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. 

• From atpenews.org: Public Educators and the First Amendment
• SBOE continues work on social studies framework
• SBEC discusses revisions to Texas Educator Code of Ethics
• TRS Board of Trustees meets to discuss annuity payment system, TRS ActiveCare, and more
• Register to vote in the Nov. 4 election by Monday, Oct. 6.
• TEA provides HB 2 updates and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month resources
• Stay in the know and take action with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

FIRST AMENDMENT: As educators’ social media posts come under increased scrutiny following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, ATPE has shared important information for Texas public educators to know about their First Amendment rights. Read more on atpenews.org.

SBOE: At last week’s State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting, the board approved updates to instructional materials under HB 1605, adopted new rubrics for the 2026 review cycle, and advanced revisions to the Social Studies TEKS that could shift future classroom content. The board voted 8–7 to approve a controversial new social studies framework that shifts instructional time in the K–8 grades toward Texas and U.S. history while reducing emphasis on world history, cultures, and geography. The framework sets the stage for a full rewrite of the Social Studies TEKS, which is expected by summer 2026, and will directly shape classroom expectations for years to come. This decision sparked significant debate and will be important for educators to monitor as the SBOE names content advisors and drafts standards.

ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield has a full recap in this blog post. 

SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin Thursday and Friday. Topics of interest on the board’s agenda include discussion on revisions to the Texas Educator Code of Ethics to align with statute after the legislative session and the ability of teachers to continue to qualify for the Teacher Incentive Allotment via National Board Certification. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave will have a full report next week.   

TRS: The Texas Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees met in Austin Thursday and Friday. Highlights of the board's agenda included discussions of the TEAMs IT infrastructure transition, which is nearing completion. TRS is expected to fully transition the annuity payment system in early 2026. TRS staff reported strong pension trust fund investment returns well above the 7% assumed rate of return for the year. Staff reports also included information about increased interest in and migration back to TRS ActiveCare by districts currently not in the program, as well as the opening of a second regional TRS office in the Rio Grande Valley.  

On Friday, the TRS actuarial consultant and the board launched into a discussion of the agency’s upcoming pension design study. The study was mandated by the Legislature during the 89th regular session. Legislators want TRS to look at the impact of transitioning to a cash balance plan similar to the one the Legislature adopted for the state Employees Retirement System (ERS) during the 88th session. A major difference between ERS and TRS members is their general access to Social Security. ATPE will be watching this work closely. 

More information may be found in the board’s meeting documents, and the full hearing may be viewed on TRS’ website.  

VOTER REGISTRATION: Just over two weeks remain to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election. A special election will be held to fill the 18th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House as well as the Texas Senate District 9 seat. Texans will also vote on 17 proposed state constitutional amendments and various local offices and ballot measures, including some school board races and propositions. Here are some important dates to keep in mind leading up to Election Day: 

• Monday, Oct. 6: Voter registration deadline 
• Monday, Oct. 20–Friday, Oct. 31: Early voting 
• Friday, Oct. 24: Last day to apply for ballot by mail 
• Tuesday, Nov. 4: Election Day 

TEA UPDATES: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) sent a letter to district administrators Thursday with House Bill (HB) 2 updates that introduce significant changes to special education programs and funding. Educators will need to prepare for these changes over the next two years. Beginning this school year, districts will report evaluation data through the TSDS SPEDS submission and will receive $1,000 per completed Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) applied based on 2024-25 data until actual 2025-26 reporting is available. Beginning in September 2026, TEA will use that data to finalize funding through the settle-up process. Starting in the 2026-27 school year, the new tiered funding model for special education takes effect, shifting to eight tiers of service intensity and new service groups, while qualifying co-ops and placement programs begin receiving their allotments. Going forward, by Dec. 1 of each even-numbered year, the commissioner must also submit proposed weights and funding amounts to the Legislative Budget Board. These timelines mean educators and administrators should begin adjusting procedures and budgets now to ensure smooth implementation.  

Another letter reminds district administrators that October is Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. House Bill (HB) 3908, also known as “Tucker’s Law,” was signed in 2023 and requires public schools to provide fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness instruction to students in grades 6–12. The law was named after Tucker Roe, a 19-year-old from Leander who died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021. ATPE spoke with families who had lost loved ones to fentanyl; read more in this ATPE News feature. 

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: 

• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new 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.