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SB 13: Deep Dive into New School Library Restrictions
During the 89th legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 13, which significantly changes how public school libraries across the state select, review, and manage books and instructional materials. The law, which took effect on Sept. 1, creates new barriers to access and hands greater decision-making power to school boards and external, ostensibly parent-dominated councils. Supporters argue that SB...
Read MoreAug. 15, 2025: The Grift Is On
Friday, August 15, 2025 The Grift Is On If you read this newsletter regularly, you know that the education landscape is changing, and not necessarily for the better. Over the next year, Texas will prepare to implement Gov. Greg Abbott’s long-sought private school voucher program. Just this week, we...
Read MoreICYMI: New investigation reveals over 60 instances of nepotism and conflicts of interest at Texas private schools
Records show Texas private schools have made nepotism hires, awarded millions in contracts to board members’ private businesses, and offered personal loans to school leaders
Read More89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Freedom of Religion in Schools
Educators know our public schools should be safe spaces for every Texas child, regardless of their race, socioeconomic background, gender identity, or religious upbringing. That’s why our members made the right to freedom of religion in schools a plank in our Educator’s Bill of Rights. Increasingly, state leaders are blurring...
Read MoreTexas drops two years of A-F ratings for Texas public schools
Additional school districts pushed closer to state takeover
Read MoreTexas Special Session, Week 4 Recap
The fourth and final week of Texas’s special legislative session remained mired in a stalemate as Sine Die, the final day of this session came and went without a quorum. More than 50 Texas House Democrats fled the state in July to block a redistricting proposal backed by President Donald...
Read MoreTrump Executive Order Could Put Retirement Savings at Risk
A new executive order from President Donald Trump would open the door for 401(k) and other retirement plans to invest in private equity,which labor advocates warn could be a bad deal for millions of Americans, putting their retirement security at risk. Under current regulations, most retirement accounts are kept in...
Read MoreAug. 8, 2025: The Future of Texas Public Education
Friday, August 8, 2025 The Future of Texas Public Over the next year, this state’s leaders will plan and implement a private school voucher program. The ripple effect of this third taxpayer-funded school system (after public schools and charter schools) will be enormous. Just this week, reports surfaced of...
Read More89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Academic Freedom
Academic freedom: the pillar of higher education, and the target of the 89th legislative session. For the past two years, the Texas Legislature has fixated on our public colleges and universities, attempting to control every aspect of what makes our schools great: the freedom the teach and the freedom to...
Read MoreNew Reports Spark Calls for Charter School Accountability in Texas
A reckoning is underway in the dizzying landscape of charter schools, and Texas finds itself squarely in the spotlight. A major new report from the Network for Public Education (NPE) lays bare the financial waste, poor academic performance, and growing disillusionment surrounding charter schools nationwide. Coupled with state-specific data from...
Read MoreSpecial Session, Week 3 Recap
Texas House Democrats attend a press event with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Photo Credit: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker/X The third week of the Texas special session has been dominated by a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over congressional redistricting. More than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state at the...
Read More‘All in for Public Schools’: Updates on Texas AFT, HFT Lawsuits on Funding, Raises
As Texas school districts get ready to open their doors for the 2025-2026 school year, educators and families have much to contend with and understandable levels of anxiety. On many fronts, public education in Texas and nationwide under attack. In response, our union is doing the only thing we can:...
Read MoreAug. 1, 2025: We fight. We win.
Friday, August 1, 2025 We fight. We win. Last week, Texas AFT joined over a dozen school districts, parent groups, and educator unions in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration's attempt to withhold $6 billion in funding set aside for our nation's schools and students. Our pushback paid off....
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