Friday, May 5, 2023 How to ‘Appreciate’ Educators Sen. Roland Gutierrez and Sen. Morgan LaMantia meet with Texas AFT members and leaders at the Capitol on Monday. Photo by Sierra Wiggers. While many of their colleagues were struggling through STAAR testing with anxious students, 30 Texas teachers and school employees...
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Friday, April 28, 2023 Crumbs Aren’t Good Enough Photo by Marianna Krueger, CCR Studios The state of Texas has a budget surplus that is itself larger than the entire budget of 24 states, and yet both active school employees and retired educators have been forced this session to come, hat...
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Friday, April 21, 2023 Picking winners and losers San Antonio Alliance member Teresa Razo and Northeast Houston AFT member Tammy Reyes meet with a representative from Rep. Greg Bonnen’s office this past Tuesday. This week, the Texas House Public Education Committee took up the very important work of debating whether...
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This past week, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced which legislators will participate in the conference committee on HB 1, the State Budget for the next biennium. These conferees will have the final say on what is included and what is excluded from the budget....
Read MoreImportant Bills Heading to a House Vote In addition to the committee action next week, a few consequential bills further along in the legislative process will likely be considered on the floor of the House. HB 100 by Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) is the comprehensive school finance bill. Texas AFT...
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Friday, April 14, 2023 Who exactly is this session for? McAllen AFT members and LUPE volunteers protest outside Gov. Greg Abbott’s voucher stop at Covenant Christian Academy in McAllen. Photo by Clarissa Riojas. Last week, the Texas House passed a budget without any provision for meaningful raises for school employees....
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The Texas Legislature was in full swing this week. Both the House and the Senate moved forward with legislation that, if passed, would have significant implications for public school educators, higher education employees, and retirees. Public Education: House Committee Hears Voucher Testimony, Senate Votes for Book Bans This week, the...
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Texas AFT regularly participates in coalition work with allies related to our legislative priorities; in the past week, we have had the chance to join our coalition partners at the Capitol for successful advocacy days.
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Friday, April 7, 2023 We won’t settle for crumbs. Photo by Marianna Krueger, CCR Studios. We’ve turned this week’s Hotline over to Texas AFT President Zeph Capo for an update on some important moments at the Legislature and where we go from here. Yesterday was a good day for public...
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Yesterday was a busy and often chaotic day at the Legislature. The Texas House spent the day debating and, ultimately, approving its budget for the next two years with a vote of 136-10. The Texas Senate, meanwhile, debated and voted on Senate Bill 8, its primary voucher bill, and Senate...
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Friday, March 31, 2023 The Legislature Sends Its Thoughts & Prayers. A memorial for the children and teachers killed by a shooter at Robb Elementary It happened again Monday. At this point, you likely don’t need an explanation of “it.” On Monday, a shooter armed with two assault-style rifles...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org As the House plans to debate the budget Thursday, educators’ union president asks, “What should we expect next — an actual slap in the face?” AUSTIN, Texas — At a time that the state of Texas has an unprecedented $188.2 billion in...
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