Featured News
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 MoreICYMI: Texas AFT releases updated ‘Lost Decade (and a Half)’ report on stagnant educator salaries
Texas AFT’s updated report, The Lost Decade (and a Half), shows that, when adjusted for inflation, the average salary for Texas public school teachers has fallen over 9% since the 2009-2010 school year.
Read MoreVoter Approval Tax Rate Elections: What They Are & Why Your School District May Pursue One
Texas school districts find themselves grappling with severe budget deficits. More districts are turning to Voter Approval Tax Rate Elections (VATREs) as a potential solution.
Read MoreTake Action: Tell Gov. Abbott to Release the $4.5 Billion Our Public Schools Need
Texas public schools are in crisis. All Texas school districts must pass their budgets by the end of June, and we are seeing districts forced to lay off teachers and staff, cut student services, and close entire school campuses. While Gov. Greg Abbott may have tanked last year’s school funding...
Read MorePrimary Runoff Election Yields Mixed Results for Texas Public Schools
Left: Texas AFT COPE-endorsed Democratic candidate for House District 146 Lauren Simmons, pictured at a March rally with the Houston Federation of Teachers, prevailed in Tuesday’s primary runoff election. Right: Aldine AFT members write postcards to voters on behalf of Charlene Ward Johnson, endorsed candidate for HD 139, who also...
Read MoreRelease of HB 1605 Instructional Materials Launches Fresh Concerns, of Biblical Proportions
On Wednesday, a day that should have been spent taking in the afterglow (or afterburn) of the primary runoffs, the public education community was instead treated to increasingly eyebrow-raising news relating to the State Board of Education (SBOE)’s instructional materials and review process. Regular Hotline readers know of our...
Read MoreAFT Book Club: A Conversation with Mike Hixenbaugh
Join the June AFT Book Club session featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten and award-winning author Mike Hixenbaugh, discussing his new book, They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms. Dive into an enlightening conversation as Mike, a Pulitzer Prize...
Read MoreICYMI: The 74 Reveals New Biblical Content in State’s ‘High-Quality Instructional Materials’
On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency revealed its first round of Open Education Resources mandated by House Bill 1605. The new curriculum, as reported by The 74, includes significant Christian references and materials.
Read MoreStatement on Texas Primary Runoff Election Results
What have we learned so far from this year’s election cycle in Texas? Very little besides what we already knew: if you’ve got enough money, you can buy whatever seat you want. Mostly.
Read MoreMay 24, 2024: Never Back, Always Forward
Friday, May 24, 2024 Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson, AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, and Texas AFT President Zeph Capo at a fundraiser for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) at HFT’s office on Wednesday. Never Back, Always Forward It was a remarkable week for...
Read MoreFact Check: Is everyone except Gov. Abbott to blame for public schools’ budget crises?
As the 2023-2024 academic year comes to a close, Texas public schools find themselves struggling with severe budget deficits that are jeopardizing their ability to deliver high-quality education to the state's 5.5 million public school students. In recent remarks quoted on Twitter/X, Gov. Greg Abbott sought to distance himself from...
Read MoreFortified Campuses, Fearful Classrooms: Texas Schools 2 Years After Uvalde
Two years have passed since the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were tragically killed by a lone 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 as hundreds of law enforcement officers waited nearby. As we mark this somber anniversary, it is disheartening that...
Read MoreEmpowering Educators: Spring AFT, Brownsville Educators Stand Together Officially Charter as Texas AFT Local Unions
Educators in Spring ISD and Brownsville ISD are celebrating a significant milestone, as Texas AFT organizing committees in each district officially voted to charter as full local unions. In the past week, both Spring AFT and Brownsville Educators Stand Together...
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