The Issues

Every Texan is a public education stakeholder, and because all public education issues are decided in the realm of public policy, we all have a voice if we choose to use it. Through Teach the Vote, ATPE highlights issues of great importance to the education community, but we believe the information presented here is relevant to all public education stakeholders.

We encourage you to become more familiar with the state of public education today and to formulate your own viewpoints. Visit our Teach the Vote blog for updates on developments at the Capitol and more information about how you can help advocate for public education. You can also sign up to receive email and RSS alerts whenever new blog content is posted, and you can follow @TeachtheVote and ATPE's lobbyists on Twitter. In addition, the information on our Take Action and Resources pages will help you communicate with officeholders and other stakeholders about these and other issues.

Students

ATPE advocates for laws and policies to maximize student learning, maintain safe school environments, and address the social and emotional well-being of students.

Educators

Supporting the state’s largest community of educators who are dedicated to elevating public education in Texas, ATPE works to give our members the peace of mind needed to inspire student success.

Funding

ATPE believes all students have the right to a quality public education that is fully and equitably funded. We believe the state should be the primary funding source for our public schools and provide stable, sustainable revenue that will meet the needs of our growing student population.

Assessment and Accountability

ATPE supports assessment and accountability systems that help educators meet student needs. We oppose using of high-stakes tests as the sole measure of student achievement or the primary factor in decisions about teacher evaluations, compensation, or employment actions.

Privatization and Deregulation

ATPE opposes private school vouchers and any other privatization programs that direct public funding and resources away from public schools to private individuals or entities.

TRS and Social Security

ATPE advocates for an actuarially sound defined-benefit pension plan for public school employees and high-quality health insurance benefits fully funded by the state. In addition, ATPE lobbies Congress to repeal Social Security offsets that reduce many educators’ retirement benefits.