Legislative Agenda

If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. Texas AFT is your voice at the Capitol, turning out thousands of public school employees and parents every legislative session who are ALL IN for real solutions.

Education jobs are a cornerstone of the middle class. It used to be that a teacher would start their career at a livable wage, steadily earning more with more years of experience before settling into a stable retirement. Now, teachers are barely scraping by. And that’s not even mentioning our hard-working support staff, many of whom make poverty-level wages.

Fifty-two percent of Texas teachers have a second job after the school day, on top of grading papers and preparing lesson plans. Nearly 70% have thought about leaving the profession in the past year for something higher-paying and more stable. How does that serve Texas kids?

This is a crisis, one created by decades of underfunding — and one that can be fixed. Our union is working to do just that at national, state, and local levels.

Texas AFT Reports

The Educator's Bill of Rights

Texas AFT and our 66,000 members across the state have developed an Educator’s Bill of Rights, and we brought it to the Legislature in 2025.

Right to reasonable working conditions
Right to a secure retirement
Right to healthy, safe, and secure working environment
Right to meaningful training and development
Right to democratic representation
Right to fair wages
Right to quality childcare
Right to Academic Freedom
Right to Organize
Right to freedom of religion in schools

Thrive Together: A Vision for Texas Schools, from Pre-K to Post-Doc

In this report, Texas AFT has outlined a different public education system — one that is funded to meet students’ needs, from pre-K all the way to post-doc.

The Lost Decade (and a Half)

Texas AFT and Every Texan released The Lost Decade, which demonstrated how far Texas teacher and support staff salaries had fallen from 2010 to 2020. Two years later, an updated analysis shows the situation has worsened.

Texas Needs Teachers!

In a call to action, Texas AFT reached out to Battelle for Kids (BFK), a national not-for-profit, to facilitate focus groups with teachers across Texas to get to the bottom of our educator retention crisis.

Fully Funded, Fully Respected

During the 88th Legislature’s regular session, Texas AFT and Every Texan put a price tag on a future in which lawmakers prioritize respect for public schools and their employees.