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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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 27, 2023 Have you voted? Early voting continues across Texas for the Nov. 7 election. Next week through Friday, Nov. 3, you have the opportunity to cast your vote for various important measures that will shape the future of your community and state. Statewide Measures Texans everywhere will...
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Friday, October 20, 2023 Shoulder to Shoulder There is a reason so many people in power want you to believe unionizing in Texas is illegal. (It’s not.) There is a reason they want you to think there are no unions for teachers and school staff. (There are. We are one.)...
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At AFT’s Civil, Human, & Women’s Rights Conference in Houston, our national union’s Powerful Partnership Institute (PPI) awarded its latest round of grant funding. Texas AFT was among those grant recipients, along with seven of our local unions
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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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In the first week of this 3rd special session, focused largely on private school vouchers pushed by the governor and his billionaire donors, each chamber of the Texas Legislature took drastically different approaches to the governor's call. The Texas House, of which a bipartisan majority has remained adamantly opposed to...
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Friday, October 6, 2023 Illustration by Sierra Wiggers Abbott’s Elementary Some headlines really do say it all: “Support for Houston ISD’s Spanish speakers has dwindled under state-appointed leader, parents say.” “19 SAISD schools slated for closure in draft recommendation.” “Texas teachers are leaving the profession in record numbers. They told...
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For at least the past four months, we’ve known a special session was coming. We’ve known that the fate of public schools will hang in the balance. We’ve known that the governor will use every dirty trick in the book to intimidate, threaten, and coerce legislators into passing a universal...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 5, 2023 CONTACT: press@texasaft.org Texas AFT President Zeph Capo commented today on Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation announcing a third special legislative session to begin Monday, Oct. 9. The call explicitly includes private school vouchers but makes no mention of badly needed funding increases for Texas public...
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Friday, September 29, 2023 Texas AFT President Zeph Capo speaks at a Public Education Town Hall in San Antonio last weekend, with Rep. Josey Garcia, Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Sen. José Menéndez, and Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer. Photo by Eli Melendrez. Which side are you on? In a week in which...
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