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. 

• SBEC gives final approval to rules governing educator preparation, discipline
• Education Secretary Linda McMahon defends Trump administration plans to dismantle the Department of Education
• TRS Board of Trustees approves the 2026-27 plan year rates and benefits for TRS-ActiveCare plans
• Take ATPE’s survey on edtech in the classroom
• Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week all month long with ATPE!
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

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SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met Friday, April 24, to give final approval to several rule changes related to educator certification provisions, as well as the Educator Code of Ethics and educator discipline. Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff provided an update on general test development through 2028 as well as on the development progress of the Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP), which will replace the PPR exam. SBEC also received a status update on the study of National Board Certification standards for purposes of continued inclusion in the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).  

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave recaps the meeting in this blog post. 

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified Tuesday in front of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee about her proposed Department of Education budget for FY 2027. The budget, which contains a 15.3% reduction in spending from the previous year, targets programs for college preparation, and reduces the Office for Civil Rights by 35%. The budget also shifts responsibility and funding for several programs to other federal agencies or the states. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave breaks down what happened in the hearing and how the Trump administration’s plans for the Department of Education could impact Texas public education in this blog post.  

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TRS: The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) board met this week in Austin. During the meeting, the board received presentations on TRS-Care and TRS-ActiveCare. The board approved the rates and benefits for TRS-ActiveCare plans during the current meeting and is expected to approve rates for TRS Care plans for retirees during its July board meeting. ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter provides more on what is changing and what is staying the same with TRS-ActiveCare plans in this blog post.

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EDTECH SURVEY: ATPE Governmental Relations is collecting Texas educator feedback on edtech in the classroom now through Monday, May 4. This is a major topic of discussion during the interim, and we anticipate it will be a policy area of focus during the 2027 legislative session. Please take a few minutes to share your feedback with us, and feel free to share the survey link with your colleagues: https://atpe.me/edtech  

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TEACHER APPRECIATION: May 4–8 are the official dates for Teacher Appreciation Week this year, but ATPE is celebrating Texas public school teachers all month long! We’ve made it easy for you to show your appreciation, too! Send a shoutout to a public school colleague, your child’s favorite public school teacher, or even your favorite still-employed public school teacher. ATPE will review submitted shoutouts and post them on our Show Texas Teachers Love interactive map, which will be posted Monday, May 4, at the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week. Each nominated public school teacher will also be entered into weekly drawings for $100 gift cards throughout May! Learn more and send your shoutouts at atpe.org/teacher-appreciation. Help us show Texas teachers love!  

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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: 

• ATPE Mobile App: Check out the new ATPE mobile app to conveniently access member benefits and advocacy tools.  
• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s 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.  

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