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Oct. 31, 2025: Fort Worth Taken Over
Friday, October 31, 2025 (Happy Halloween!) Beyond the Shutdown As we brace for the deliberate lapse in SNAP benefits for millions of Americans, and as Head Start programs prepare to close from shutdown defunding, it’s important to remember what led us here: a proposed budget that would devastate the health and well-being of working Americans and vulnerable communities. The battle to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits isn’t a...
Read MoreHurricane Beryl: Texas Impact, State Response, & Recovery Resources
Houston Federation of Teachers members hand out groceries in coordination with the Houston Food Bank on Thursday. HFT, Cy-Fair AFT, and Aldine AFT all opened their doors this week or hosted events for their neighbors in need after Hurricane Beryl. Jump to: Texas Disaster Relief Fund Resources for Recovery Hurricane...
Read MoreManufacturing Backlash: New AAUP Report Reveals Right-Wing Plan to Destroy Higher Education
A new AAUP report pinpoints Texas as a central battleground in the growing conflict over academic freedom in higher education.
Read MoreProfessional Development: Virtual Summit for Mexican American Studies
The National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies’ Tejas Foco Prek-12 Committee invites educators to attend the ninth-annual Mexican American Studies Virtual Summit on Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The purpose of the summit is to create a collective call to action with tangible steps...
Read MoreJuly 5, 2024: Democracy
Friday, July 5, 2024 If you are trying to explain or contextualize recent Supreme Court rulings for your own kids, or your students, this collection from AFT’s Share My Lesson is a start. Democracy. Given the Supreme Court’s unprecedented ruling in Trump v. United States, establishing immunity for presidents for...
Read MoreSBOE Preview: New Charter Schools up for Consideration
The State Board of Education (SBOE) convened in Austin from June 25-28 to consider new charter school applications, their funds distribution for the next biennium, and several topics related to work on continuing standards review. Instructional Materials Tuesday has become, more or less, “instructional materials day” in the boardroom. The...
Read MoreSupport the CHARTER Act: Protect Public Education
Recent analysis by Texas AFT has revealed the growing financial strain of charter school expansion on Texas public schools. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, Texas public school districts are estimated to have lost over $3.6 billion in revenue due to charter transfers, affecting at least 325 districts across the...
Read MoreCountdown to AFT Convention in Houston
Texas AFT Celebrates 50th Anniversary Texas AFT and our Houston area locals are honored to host our fellow AFT members from across the nation for our union’s 88th convention later this month. The AFT convention is the highest authority of our union and demonstrates union democracy at work. The convention...
Read MoreTake Action: Tell Your Representative to Stop Cuts to Gun Violence Prevention Programs
Last month, AFT asked its members to tell lawmakers to stop MAGA politicians from reversing a Biden Administration policy to strengthen the background check system for purchasing guns. So far, our activism is working. But this week, extremists in Congress are proposing to cut funding for gun violence prevention activities. ...
Read MoreAFT Releases Statement on Supreme Court Immunity Ruling
This Monday, at the end of its current term, the Supreme Court of the United States released a bombshell ruling that dramatically expanded the legal immunity afforded to former presidents. The 6-3 majority ruling in the case Trump v. United States is a huge win for former President Donald Trump...
Read MoreJune 28, 2024: Religious Freedom Fight
Friday, June 28, 2024 America’s teachers feel stress, burned out, and unfairly paid at about twice the rate of comparable working adults, according to the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey from RAND, the nonpartisan nonprofit. Que sorpresa. What’s driving this rampant level of distress? Many of the same...
Read MoreThe Growing Financial Strain of Charter School Expansion on Texas Public Schools
Every year, the State Board of Education (SBOE) approves new charter schools following a comprehensive application, review, and public hearing process that culminates in late June. The commissioner of education also approves dozens of new charter schools through the charter expansion amendment process each year, a process which lacks SBOE...
Read MoreOklahoma Education Under Attack: Supreme Court Blocks First Religious Charter School, Superintendent Requires Teaching of the Bible
Efforts to send taxpayer dollars to religious entities suffered an important blow this week as the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided that state funding for a religiously affiliated charter school violated not only the Oklahoma Constitution but also the U.S. Constitution....
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