The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments. ATPE members: Share your thoughts and ask our lobby team questions in The Rotunda on the ATPE Online Community. 

• Voting records, candidate surveys now available on Teach the Vote
• New dietary guidelines set to impact school lunches
• From The Texas Tribune: What you need to know before voting in Texas’ March 3 primary elections
• Make sure you're registered to vote in the March primaries by Feb. 2
• Are you ATPE’s next state officer?
• Explore classroom resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the ATPE Online Community
• The 2026 ATPE Summit Call for Proposals is open through Jan. 19
• Stay in the know and take action with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

CANDIDATES: ATPE has been working hard since the Dec. 8 filing deadline to send surveys to every candidate on the ballot for governor, lieutenant governor, and the Texas House, Texas Senate, and State Board of Education. These surveys give candidates the opportunity to share their stances on education issues such as public education funding, teacher recruitment and retention, parental rights, and more.  

Visit the Candidates section of Teach the Vote to search for candidates by name or by your home address. If one of the candidates in your area has not filled out the Teach the Vote survey, please contact them and request they do so! Visit Advocacy Central to reach out to your elected officials and encourage them to complete the survey.   

Additionally, you can view incumbent vote records on major education bills from past legislative sessions in the Voting Record tab of the elected official’s profile.  

DIETARY GUIDELINES: The Trump administration released its 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Jan. 7. The information at RealFood.gov will guide federal requirements for school nutrition programs nationwide, but schools have the funding and flexibility to achieve these goals? ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield has more in this blog post. 

VOTING GUIDE: Before early voting starts Feb. 17, be sure to check out The Texas Tribune's guide to the 2026 Texas primaries, which includes information on how primaries work, what’s on the ballot, and voter registration requirements. Read more in this blog post republished from The Texas Tribune. 

ELECTIONS: The voter registration deadline for the March primary election is just over two weeks away. Here are the key upcoming election dates for 2026:  

• Voter registration deadline for the Primary Election: Feb. 2  
• First day of Early Voting: Feb. 17 
• Last day of Early Voting: Feb. 27  
• Primary Election Day: March 3  
• Primary Runoff Election (if needed): May 26  
• General Election Day: Nov. 3  

ATPE STATE OFFICE: If you’re looking to take the next step in your ATPE leadership journey, consider running for ATPE state office. Candidates must be active Professional, Administrator, Retired, or Associate members of the association and must currently be serving or must have served within the past five years as a local unit, region, or state officer. Nominations are open through March 15. To learn more and fill out the candidate interest form, visit atpenews.org.  

MLK: Next week’s observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day creates an opportunity to engage with students in thinking about the power of words to create change. ATPE has compiled resources, related TEKS, and exclusive digital content from acclaimed author Alice Faye Duncan. Visit the Teachers' Lounge of the ATPE Online Community to find these and other resources. 

Please note: The ATPE state office will be closed Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

SUMMIT: The 2026 ATPE Summit Call for Proposals is open through Monday, Jan. 19. The Summit Programming Committee is seeking breakout session proposals on a variety of topics, including well-being and balance; meeting needs of neurodiverse educators; professional growth and reflective practices; innovation, creativity, and modern tools for educators; restoring joy and purpose; professional autonomy; and maximizing income/financial literacy. Learn about the call for proposals on atpenews.org.  

MEMBER ADVOCACY: Even when the Legislature’s not in session, we urge you to stay informed and engaged. Here are a few advocacy resources to check out: 

• Advocacy Central: Encourage candidates in your area to fill out the 2026 ATPE Candidate survey.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed.   
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn state-level and local-level advocacy microcredentials, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so be sure to check it out today.    
• ATPE Professional Learning (PL) Portal: Three sessions from the 2025 ATPE Summit are available in the ATPE PL Portal: an HB 2 compensation overview, the ATPE lobby team’s advocacy update and the closing keynote by Jonathan Alsheimer. Log in to watch the recordings and earn 1.5 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit. (Jonathan Alsheimer’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists.) 
• The Rotunda: Don’t forget, members, that you can interact with your ATPE lobby team throughout the week when you log in to the ATPE Online Community.