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. 

• Federal education funding freeze threatens Texas schools and summer learning  
• U.S. House approves reconciliation bill 
• Texas families sue to block Ten Commandments law 
• ATPE recaps the June 2025 SBOE meeting 
• See you at the 2025 ATPE Summit July 7! 
• Check out the latest episode of The ATPE Podcast: Breaking Down the 89th Texas Legislature’s Regular Session and Its Impact on Public Education 
• Use ATPE’s member advocacy tools to stay up to date and take action 
• Wishing you a safe and restful Fourth of July weekend 

FEDERAL FUNDING: On the evening of June 30, the Trump Administration unexpectedly declined to release nearly $7 billion in federal education funding that had already been approved by Congress, $660 million of which was designated for Texas.  

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) offered little explanation for this abrupt decision, stating only that the money is under review to ensure spending aligns with President Donald Trump’s priorities. Should the President formally request to rescind this funding, it would require Congress to approve the “clawback” within 45 days.  

ATPE is asking the Texas congressional delegation to intervene by demanding that the overdue funds be released and rejecting any clawback attempt by the Trump Administration. We also urge educators and community members to speak up now. Use ATPE’s Advocacy Central to send a message to your U.S. House member or U.S. senator and share why Texas schools need the immediate release of these vital funds.   

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) also issued guidance today to schools dealing with the aftermath of the funding freeze. The agency wrote, “Currently, there is no timeline from the USDE regarding if or when these funds might be released to TEA. While TEA expected these grant awards on July 1, 2025, USDE has until the end of the performance period (September 30, 2026) to obligate the funds by releasing them to states.” TEA also warned districts to start planning “for these funds to not be available for an undetermined length of time.” Read the full TEA advisory here. 

Read more in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield. 

RECONCILIATION BILL: President Trump's “big, beautiful bill” was passed by the U.S. House Thursday by a vote of 218 to 214. All but two Republicans voted to pass the bill—Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. All 212 House Democrats voted against the bill.  

Although much of the bill’s focus is on Medicaid, immigration enforcement, and tax law changes, buried in the nearly 1,000-page bill is a plan to fund a private school voucher program at the federal level. The original voucher language flagged as inappropriate by the U.S. Senate parliamentarian last week was rewritten and placed back into the bill before the Senate voted to advance the legislation Tuesday. The Senate vote was 50-50 before Vice President J.D. Vance voted to break the tie. 

The bill heads to the president’s desk now, fulfilling his wish to sign it into law by July 4. Read more from NPR. 

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The ACLU, on behalf of 16 Texas families—including Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist, and secular households—has filed a federal lawsuit to block Senate Bill (SB) 10 by Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford), which is set to become law Sept. 1. SB 10 mandates that all public K–12 classrooms display a 16-by-20-inch copy of the Ten Commandments, provided they are donated to the school. Plaintiffs argue the law violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment by imposing religion on millions of Texas students and interfering with parents’ rights to direct their children’s religious upbringing. The lawsuit cites past Supreme Court decisions (such as Stone v. Graham) and a recent Fifth Circuit decision striking down a nearly identical law in Louisiana as legal support. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has vowed that the state will vigorously defend the law.  Read more in The Dallas Morning News or The Texas Tribune. 

SBOE: The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) convened in Austin June 24–27 for its regular quarterly meeting, addressing a wide range of topics—some controversial—that will shape public education across Texas. The week included committee hearings, an update from Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, public testimony, and votes on policy updates. ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield has more in this blog post. 

SUMMIT: The 2025 ATPE Summit starts Monday, July 7, but there’s still time to register. Join us at the summit for Beats & Boutiques, a festival-inspired evening social; hear a legislative update from the ATPE lobby team; get valuable member recruitment and retention tips from ATPE’s volunteer training sessions; and enjoy keynote presentations by inspiring speakers Dave Davlin and Jonathan Alsheimer.  

We have also added a new session before our opening keynote at 1 p.m. Monday, July 7: HB 2 Compensation Overview. ATPE Member Legal Services and ATPE Governmental Relations team members will break down the ins and outs of educator compensation changes under HB 2. 

You’ll have the opportunity to earn up to eight hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit during the summit, including two hours at your choice of 12 different breakout sessions.  

We look forward to seeing you at the summit July 7–9 at the JW Austin Marriott Downtown.  

After the summit, join educators across Texas for an exclusive LIVE online event at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 15, featuring an energizing presentation from Jonathan Alsheimer, plus games, giveaways, and a few fun surprises! Learn more about our Back-to-School Bash and sign up here. 

Artists’ appearances arranged through Gotham Artists. 

PODCAST: In the latest episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter unpacks the most important developments from the 2025 Texas legislative session, including vouchers, school funding, and political pressure on public education advocates. Check it out here. 

MEMBER ADVOCACY: The legislative session may be over, but we urge you to stay in the know and take action year-round. Here are a few advocacy resources to check out: 

• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed.   
• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession. 
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn the state-level and recently released local-level advocacy microcredential, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so check it out today.    
• 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.  

INDEPENDENCE DAY: The ATPE state office will be closed Friday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, July 7. We wish all of you a safe and restful weekend!