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89th 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 learn. While Senate Bill (SB) 37 took center-stage in...
Read MoreImportant PSLF Deadline Approaching Dec. 31
What is PSLF? The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program is a way for student loan borrowers who are employed in the public service field — including public education — to have their student loans forgiven. To qualify for this, “borrowers must make 120 payments on Direct Loans while working...
Read MoreNov. 17, 2023: We won’t take the bait
Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 Houston ISD parents, educators, and community members speak to the press at the Texas Capitol after their testimony at the State Board of Education. Is this parental empowerment? Vouchers are dead in Texas. Again. (More on that in a second.) While their proponents claim vouchers are...
Read MoreVoucher Are Dead in the 4th Special Session
Despite the addition of popular policy “carrots” to HB 1 and enormous pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, we stopped vouchers in their tracks yet again today (Friday, Nov. 17). This victory was won on an 84-63 bipartisan vote in support of an amendment by state Rep. John Raney (R-College Station),...
Read MoreSBOE Recap: Instructional Materials Work Continues Apace
Science Textbooks The State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting began this week with the adoption of science instructional materials. There was a steady drumbeat of proposed textbooks removed from the recommended list. Some were removed for valid reasons like lack of standards coverage, but far more were removed because they...
Read MoreKaty ISD Gender Policy Has Led to Outing 19 Students Since August
A little over two months ago, Katy ISD passed one of the most extreme gender policies we’ve seen in Texas, effectively requiring campus personnel to “out” students. At the time, it raised eyebrows, and now we are beginning to see the ramifications for students and educators. According to reports from...
Read MoreParaprofessionals & Education Support Staff Bill of Rights Introduced in U.S. Senate
Sen. Ed Markey with paraprofessionals and support staff at the announcement of the PSRP Bill of Rights. Photo courtesy of AFT. On Monday, Nov. 6, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) joined Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) & Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in introducing a Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights. The...
Read More2024 Social Security COLA set at 3.2%
Last month, the Social Security Administration announced that Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% in 2024. This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will affect over 71 million Social Security beneficiaries. This COLA is significantly smaller than last year’s Social Security COLA, which was 8.7%. Annual Social Security COLAs are intended to...
Read MoreNov. 9, 2023: What a Week
Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Voucher bill HB 1 died with the third special session of the Legislature this week. It was reborn — and made even more expensive — with the fourth. Illustration by Sierra Wiggers. On voters & vouchers On the same day Gov. Greg Abbott called a fourth...
Read MoreTexas Voters Turn Out for Public Schools in 2023 Elections
On Tuesday, more than 2 million Texas voters cast a ballot on 14 statewide propositions and in several local elections, a record high in a constitutional amendment election. More than 14% of registered voters in Texas cast a ballot, the highest percentage in an odd-year election since 2005. There were...
Read MoreSpecial Session 4: The Voucher Fight Continues
Since last week, a tremendous amount has happened in the Legislature — but also very little. In the final days of the third special session, the Texas House and Senate failed to pass border security and voucher legislation. In a desperate last-minute bid to push the passage of vouchers, Gov....
Read MorePreview: State Board of Education’s November Meeting
The State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its regular meeting in Austin next week. We will be closely watching several items, with special focus on those related to proposed science textbooks, HB 1605 implementation, and ethnic studies courses. The SBOE will also hear general updates on the Generation 29...
Read MoreRecognizing Shirley Harris: A Trailblazer in Education
To read more about Shirley Harris' remarkable life, check out our profile from Black History Month 2023. Shirley Harris, a graduate of Southwest Texas State College (now Texas State University) and trailblazer in the field of education and racial equality, will finally receive the recognition she deserves. On Monday, Nov....
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