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This Week in the Legislature: What We Heard at the Senate’s Voucher Hearing

The Texas Legislature meets for 140 days every two years*. It’s a slim window to pass legislation, and it’s actually slimmer than you think. Much of the action in the Texas House and Senate has yet to begin this session as both chambers wait for Gov. Greg Abbott to release his list of “emergency items.”
Read MoreLawmaker Calling for Bans on Public Drag Performances Appears to Have Performed in Drag Publicly

A recently surfaced video appears to show freshman state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) wearing a dress while dancing in a park. In the 88th Legislature, Schatzline has filed HB 1266, which would effectively ban public drag shows. The bill would amend Texas Business and Commerce code such that any...
Read MoreAFT Calls on Congress to Raise the Debt Ceiling

The American Federation of Teachers, along with dozens of our union’s partner groups, have called on the U.S. Congress to raise the national ceiling before the country defaults on its debt. Raising the debt ceiling in no way subjects the country to additional debt by increasing federal spending, it simply...
Read MoreFeb. 24, 2023: Teacher Vacancy Task Force Report Is Finally Out

Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 Strong Public Schools Need Empowered Educators No decisions about Texas school employees should be made without the input of Texas school employees. That’s our message to the Texas Legislature, and it's the subject of our newest union T-shirt! Buy yours at store.texasaft.org and help fuel our...
Read MoreBrownsville AFT Members Win ‘Right to Recess’ for Students

Every elementary school student in Brownsville ISD is now guaranteed a minimum 15-minute recess every day thanks to advocacy from Brownsville Educators Stand Together (BEST AFT). In December, members of BEST, an organizing committee building toward becoming a full AFT local union, asked district administrators and the Board of Trustees...
Read MoreTeacher Vacancy Task Force Releases Report, Largely Agrees with Texas AFT Report from Last Year

More than a year in the making, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, convened by the Texas Education Agency, has issued its final report with recommendations for the Legislature. In a statement, Texas AFT President Zeph Capo thanked the task force for its work and made special note of the contributions...
Read MoreTexas AFT Receives $50,000 AFT Grant for Educator Apprenticeship Program

This month, our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, announced grants totaling $500,000 to fund 14 projects for AFT affiliates across the country, including Texas AFT. This latest round of grants is part of the AFT Innovation Fund’s “What Kids and Communities Need” grant program, which has committed $1.6...
Read MoreHouse Appropriations Committee Considers Community College Budget, Hears Testimony from AFT

https://youtu.be/AoC0KpRRDQQ This past Thursday, the Article III subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for the education-related portions of the state budget, heard testimony related to budget appropriations for the state’s community colleges. Dr. David Albert, president of Austin Community College AFT, was among those who testified. In...
Read MoreGood Bills of the Week: Ending Hair Discrimination, Standing up for Support Staff, Giving Students’ Voice on School Boards

This week, House Bill 567 by Rep. Rhetta Bowers (D-Garland) was referred to the House State Affairs Committee, making it one of the first bills to be referred to a committee this legislative session. HB 567, colloquially known as the...
Read MoreStatement on Teacher Vacancy Task Force Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 24, 2022 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented today on the final report released by the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Vacancy Task Force: “We thank the task force for its work, and we especially want to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of the...
Read MoreFeb. 17, 2023: TEA Deputy Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 The Campaign to Defund Public Schools Picks Up Steam This has been a whirlwind week in the world of Texas education. We’ll cover much of it in this newsletter (TEA scandal! State of the State! Dan Patrick’s priorities!), but the main theme: vouchers and their impact...
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