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. 

• House Public Education Committee discusses testing and accountability reform 
• Another busy week in the Texas Senate with bills advancing to the House  
• Texas House committees continue fast-paced push ahead of May 12 committee report deadline  
• Election Day is Saturday, May 3 
• Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week all month long with ATPE!  
• Join ATPE and The Texas Tribune for “Attracting, Preparing and Retaining the Best Teachers” Tuesday, May 6 
• Nine ATPE members attend latest Capitol Expedition 
• Just over one month remains to register for the 2025 ATPE Summit 
• Use ATPE’s member advocacy tools to stay in the know and take action 

TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY: The House Public Education Committee held a marathon hearing stretching into early Wednesday morning with an agenda of around 20 bills, including the House’s major testing and accountability reform bill and a bill aimed at banning “furries” from public schools. 

ATPE-supported House Bill (HB) 4 by Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado) is the House’s testing and accountability reform package. ATPE did not support the original bill as filed, but the committee substitute, which was released after the hearing had already begun Tuesday morning, completely transformed the bill and allowed us to support it. The bill would repeal the STAAR test, to be replaced next spring with a new nationally norm-referenced test administered on a through-year (beginning, middle, and end of year) basis, with results provided within 24 hours of administration so the data is usable as a diagnostic and to measure yearly growth. 

A heated exchange surrounded ATPE-opposed HB 54 by Rep. Stan Gerdes (R–Smithville), also known as the FURRIES Act. The bill, which targets both clothing, such as cat ear headbands, and “animal behavior,” such as meowing, is rooted in a debunked urban myth around the use of litter boxes perpetuated by parents, legislators, and podcasters. During questioning, Gerdes himself admitted rumors of such incidents in his hometown of Smithville were unconfirmed.  

The House has a deadline of Monday, May 12, for all House bills to be heard and voted out of committee, with committee reports distributed. This means the committee only has one more week to hear bills and vote them out before the deadline. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave outlines all the bills considered during the meeting in this blog post.  

SENATE: This week, the Texas Senate moved bills on school safety, personal financial literacy, and payroll deduction of membership dues.  

On April 30, the Senate moved SB 2330 by Sen. Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound) by a 19–12 vote. As mentioned before, this bill would prohibit certain state and local government employee organizations, including ATPE, from collecting membership dues through payroll deduction; however, notably, unions collectively bargaining on behalf of first responders are exempt from the bill. ATPE registered against SB 2330 and believes that it targets educators with the goal of weakening their ability to join organizations such as ATPE so that they are less likely to have their interests represented at the Capitol.  

Our efforts, which included testimony from ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes as well as several ATPE members, slowed but ultimately did not stop the bill from moving through the Senate. The bill now heads to the House. 

SB 2, the ATPE-opposed voucher bill by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) , will be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Saturday.  

ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield recaps the week in this blog post. 

HOUSE: Next week is the last week a House bill can be heard in committee and still have a chance of making it to the House floor. In addition to the Monday, May 12, deadline for House bills to be reported from committee, Thursday, May 15, is the last day for House bills to be heard on the floor.   

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave provides updates from the House Public Education Committee, the Committee on the Delivery of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the Subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education in this blog post. 

ELECTION: May 3 is Election Day. Although no statewide or federal races are on the ballot, it’s still a pivotal election for many Texans who have the opportunity to decide who serves on the school board or whether a bond passes. Learn more about what’s at stake this election in this blog post. (Post your “I Voted” selfie or confirmation that nothing is on your ballot in this thread on the ATPE Online Community to earn five extra points in the ATPE Regional Advocacy Challenge!) 

TEACHER APPRECIATION: May 5–9 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 5, 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! 

TRIBUNE EVENT: ATPE is proud to sponsor “Attracting, Preparing and Retaining the Best Teachers,” a two-part conversation on the critical challenges and opportunities surrounding teacher recruitment, training and retention in Texas. Join us at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 6 at Raise Your Hand Texas in Austin or online. This event is eligible for continuing professional education (CPE) credit through ATPE. RSVP for the event here. To learn how to obtain credit for attending, visit atpe.org/tribune.  

CAPITOL EXPEDITION: Thank you to the following ATPE members who participated in the April 28–29 Capitol Expedition: Sarah Mayne, El Paso; Jennifer Hill, Harlandale; Aaron Bajek, Canutillo; Clarice Cross, Plano; Andrew Baiza, South San Antonio; Abigail Baiza, IDEA Public Schools (San Antonio); Heidi Langan, Austin; Jessica McHale-Rutherford, Hempstead; and ATPE State Vice President Jerrica Holt, Paris. All of these members were eligible to attend because they have earned the ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP) State-Level Advocacy Microcredential. Although all remaining Capitol Expeditions are now at capacity for the rest of the session, you may still earn your state-level microcredential, as well as the recently released ATPE-MAP Local Advocacy Microcredential. Learn more about atpe.org/member-advocate-program.  

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SUMMIT: Just over one month remains to register and be certified as a delegate for the 2025 ATPE Summit—the deadline is June 6. If you would like to be a delegate this year, reach out to your local unit president (or region president if you are an at-large member). All members must register themselves, and this process is separate from the delegate certification process.  

We look forward to seeing you July 7–9 at the JW Marriott Austin Downtown. Learn more and register at atpesummit.org. 

MEMBER ADVOCACY: Don’t forget to check out all of ATPE’s advocacy resources: 

• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed. Check out our interview with Judy at atpenews.org.  
• The ATPE Bill Tracker: Find out the status of the major education bills moving through the Texas House and Senate, as well as ATPE’s position on each bill.   
• ATPE’s 2025 Legislative Priorities: Catch up on ATPE’s written and oral testimony from this session.    
• Advocacy Central: Contact your state senator and ask them to push for Senate action on HB 2. Ask them to request that Senate Education K-16 Committee Chair Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) take appropriate steps to ensure this bill makes it across the finish line this session. Otherwise, the Legislature is not appropriately fulfilling its duty to support and maintain a public school system. 
• 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. (While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest Regional Advocacy Challenge (RAC) standings.)