Featured News
89th Legislative Session in Review: Your Right to Affordable, High-Quality Childcare
The youngest speaker at our Public Education Advocacy Day this past March. Our members brought copies of the Educator’s Bill of Rights to meet with their legislators. When we began our work on your 89th legislative agenda, working conditions were top of mind for members. One particular issue began to come to the forefront: the right to high-quality affordable childcare. ...
Read MoreMay 23, 2025: Ask Us Anything
Friday, May 23, 2025 Texas AFT members gather near the South Steps of the Capitol for a rally on March 10. Ask Us Anything: Education in the 89th Legislature This legislative session has been a rocky ride for public schools, from pre-K-12 all the way through higher education. Texas AFT...
Read MoreThis Week in the Legislature: School Funding Advances at Last
This week, the Texas Senate advanced its version of House Bill 2, the marquee school finance proposal of the 89th Legislature. The original version of HB 2, passed by the Texas House earlier this month, included a $395 per-student increase to the basic allotment, along with new investments in bilingual...
Read MoreTexas AFT encourages House members to accept Senate compromise on HB 2, despite shortcomings
Educators welcome much needed pay raises but lament bottom line for schools
Read MoreThis Week in Higher Education: Higher Ed Bills in a Race to the Bottom
With only 10 days left in the legislative session, lawmakers are scrambling to get their bills across the finish line (for better or worse). Several bills are speeding their way to meet deadlines — in some cases even skipping traditional legislative processes to do so. On Monday, May 19,...
Read MoreTexas Families, Schools Face Dire Consequences Under Proposed Medicaid Cuts
If the federal budget currently moving through Congress passes, Texas families, hospitals, and public schools could be left holding the bag again. House Republicans’ budget plan, backed by President Donald Trump, proposes over $1.5 trillion in cuts to vital safety net programs like Medicaid to pay for massive tax cuts...
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 More