The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• Spin on STAAR scores is suspiciously pro-voucher
• From The Texas Tribune: Democrats think they can flip Texas House seats by going after GOP’s education funding and school voucher policies
• Watch this conversation on upcoming consideration of the ATPE Legislative Program

STAAR: The Texas Education Agency (TEA)’s recent release of EOC and Grade 3-8 STAAR scores continues to generate buzz around the state, with ATPE and other education advocates pointing out the agency’s PR spin focuses on the “meets grade level standard,” which is both arbitrary and higher than the actual passing standard. Viewing the scores from that perspective puts public schools’ performance in a negative light, and one only must head over to the platform formerly known as Twitter to see that’s exactly what voucher advocates have in mind. However, ATPE continues to seek out opportunities to reframe the conversation in terms of the facts, and Lobbyist Heather Sheffield was interviewed by KVUE News in Austin on this very topic.

GENERAL ELECTION: The Texas Tribune’s Jasper Scherer reports this week on Texas House Democrats’ November election strategy. “Texas Democrats are zeroing in on education issues in their bid to flip several state House districts this fall, as they look to blame GOP lawmakers for teacher shortages and school closures and mobilize their base around defeating Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature school voucher policy,” Scherer writes in this article republished here on Teach the Vote. In response to the article, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter likes to point out to educators and supporters of public education that voting for public schools over political party is one sure way to ensure support for public education is a bipartisan issue.

ATPE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM: One of ATPE’s core tenets is member governance, and the upcoming ATPE House of Delegates (HOD) Meeting (July 9 during the ATPE Summit, which is July 8–10 at the Sheraton Dallas) is the centerpiece of that founding philosophy. Certified delegates will adopt the ATPE Legislative Program containing our association’s official positions on a host of education policy issues. The delegates will consider the work of the 2023-24 ATPE Legislative Committee, which has taken on the massive undertaking of reorganizing the program by topic. ATPE Past State President Karen Hames has interviewed Legislative Committee Chair Gayle Sampley about the committee’s report to the HOD, and that interview is now available for on-demand viewing:

Although the delegate certification deadline has passed, you may still register for the ATPE Summit through Friday, June 28, and observe the HOD meeting. HOD attendees may earn up to two hours of continuing professional education credit for that event, and the summit overall offers up to seven hours of CPE credit. Learn more and register at atpesummit.org.