Texas American Federation of Teachers

07/06/2025 | News release | Archived content

July 4, 2025: Summer School is in session

Friday, July 4, 2025



Summer School is in session

We wish each of you a happy and safe Independence Day and holiday weekend. As it so often does, summer seems to beflying by. Before you know it, the school year will be here (sorry).

Between federal government actions and the 89thLegislature, much will have changed for pre-K-12 and higher education employees and students. We'rehere to help you make sense of it all and understand what you'rewalking into this fall.

Join Texas AFT for three Summer School virtual sessions, unpacking your need-to-know information:

  • July 12: Federal education and policy changes
  • July 29: Legislative updates for Texas higher education
  • Aug. 12: Legislative updates for Texas pre-K-12 schools

Register for these 1-hour sessions on Mobilize.

In this week's Hotline:

  • What the Legislature did on your working conditions

  • Good news (?!) from the State Board of Education

  • Texas AFL-CIO convention

  • The "Big, Beautiful Bill"

- Texas Legislature



An Alliance/AFT member listening to a panel discussion about educator well-being at Texas AFT's biennial convention in June. Photo by Brooke Jonsson, CCR Studios.

Unpacking the 89th Legislature: Your Right to Reasonable Working Conditions

As we continue our fight for the Educator's Bill of Rightsat the local and state level, we'retracking progress onlegislation that supports key pillars of respect, fair compensation, safety, and professional growth for educators and school staff.

Our 2022 Texas Needs Teachersreportfound that working conditions were even more important than compensation in retainingeducators,by an almost 2-to-1 ratio. When the state underfundslocal school districts, teachers and staff are saddled with moreduties, exacerbatinghigh turnover rates and hiring costs. Ultimately, it'sour students' academic and emotional well-being that suffers.

Several bipartisan billsthis session offeredmeaningful steps toward the goals of improving working and learning conditions - while others lay a foundation but need strengthening.



Read the Full Story

- State Board of Education

SBOE Recap: Some Good News on Charter Schools, Ethnic Studies



Northside AFT President Melina Espiritu-Azocar testified Wednesday against Unidos Soccer Leadership Academy.

The State Board of Education convenedin AustinonTuesday, June 24, and concluded Friday, June 27.

The four-day agenda providedthe opportunitytoapprove or veto the Generation 30 (2025) charter applications, as well as hear updates on instructional materials, the Permanent School Fund (PSF), math and social studies standards,and innovative courses,among other items. 



Read the Full Story

-Texas AFL-CIO



Texas AFL-CIO Convention Underscores the Importance of Solidarity, Community in Protecting Our Democracy

Last weekend, over 450 union delegates from across the state gathered in San Antonio for the 2025 Texas AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention. Texas AFT was well-represented by many of our local leaders and members; coming just a week after our own biennial convention, the chance to come together in community with our extended labor family was even more energizing.



Read the Full Story

-U.S. Congress

Big, Brutal, & Barreling Forward: Trump's "Beautiful Bill" Passes Both House, Senate

After weeks of grandstanding and chaos, President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" has now passed both chambers of Congress.

Trump has dubbed it his crown jewel. But for working families, it's a dagger: a Frankenstein bill packed with tax breaks for the rich, deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and a scorched-earth energy agenda.

What's in the Bill

  • Cuts nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid, the largest cut ever to this vital, life-saving program

  • Kicks 11.8 million people off Medicaid health coverage

  • Adds $4.1 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years

  • Represents the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in U.S. history



Read the Full Story

-Horace Mann

Summer break is finally here!

You made it through another school year … and what a year it was. Now that it'sover, it'stime for you to take a much-needed, well-deserved break. We hope you take some time to relax and enjoy your summer. And as always, your local Horace Mann representativeis just a phone call or email away if you need anything.

Have a great summer!

Horace Mann Service Corporation and certain of its affiliates (Horace Mann) enter into agreements with educational associations where Horace Mann pays the association to provide services aimed at familiarizing association members with the Horace Mann brand, productsor services. For more information, email your inquiry to association.relations@horacemann.com.

EMI-00274 (5-22)

Recommended Reading

Education news from around the state and nation that's worth your time.

$6 billion school funding freeze sparks outcry over 'cruel betrayal' of students. State officials and teacher union leaders are reeling after President Donald Trump's decision Tuesday to freeze over $6 billionin federal K-12 education funding for the upcoming school year - a move critics say will further kneecap schools after mass cuts and layoffs at the Department of Education earlier this year raised widespread fears about the future of public education in the United States. (The 19thNews, July 2)

Wealthy families are buying homes to get in-state tuition at Texas universities. Texas lets out-of-state students buy homes to get in-state tuition. The law has fed a niche but growing industry of real estate agents who specialize not only in buying homes, but also helping primarily California, Illinois and New York-bred students use these homes to save tens of thousands of dollars on a degree from a public university. (KUT, July 1)

Wrestling with the American Dream. Traditional Afghan wrestling-known as Pehlwani-is a popular pastime for boys in the south-central Asian nation, so many Afghan refugees find a natural home on high school wrestling teams in America. In Texas, it's pretty much happeningin one place: San Antonio's West Side, and thanks to one person: Faridullah"Ferrari" Samsor. (Texas Observer, June 16)

Women could be most affected by Trump's penalties for overdue student loans. The move by the Trump administration is set to begin May 5, and borrowers with delinquent payments could have their wages garnished as early as the summer. (The 19th, April 23)
The Lege's 'Big Government Intrusion' into University Academics. Expanding on last session's anti-DEI campus crackdown, some Republicans in the Legislature are now going after gender and ethnic studies programs and faculty independence. (Texas Observer, April 24)
The Shocking Billionaire Plot to Dismantle Public Education. Texas is on the verge of passing a law that could defundpublic education. Vouchers send public taxpayer dollars to private schools. It could cost taxpayers $10 billionby 2030. And it could destroy Friday Night Lights. (More Perfect Union, April 22)


Texas American Federation of Teachers published this content on July 06, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 15, 2025 at 20:53 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io