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. 

• Uncertain about HB 2 pay raises? You are not alone
• Watch The Texas Tribune’s “Education and the Legislative Session” TribCast featuring Texas Teacher of the Year and ATPE member Christine Mihealsick
• It’s not too late to register for the ATPE Summit, apply for the Summit Programming Committee, and book rooms in the ATPE housing block
• Use ATPE’s member advocacy tools to stay in the know and take action

HB 2: House Bill (HB) 2, the 89th Legislature’s primary school funding bill, creates new and expanded allotments to support raises for educators and other non-administrative school employees beginning in the 2025–26 school year. The bill establishes three mechanisms for funding compensation increases: the Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA), the Support Staff Retention Allotment (SSRA), and an expanded Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).  

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released administrator correspondence concerning the implementation of HB 2 Thursday afternoon.  

Take a closer look at the three types of compensation increases in HB 2 in this blog post, which we have updated to reflect the TEA administrator correspondence, and stay tuned for a comprehensive wrap-up of all of this session’s education bills.  

TRIBCAST: If you missed The Texas Tribune’s latest TribCast Live event, “Education and the Legislative Session,” the episode is now available. ATPE member Christine Mihealsick—Texas’ 2025 Teacher of the Year and a 2025 ATPE Capitol Expedition attendee, shared her experiences and challenges as a 23-year veteran educator, as well as her thoughts on how the 89th legislative session will impact her profession.  

Earn one hour of continuing professional education (CPE) credit for this event by logging in to the ATPE Professional Learning Portal.   

SUMMIT: The 2025 ATPE Summit is just under a month away, 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. Plus: We are adding a new session before our opening keynote Monday, July 7, in which ATPE Member Legal Services and ATPE Governmental Relations team members will break down the ins and outs of HB 2. 

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

If you’re interested in helping shape ATPE’s professional learning, consider serving on the Summit Programming Committee; applications for this year’s committee will be accepted through Friday, June 20. Learn more and apply here. 

We look forward to seeing you at the summit July 7–9 at the JW Austin Marriott Downtown. (Great news: The deadline to make a hotel reservation in the ATPE room block has been extended to June 20!) 

Artists’ appearances arranged through Gotham Artists. 

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.