Featured News
Texas AFT 2025 Biennial Convention: All in for Public Schools
The Texas AFT 2025 Biennial Convention in Dallas brought members, delegates, and staff together for a weekend of action, awards, learning, and fun! The festivities kicked off with a march to Senator Ted Cruz’s downtown office to oppose his federal voucher legislation. You can view the rally here, including the moment when our two selected delegates were denied entry into...
Read MoreSupreme Court Deadlock Blocks Creation of First Taxpayer-Funded Religious Charter School
On May 22, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 4-4 split decision in the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond case, effectively blocking the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School – the nation’s first taxpayer-funded religious charter school. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the...
Read MoreMay 16, 2025: Public Education on the Brink
Friday, May 16, 2025 Public education on the brink Emboldened by Gov. Abbott’s voucher bait-and-switch in Texas, Republican leadership in the U.S. Congress is trying to fast-track a national school voucher plan through the budget reconciliation process. The Educational Choice for Children Act would funnel public dollars into private...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: As the Clock Ticks, the Public School Funding Plot Thickens
With more money in the bank than most states — and even some nations — Texas lawmakers are at a standstill over school funding. The political tug-of-war between the Texas House and Senate over House Bill 2 (HB 2) and public education financing is barreling toward critical legislative deadlines. If...
Read MoreThis Week in Higher Education: Educators, Students, & Community Members Tell Legislators ’Hands Off’ Our Colleges & Universities
We are at a critical point with SB 37, the “Death Star” bill for higher education. It’s currently pending in the House Higher Education Committee, with a little over a week until the deadline to pass it from committee.
Read MoreNew Report Exposes Texas’s Ongoing Failures in Serving Students with Special Education Needs
A sweeping new report from the Texas Education Leadership Lab at UT Austin reveals alarming trends in Texas public schools' long-term failure to comply with federal special education law. The report, which evaluates 25 years of implementation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), highlights deep and systemic issues...
Read MoreDemocrats for Education Reform Group Embraces Vouchers, Privatization
When Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) was founded in 2007, the group claimed to represent progressive values in education: fighting for better funding, stronger public schools, and equal opportunities for all students. But increasingly, its agenda has taken a hard turn away from public schools and toward vouchers and Education...
Read MoreWith more money in the bank than most states & some nations, Texas stalls on school finance
Today, Texas AFT again calls on the Texas Senate to set House Bill 2 for a public hearing and expedite the passage of new funds for public schools.
Read MoreMay 9, 2025: We Carry On
Friday, May 9, 2025 We carry on. Veteran teachers roaming the halls of the Capitol, asking lawmakers to fund their schools and to focus on bills that would help their students instead of harm them. School librarians cut off from testifying against a book-banning bill at 3:30 a.m. but...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: Is This ‘Teacher Appreciation?’
On Saturday, surrounded by many of the Republican lawmakers he threatened along the way, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law his long-sought private school voucher program.
Read MoreThis Week in Higher Education: SB 37 Heard in House Higher Education Committee
Senate Bill 37, the “Death Star” bill for Texas colleges and universities, had its last public hearing this past Tuesday (May 6).
Read MoreElection Recap: What School Board, Local Results Mean for Texas Public Schools
In May 3 local elections, voters across Texas sent a powerful message: public schools should be focused on education, not pushing privatization or political interference.
Read MoreCloser Look: Texas Charter Schools Don’t Make the Grade
TEA fought for months to release 2022-2023 school accountability ratings. So why isn’t the state holding charter schools accountable for consistently poor scores?
Read More