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. 

• Texas politicians are treating professional educators like babies … again
• Is the “Texas Two-Step” stalled out?
• How will HB 4 improve testing for Texas kids?
• House Public Education Committee considers payroll deduction bill
• Deadlines loom as the 89th Legislature draws to a close
• Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week all month long with ATPE!
• ICYMI: Check out the “Attracting, Preparing and Retaining the Best Teachers” presented by The Texas Tribune
• Just under one month remains to register at the lowest rate for the 2025 ATPE Summit
• Use ATPE’s member advocacy tools to stay in the know and take action

PAYROLL DEDUCTION: With the clock ticking on the 2025 regular session, some legislators are determined to cram through bills targeting educator associations such as ATPE by eliminating payroll deduction for membership dues, curbing the ability of public education organizations to advocate, and even limiting our ability to offer professional development to our own members.  

The latest bill in the spotlight is House Bill (HB) 5019 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R–Southlake). Filed only one day before this session’s bill filing deadline, HB 5019 seemed like a bit of an afterthought until it reportedly caught the attention of Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and was hurriedly added to the agenda for the House Public Education Committee’s hearing this week.  

The Texas Senate, meanwhile, brought us Senate Bill (SB) 2330 by Sen. Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound), which would also eliminate educators’ ability to use payroll deduction for their professional association dues. Parker claimed the intent of his bill was to keep the government out of the business of collecting dues for professional associations, but police, fire, and EMS unions are exempted from the bill.  

ATPE submitted testimony on both bills. Visit atpe.org/txlege to read written testimony and watch oral testimony on these bills. 

ATPE has urged members to educate their own lawmakers on how misguided bills like HB 5019 and SB 2330 are. Many ATPE members and other educators have already taken time to call and write to their elected officials. In conjunction with Tuesday’s hearing, the House Public Education committee published 70 pages of public comments it received on HB 5019, overwhelming from educators who oppose the bill. 

ATPE Associate Executive Director Jennifer Mitchell takes a deep dive into these payroll deduction bills in this blog post. 

TEXAS TWO-STEP: When the Housefiled vouchers under House Bill (HB) 3 and school finance under HB 2, Speaker Dustin Burrows referred to the initiative as the "Texas Two-Step”; however, when the House moved SB 2, the Senate voucher bill, they jumped vouchers ahead of finance in the process. Now, the school finance bill sits in the Senate Education K-16 Committee, where it has sat since April 23, while SB 2 has already been signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R).  

During the May 3 signing ceremony, Abbott criticized public schools and did not mention school finance or teacher pay, despite declaring the latter one of his emergency items in his February State of the State address.  

Senate Education Chairman Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), in response to recent criticism about the finance bill not moving, released the following statement via his social media Wednesday: “Senate and House Education leaders are now in the sixth day of negotiations on HB 2, a bill that would deliver historic levels of funding for Texas public education and teachers. ... This agreement will reflect months of coordination between state leaders, shaped by feedback from educators and education organizations across Texas. … More updates to come as negotiations continue on the most complex piece of legislation we will consider and negotiate this session.” 

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave told the Houston Chronicle: "The HB 2 issue being stalled is just part of the larger thing happening. It was heartening for teachers to see that the governor declared teacher pay an emergency item … But I do know that no matter what their intent is, the totality of the circumstances of what is happening in the Legislature this session, it feels like we're playing whack-a-mole. It points to an obvious conclusion for teachers."  

Cave has more on this so-called “Texas Two-Step” in this blog post, and ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield also covers it along with other public education-related Senate action here. 

HB 4: House Bill (HB) 4, which would substantially overhaul Texas’s testing and accountability system, was voted out of committee last week.  

ATPE opposed the original version of the bill but supports the current version, which does the following:  

• Repeals the STAAR and replaces it with a nationally norm-referenced test.  
• Changes the testing calendar so students are tested at the beginning, middle, and end of year in order to properly measure growth.  
• Shortens the length of the test so 85% of students can finish it within 1–1.5 hours depending on grade level, meaning that schools would not have to shut down for the day to administer the exam.  
• Requires a quick 24-hour turnaround for feedback so students, parents, and teachers receive actionable feedback in a timely manner.  
• Drops testing down to just federally mandated levels, meaning that U.S. History and standalone writing exams, as well as English II, would be removed.   

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave offers a side-by-side comparison of the current STAAR system and the HB 4 proposal in this blog post.  

HOUSE PUBLIC EDUCATION: The House Committee on Public Education met Tuesday to consider 12 bills, including a bill that would criminalize educators who assist in the “social transitioning” of a student; a bill that would give parents access to student library records; and House Bill (HB) 5019, the payroll deduction bill. This meeting was likely the last opportunity for the committee to hear House bills before the deadline to report them from committee. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave outlines the bills considered in this blog post. 

LEGISLATIVE DEADLINES: Capitol veterans like to point out that the legislative process is designed to kill bills, not pass them. Of the record-breaking 8,898 bills filed in the current 89th Legislature by the March 14 filing deadline, it’s likely only around one thousand will pass, if past sessions are any indication. Some key House deadlines in the next week will spell the end of the road for many bills. Learn more in this blog post by ATPE Marketing & Engagement Director Kate Johanns.

TEACHER APPRECIATION: Teacher Appreciation Week is winding down, 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. 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! 

TEXAS TRIBUNE EVENT: ATPE was proud to sponsor the May 6 Texas Tribune event “Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining the Best Teachers,” a provocative two-part conversation on challenges and opportunities within the educator preparation space. We are even more excited to offer 1.5 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit to those who attended the live event or watch it on demand. To claim credit for the on-demand experience, you will need to watch the archived event and then claim your credit in the ATPE Professional Learning Portal. Find instructions for both members and nonmembers at atpe.org/tribune. (Don’t forget to take the weekly Texas Tribune news quiz for fun, too, at www.texastribune.org/weekly-news-quiz/.) 

SUMMIT: Just under one month remains to register at the lowest rate, book rooms in the official housing block, 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.)