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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 More89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Meaningful Training & Development
One aspect of the Educator’s Bill of Rights that got far less attention during the regular session than it deserved was your right to meaningful training and professional development. Educators are lifelong learners, and high-quality training and development correlate to student outcomes. So, what did lawmakers have to say about...
Read MoreTexas Special Session: Week 2 Recap
In its second week, the Texas Legislature’s special session continues to focus on three key issues: a proposed redrawing of congressional maps legislative responses to catastrophic flooding a renewed push to ban certain THC products Where Does Redistricting Stand? Republican leaders in the Texas House unveiled a proposed congressional...
Read MoreNew Proposals Aim to Boost Teacher, Staff Wages Nationwide
Photo courtesy of AFT As teacher and school staff shortages continue to deepen across the country, new federal legislation is offering a bold vision to rebuild the educator workforce, while a parallel political effort threatens to dismantle the very systems that support it. Unveiled at AFT’s national TEACH conference last...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Preview of Future Rulemaking
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on July 23 and 24 to discuss their pending work and take up a few action items. Each July, the SBEC conducts a work session to preview their workstreams and rulemaking duties for the coming year. After a legislative session,...
Read MoreHouston Federation of Teachers Sues Houston ISD for Denying State-Funded Teacher Raises, Violating HB 2
Parents, educators, and students rallied outside the AFT Convention in July 2024, protesting the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of Houston ISD and appointed Superintendent Mike Miles’s so-called “reforms” in the district. Photo by Mariana Krueger, CCR Studios. On Wednesday, the...
Read MoreStatement on Mid-Decade Redistricting Effort
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Statement from Texas AFT President Zeph Capo on House Bill 4 and the proposed set of new congressional districts released this week: “We as Texans have let this state’s so-called ‘leaders’ divide us along party lines for too long....
Read MoreJuly 25, 2025: Power in Numbers
Friday, July 25, 2025 Don’t Agonize. Organize! One of these years, we desperately hope we’ll have an uneventful – dare we hope, even boring – back-to-school season. But that is not going to be this year. News breaks every day that has broad, often concerning, implications for our schools,...
Read MoreTexas Special Session: Week 1 Recap
This special session of the 89th Legislature opened with no movement on STAAR reform or other priority education legislation. Instead, congressional redistricting has emerged as the dominant issue, fundamentally reshaping legislative priorities. Republicans have launched a rare mid-decade redraw of congressional districts, reportedly seeking to create up to five...
Read MoreYour Questions About HB 2 & School Funding Answered
When lawmakers rolled out House Bill 2 in the 89th Legislature, they promised a historic investment in public education. As the bill worked its way through the legislative process, the contents of the bill changed repeatedly, and educators across Texas were left wondering what actually ended up in the final...
Read MoreTexas AFT Joins Lawsuit Over Frozen Federal Education Funding
A sign held by a member at our June rally outside of Sen. Ted Cruz’s office, protesting his support of defunding the Department of Education and adding a private voucher program to the federal budget bill. Photo by Brooke Jonsson, CCR Studios. On Monday, Texas AFT joined school districts,...
Read More89th Legislature in Review: Your Right to Healthy, Safe Working Conditions
Texas AFT United members visit a lawmaker’s office during the 89th legislative session and discuss the need for our Educator’s Bill of Rights. This plank in your Educator’s Bill of Rights states that “safety is a prerequisite for learning.” If our educators and students do not feel secure in...
Read MoreJuly 18, 2025: Two Federal Threats to Public Schools
Friday, July 18, 2025 Two Federal Threats to Public Schools This week, Texas AFT hosted the first session of our Summer School briefings for public school employees and parents, trying to make sense of all the state and national changes affecting our schools, colleges, and universities. On the call,...
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