Texas AFT: New report defines “thriving” public schools in Texas ‣ Texas AFT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2024

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New report defines “thriving” public schools in Texas

As school districts announce layoffs and program cuts, Texas AFT will release a report on the public education system that Texas can and should buy with its record-breaking budget.

Austin, Texas – The 88th^Th The legislative session was a losing session for Texas public schools as state funding was not increased for the second consecutive day. The 89^Th The legislative session could be the death knell for public education in this state.

As school districts announce mass layoffs and adopt deficit budgets, the Texas American Federation of Teachers has released the third report in a series of reports on what could and should be possible for the public school system. In Thriving Together: A Vision for Texas Schools, from Pre-K to Postdoctoral, The statewide union for public school teachers and employees details the services, support and investments needed to improve student outcomes and retain high-quality employees. certified Educators in Texas schools.

In two previous reports – The lost decade (2022) and Fully Funded, Fully Respected: The Path to Thriving Schools in Texas (2023) – Texas AFT and the nonprofit think tank Every Texan has quantified the underfunding of their Texas schools and put a price on what full funding means. This third report in the series shows what that money could buy, from universal access to preschool to community colleges and universities funded to meet Texas' stated goals.

Monday's release of the report coincides with a letter from 39 state representativesand called on Gov. Greg Abbott to call an immediate special session of the legislature to pass an education funding package in response to “the statewide school budget crisis.”

The Governor has publicly refused to take responsibility for his part in last year's failure by lawmakers to increase state funding for public education, but his mark can be seen everywhere in the current crisis.

“Our public schools are struggling to survive,” he said Zeph Capo, President of Texas AFT. “Every layoff, every school closure, every cut in student services – this is the work of Governor Abbott. It is the failed policies of a Legislature that has resulted in our schools not receiving funding increases since 2019. What we see is Abbott’s Elementary.”

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The Texas American Federation of Teachers represents 66,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff and higher education staff across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.