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Houston voters deal another political blow to HISD Superintendent Mike Miles
Last night, Houston voters elected two new trustees to the Houston Independent School District board in another electoral defeat for state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles.
Read MoreTrump Executive Order Could Put Retirement Savings at Risk
A new executive order from President Donald Trump would open the door for 401(k) and other retirement plans to invest in private equity,which labor advocates warn could be a bad deal for millions of Americans, putting their retirement security at risk. Under current regulations, most retirement accounts are kept in...
Read MoreAug. 8, 2025: The Future of Texas Public Education
Friday, August 8, 2025 The Future of Texas Public Over the next year, this state’s leaders will plan and implement a private school voucher program. The ripple effect of this third taxpayer-funded school system (after public schools and charter schools) will be enormous. Just this week, reports surfaced of...
Read More89th 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...
Read MoreNew Reports Spark Calls for Charter School Accountability in Texas
A reckoning is underway in the dizzying landscape of charter schools, and Texas finds itself squarely in the spotlight. A major new report from the Network for Public Education (NPE) lays bare the financial waste, poor academic performance, and growing disillusionment surrounding charter schools nationwide. Coupled with state-specific data from...
Read MoreSpecial Session, Week 3 Recap
Texas House Democrats attend a press event with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Photo Credit: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker/X The third week of the Texas special session has been dominated by a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over congressional redistricting. More than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state at the...
Read More‘All in for Public Schools’: Updates on Texas AFT, HFT Lawsuits on Funding, Raises
As Texas school districts get ready to open their doors for the 2025-2026 school year, educators and families have much to contend with and understandable levels of anxiety. On many fronts, public education in Texas and nationwide under attack. In response, our union is doing the only thing we can:...
Read MoreAug. 1, 2025: We fight. We win.
Friday, August 1, 2025 We fight. We win. Last week, Texas AFT joined over a dozen school districts, parent groups, and educator unions in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration's attempt to withhold $6 billion in funding set aside for our nation's schools and students. Our pushback paid off....
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...
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