Photo by Mariana Krueger, CCR Studios. It seems like we say this every year now, but 2023 has been an interesting year for Texas public schools, as well as for everyone who works and learns in them. We say “interesting” deliberately. While it seems like there’s a flood of bad...
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Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 You tracked your working conditions. Here’s what we learned. This fall, over 600 K-12 and higher education employees participated in Texas AFT’s Strive to Thrive working conditions project. It was the largest statewide effort of public school employees in Texas to document the real issues in...
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This week, the fourth special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott came to a close without a single education bill passed — including Abbott’s private school voucher scheme. At least for the time being, it seems that Abbott does not intend to call another special session, and instead intends to...
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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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The fourth special session has been an exercise in persistence. This special session started slowly, but, over the course of several weeks, picked up pace and then reached a climax on Friday, Nov. 17, a milestone for nearly a year’s worth of advocacy against vouchers. Chairman Brad Buckley (R-Killeen) crafted...
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Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 Houston ISD parents, educators, and community members speak to the press at the Texas Capitol after their testimony at the State Board of Education. Is this parental empowerment? Vouchers are dead in Texas. Again. (More on that in a second.) While their proponents claim vouchers are...
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Despite the addition of popular policy “carrots” to HB 1 and enormous pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, we stopped vouchers in their tracks yet again today (Friday, Nov. 17). This victory was won on an 84-63 bipartisan vote in support of an amendment by state Rep. John Raney (R-College Station),...
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Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Voucher bill HB 1 died with the third special session of the Legislature this week. It was reborn — and made even more expensive — with the fourth. Illustration by Sierra Wiggers. On voters & vouchers On the same day Gov. Greg Abbott called a fourth...
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Since last week, a tremendous amount has happened in the Legislature — but also very little. In the final days of the third special session, the Texas House and Senate failed to pass border security and voucher legislation. In a desperate last-minute bid to push the passage of vouchers, Gov....
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Friday, November 3, 2023 [VIDEO] Texas AFT Retiree Plus members like Phyllis Ruffin, Rita Runnels, and Lydia Carrillo-Valdez launched their fight for a TRS COLA in 2018. Hear from them on why Prop 9 is a much-needed beginning for retirement justice. They’re counting on you With only a few days...
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AFT President Randi Weingarten, Network for Public Education President Diane Ravitch, and National Education Association President Becky Pringle spoke together at a conference keynote session. This past weekend, representatives from Texas AFT and the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT) attended...
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Last week, congressional Republicans finally chose a Speaker of the House after weeks of intra-party fights. Since far-right Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) successfully ousted fellow Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3, Congress had been at a virtual standstill. Despite their majority, Republicans had been unable to settle on a...
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