Friends of Texas Public Schools Summit: A Member’s-Eye View

Education Austin member and Austin ISD teacher Rachel Preston represented her union this year at the Friends of Texas Public Schools summit in Waco. Here, she shares her reflections on the experience.

As educators, it's important to remember that we are not alone. Across the state, groups in our communities want to support our public schools, our students, and our work in making a better future for them.

This week, at the Friends of Texas Public Schools summit and the 21st annual Friend of the Year dinner in Waco, Texas AFT members like me were able to hear from fierce public school advocates and participate in building community around our common goal: providing a high-quality public education for every Texas child.

Here are three of my takeaways from this week's gathering:

1. People love their neighborhood schools yet question the public education system as a whole in Texas. Despite the negative narratives circulating, a strong current of support flows from our local communities. We need to nourish our community relationships because effective schools have strong community ties.
2. Educators need to speak our truth and tell the story of our work, including our struggles and needs. We should be clear about what we are doing and why, and we must celebrate and trumpet our students' successes. We already know how to communicate information clearly to diverse populations, so let's leverage our skills and set up our strongest supporters to amplify our message.
3. While the Texas Legislature is currently adjourned, our work on behalf of public education for the 90th session should begin now. With the breakneck pace of the 140-day regular session, it's important that we are ready to go from Day 1 in January 2027.

Fortunately, we have a network of friends with whom we can link arms and present our message to lawmakers: It's past time to fully fund public schools in our state. Our students can't afford any more half-measures.