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Texas AFT Files Federal Lawsuit to Protect Educators’ Constitutional Rights
On January 6, Texas AFT filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath, challenging their unconstitutional investigation of more than 350 educators for exercising their constitutionally protected First Amendment rights on their personal social media.
Read MoreThis Week in the Texas Senate: 10 Commandments, Virtual Schools, School Safety Funding
Presented in the hearing were SB 10, which would require the posting of the Ten Commandments in all Texas classrooms, and SB 11, which would allow districts to adopt a policy for a period of prayer in schools.
Read MoreFirst Higher Ed Committee Hearing of the 89th Legislature: It’s All About the Money
Texas legislators and university leaders are prioritizing research funding and dual-credit accessibility in higher education.
Read MoreVoucher Scam Threatens More Than Just Schools. It Puts Teacher Pensions at Risk.
This coming Tuesday, the House Public Education Committee will hear testimony on House Bill 3 (HB 3), and much of the focus has been on how school vouchers would drain funding from public schools. But there’s another major consequence flying under the radar: the impact on the Teacher Retirement System...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: Lawmakers Get an Earful on School Finance Bill HB 2 in 2-Day Committee Hearing
This week was a busy one for the House Public Education Committee, with two days of hearings dedicated to House Bill 2, Chairman Brad Buckley’s school finance bill.
Read MoreTexas schools need a $1,386 boost in base per-student funding just to keep up with inflation
House Bill 2’s arbitrary $220 basic allotment increase will not make public schools whole again.
Read MoreFeb. 28, 2025: History repeats itself
Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 History repeats itself Gov. Greg Abbott has done a marvelous job manufacturing momentum for private school vouchers, a policy “solution” that is bankrupting other states, has provided no tangible benefit to student learning outcomes, and is manifestly unpopular when put directly to voters. If it feels...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: Let’s Talk About Educator Pay Raises
Things are heating up in this legislative session, with a metric ton of bills being filed and some of the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s stated priorities moving through the committee process. Several of those bills are various attempts at pay incentives for teachers – and we do mean just...
Read MoreNew Report Highlights the Failed Charter School Experiment in Texas
A new report from Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) lays out a damning reality: while Texas public schools struggle with historic underfunding, privately run charter schools are expanding unchecked and draining billions from local school districts with little oversight or accountability. It’s time for Texas parents and the public to...
Read MoreEducator’s Bill of Rights Spotlight: Bills to Guarantee Your Voice in Your Workplace
The Legislature’s 89th session is seeing a wave of proposed legislation that could reshape workplace democracy in public schools for the better, a key right outlined by our K-12 and higher ed members in our Educator’s Bill of Rights. From expanding collective bargaining rights to strengthening grievance procedures, these bills...
Read MoreU.S. House Budget Cuts $880 Billion from Medicaid, Another Blow to School Funding
The U.S. Congress is discussing a budget proposal that will mean steep cuts to Medicaid, a program that supports people from birth to retirement and beyond. Last week, House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution that directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find $880 billion in “savings”;...
Read MoreFeb. 21, 2025: ‘The Votes Are Not There’
Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 ‘The Votes Are Not There’ In case you missed it, we were joined by Rep. Aicha Davis for last night’s Organizing Texas meeting. Davis was able to boost morale during these ... constantly upsetting times. Watch the full recording here. Of the bigger points she made...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: House Rolls Out Bills to Fundamentally Change Public Education in Texas
The Texas House made news last week with a new slate of committee assignments that will determine the fate of the Educator’s Bill of Rights and other critical education policies, including school finance, teacher and school staff pay, and private...
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