This week, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Jennifer Mitchell and Senior Lobbyist Monty Exter spoke to attendees at the 2022 SXSW EDU conference about why it is important for educators to be civically engaged.

After an overview of the education policy landscape in Texas and the nation, educators cycled around the space to answer four prompts relating to why educators should vote in particular types of elections. Educators also received a copy of the “Who Does What” handout from the Texas Educators Vote coalition to guide their brainstorm. Click the image below to view the attendees' messages about voting.

Overall, the educators who participated in the meet-up think voting is important to ensure they are fulfilling their duty to their students and providing the critical teacher perspective to those who “set the tone” for Texas education and make key policy decisions about issues such as funding and curriculum. Participants also felt that voting was a way to protect public education from attacks.




ATPE is honored to provide advocacy for the public education community and encourages educators to "use their teacher voice" and vote in every election! Stay tuned to Teach the Vote for updates on upcoming elections.