Earlier this month, researchers with the Albert Shanker Institute, the University of Miami, and Rutgers University released a report that evaluated school funding levels across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and found, yet again, that Texas schools are direly underfunded. The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems,...
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Thanks to Texas AFT member activism, taxpayer-funded private school vouchers did not pass in Texas, despite a push by Gov. Greg Abbott and monied special interest groups across five separate legislative sessions. While Texas avoided the voucher scam last year, Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, and Indiana are in various stages of...
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In December, we looked back at the year that was — and all the highs, lows, and whoas for public education 2023 provided. Now we’re ready to look ahead to what promises to be a busy, uncertain year for our Texas public schools. 2024 is a presidential election year, with...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 14, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org As the statewide union federation enters its 50th year, Longoria becomes the first Hispanic woman to serve as a Texas AFT officer. AUSTIN, Texas — 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, and now...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 4, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org This past week, it was reported that at least six lawsuits have been filed challenging the results of November’s constitutional amendment election. Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented on these baseless accusations, made by known election deniers and conspiracy theorists, which threaten...
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Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 Teaching the truth On Monday, Nov. 27, Texas State University officially dedicated the Shirley R. Harris Student Lounge, honoring a civil rights trailblazer and 40-year San Antonio educator. Shirley Harris was the first Black graduate from the university (then known as Southwest Texas State College), earning...
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A lawsuit filed by Texas public school districts against the Texas Education Agency’s proposed revision of the school accountability rating system has clocked its first court victory. Late last week, a Travis County judge temporarily blocked TEA from releasing this year’s school ratings, which would have the revised standards retroactively...
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A new national adjunct faculty survey from the American Federation of Teachers underscores the continuing crisis faced by millions of contingent workers at the nation’s colleges and universities—with little improvement to poverty wages and untenable conditions in the wake of the pandemic. AFT’s latest Army of Temps report, the third...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 1, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented on House Bill 4, being heard today in the Senate Committee on Border Security, and its potential effects on public school students and employees: “Every day in Texas, educators are teaching an increasingly diverse population of...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 31, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented today on Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation expanding the rapidly ending third special session agenda to include school funding. “You can drizzle the poison pill with honey, but it’s still poison. No deal on taxpayer-funded vouchers, which...
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Friday, October 13, 2023 It’s not about the kids. Spoiler alert: The fight to privatize education isn’t about doing what’s best for kids. It never has been. It’s about turning a profit for wealthy investors and fueling Gov. Abbott’s national political ambitions. An incredible piece from The Texas Tribune and...
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Late last week, just hours after the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 1, the latest iteration of that chamber’s voucher bill, Gov. Greg Abbott stated that he would only add teacher raises and public school funding to the special session call if the Legislature passes his voucher scheme. Abbott specifically...
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