Bridges Institute
for Professional Development
Texas AFT’s Bridges Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit devoted to providing professional development opportunities for Texas public school employees.
Student Debt Clinics
Register now for our upcoming virtual Student Debt Clinics. Educators can learn more about PLSF and take control of their student loans. | Click to Register
Texas AFT’s Bridges Institute for Professional Development provides a wide variety of high-quality professional development and special programs. We serve members of Texas AFT and our public education community at large.
Become a Trainer
Are you interested in training for your local affiliate? Many local unions use AFT professional development to organize externally, to address students’ academic and emotional needs, and to support current classroom educators with issues that matter to them. Click to learn more.
Upcoming Events
For questions or assistance with registering for one of our upcoming events, please call toll free at 1-800-222-3827 or email us.
No upcoming events
Past Events
You can watch recordings of our previous webinars on Texas AFT’s Youtube channel. Contact us for questions and/or for additional resources.
Texas Teacher: Know Your Rights
https://bit.ly/KYR092122 Map
As a Texas teacher, you have rights you may not know about. Come learn about the laws regarding planning and prep, duty-free lunch, grading, bullying, and the paperwork reduction act.
REGISTER ONLINE HERE: bit.ly/KYR092122
https://events.eply.com/studentdebtclinics
Register today to attend!
Texas AFT's Student Debt Clinics are 90-minute programs that:
Assess the experience of borrowers in the midst of a national student debt crisis;
Empower borrowers to manage their student debt by giving them information on free federal programs that may lower their monthly payments and lead to their loans being forgiven;
Introduce borrowers to a free AFT member benefit—an online resource called Summer—that will simplify the management of their student loans; and
Engage borrowers in union activism to address the student debt crisis and other important issues in their workplace and community.
Student debt clinics provide our members with important information on two free federal debt relief programs:
Income-driven repayment plans are available to every federal student loan borrower, regardless of where they work. Income-driven repayment plans determine your monthly payment based on your adjusted gross income and family size and may save you money.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness allows qualifying federal student loan borrowers to have the money they saved using an income-driven repayment plan forgiven after making payments for 10 years while working in public service.
Student debt clinics provide members with information on how these programs work, the steps necessary to qualify for them, and best practices to ensure that they are maximizing the benefits available to them.
Take Ownership of Your Evaluation: T-TESS
https://bit.ly/TTESS090722 Map
This session will show you how to take ownership of your evaluation. You will know what your administrator is looking for and be better prepared for the evaluation process.
https://events.eply.com/studentdebtclinics
Register today to attend!
Texas AFT's Student Debt Clinics are 90-minute programs that:
Assess the experience of borrowers in the midst of a national student debt crisis;
Empower borrowers to manage their student debt by giving them information on free federal programs that may lower their monthly payments and lead to their loans being forgiven;
Introduce borrowers to a free AFT member benefit—an online resource called Summer—that will simplify the management of their student loans; and
Engage borrowers in union activism to address the student debt crisis and other important issues in their workplace and community.
Student debt clinics provide our members with important information on two free federal debt relief programs:
Income-driven repayment plans are available to every federal student loan borrower, regardless of where they work. Income-driven repayment plans determine your monthly payment based on your adjusted gross income and family size and may save you money.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness allows qualifying federal student loan borrowers to have the money they saved using an income-driven repayment plan forgiven after making payments for 10 years while working in public service.
Student debt clinics provide members with information on how these programs work, the steps necessary to qualify for them, and best practices to ensure that they are maximizing the benefits available to them.
https://www.mobilize.us/texasaft/event/487365/ Map
Join a TX AFT Student Debt Clinic to learn how to save on your student loan payments. All are welcome—you do NOT need to be an AFT member to join!
💪 School workers who have worked in education / public service & made payments for 10+ years—you could be eligible to have your loans totally forgiven! The opportunity to get in on expanded student loan forgiveness EXPIRES October 31st.
💪 For all other school workers: AFT offers Summer—a student loan management service. The average AFT member saves $57k+ using Summer!
Our student debt clinics provide school workers with info on how these programs work, the steps you need to take, & how to maximize your benefits.
Can't make the clinic time? Join our Facebook group now to connect with other educators & work together to get your loans forgiven: www.facebook.com/groups/txschools.
Share My Lesson
Share My Lesson is designed by educators for educators. We at Texas AFT, along with the award-winning Share My Lesson, are your one-stop destinations for high-quality, educator-developed, and educator-vetted resources for use in your new classroom.
Texas AFT Bridges Institute for Professional Development
912 South Highway 183, Suite 100-A | Austin, TX 78741 | 800-222-3827
Email bridges@texasaft.org for more information.