticizes Voucher Schemes
Republicans and Democrats alike — with districts spanning from rural agricultural communities to dense urban areas — have begun speaking out in support of the priorities of our Respect Campaign, among them: safe working conditions, fair pay, reasonable workloads, and...
Read MoreTexas AFT Hosts Capitol Listening Session on Teacher Shortage Research
In support of our recent report, Texas Needs Teachers (released with Battelle for Kids), Texas AFT hosted a virtual informational session this past Tuesday. We were joined by Rep. Art Fierro, Rep. Donna Howard, Rep. Rhetta Bowers, Rep. Terry Meza, and Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, as well as dozens of...
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