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. 

• Election Day is March 3—learn what’s on the ballot and take the Texas Educator Voting Pledge 
• SBOE special-called meeting highlights philosophical divides 
• 2026 ATPE Summit registration and housing are now open 
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s advocacy tools 

ELECTION: Election Day for the 2026 primaries is Tuesday, March 3. Check your county website for polling locations and hours.  

Many statewide offices on the ballot, including that of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and comptroller, have direct input on decisions related to public education. Learn about the candidates for each office in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave.  

You can also visit the Candidates section of Teach the Vote to learn candidates’ stances on public education issues. Additionally, you can view incumbent voting records on major education bills from past legislative sessions on the Voting Record tab of elected officials’ profiles.   

Before you head to the polls, take the Texas Educator Voting Pledge on Advocacy Central to: 

• Research candidates’ positions on public education using ATPE’s TeachtheVote.org. 
• Ask your friends and family to make a plan to vote with you. 
• Vote pro-public education! 

Plus: After you vote, send a selfie to comm@atpe.org for a chance to be featured on ATPE’s social media or in the ATPE Online Community. 

SBOE: The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) met for a full day Feb. 25 in a special-called meeting in which the board:  

• Approved roughly 4,200 edits/corrections to Bluebonnet Learning instructional materials 
• Continued work on the sweeping K–12 Social Studies TEKS revision 
• Approved content for the required civics training program for elementary teachers and administrators 
• Postponed action on required parental rights training for district trustees until its April meeting 

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

SUMMIT: Registration and housing for the 2026 ATPE Summit are now open, and we have a sneak peek of what’s in store at atpesummit.org. This year’s summit will take place July 14–16 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio. Plus: ATPE is accepting nominations for 2026-27 state officer positions through March 15. Learn more about the nomination process. 

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 brand-new ATPE mobile app to conveniently access member benefits and advocacy tools. Learn more in this blog post by ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter. 
• Advocacy Central: Take the Texas Educator Voting Pledge and encourage candidates in your area to fill out the 2026 ATPE Candidate survey.  
• 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.