Featured News
Gov. Abbott Ups the Ante on ‘School Choice’ Debate Despite National Voucher Horror Stories
State funding for public education is under siege on several fronts. The specter of school privatization threatens the foundations of our public schools — along with the raises our school staff so desperately need. Illustration by Sierra Wiggers. On Tuesday night, as most Texans were preparing for a severe ice storm, Gov. Greg Abbott gave his most full-throated endorsement to...
Read MoreJan. 20, 2023: Fact-Checking Gov. Abbott; The State Takeover of HISD; The Voucher Fight Begins
Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 This week’s Hotline starts with a reminder: Words matter. What happens in the Legislature has consequences. Over the past month, a variety of rumors about Texas education have sprung up on social media and taken root. In December, tweets began circulating that claimed Dallas ISD teachers...
Read MoreJan. 13, 2023: Our Visit to the Capitol; Hinojosa’s $10K Raise Bill
Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Texas AFT offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 16. — Texas Legislature Texas AFT Takes Respect Agenda to the Capitol Texas AFT President Zeph Capo speaks at a press conference at the Capitol. Local AFT presidents and Rep....
Read MoreTexas AFT Takes Respect Agenda to the Capitol
Texas AFT President Zeph Capo speaks at a press conference at the Capitol. Local AFT presidents and Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Richardson) stand behind him. The 88th Legislature is now in session, and Texas AFT local leaders were on hand this week to discuss our union’s Respect Agenda with lawmakers, meeting...
Read MoreGood Bills of the Week: Rep. Hinojosa Announces Bill to Give Teachers $10k raises
At our press conference at the Capitol this past Tuesday, Rep. Gina Hinojosa announced that she would be filing a bill that would ensure that all teachers across the state received a $10,000 salary increase. Teachers in Texas currently make significantly less than the national average, so this across-the-board increase...
Read MoreSign AFT Retiree Phyllis Ruffin’s Petition to Join TRS Board of Trustees
Texas AFT Retiree Plus board member Phyllis Ruffin is just two dozen signatures shy from being on the ballot to join the TRS (Teacher Retirement System of Texas) Board of Trustees. Any active or retired teacher who is vested in TRS can sign Phyllis’ petition. All signatures must be submitted...
Read MoreThe Agenda for the 88th Legislature? Respect for Public Schools
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 10, 2022 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, 512-317-2232, nhill@texasaft.org The Agenda for the 88th Legislature? Respect for Public Schools Educators’ union releases a list of legislative priorities intended to retain teachers and staff, fund schools appropriately, and make schools safer for students AUSTIN, Texas — As members were...
Read MoreJan. 6, 2023: Education Bills, a COLA, & Student Debt Relief
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 Welcome to 2023, and the 88th Texas Legislature Happy new year! For those on their way back to classrooms, buses, and school campuses, we wish you a soft landing and a happy return. In Austin, Texas AFT is gearing up for another return — of the...
Read More88th Texas Legislature: Public Education Preview
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on Dec. 9, and the board’s final agenda of the year had a few noteworthy items.
Read MoreRetirees Sound the Alarm on TRS COLA in Local News
The upcoming 88th Texas legislative session is poised to be a consequential one for retired teachers. No teacher who retired in the past 19 years has ever received a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their TRS annuity. But after all these years, there is finally hope on the horizon for a...
Read MoreTexas Supreme Court Sides with Texas AFT on Commissioner Power, Charter Partnerships
In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1882, a bill designed to encourage charter school growth by allowing public school campuses labeled as “low-performing” to hand over operations to a charter operator; in exchange, the school would receive the per-pupil funding advantage that charters have over real public schools...
Read MoreThe American Teacher Act Would Set a $60,000 National Minimum Salary
Our union has documented in detail the staffing crisis in Texas public schools, but our schools aren’t alone. Across the nation, questions remain on how to address all the issues fueling teacher and staff shortages, but paying teachers more would resolve many. The American Teacher Act, introduced in the U.S....
Read MorePaxton Joins Lawsuits Against Student Debt Relief
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined onto multistate amicus briefs in two lawsuits challenging the Biden Administration and its student loan debt forgiveness program announced last year. President Biden’s executive order directed the Department of Education to take steps to expand relief for student loan borrowers by making more...
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