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. 

• Commissioner Morath updates SBOE on the teacher workforce 
• Apply for the free Texas Summer Institute on Genocide Education by April 20 
• Delegate certification now open for the 2026 ATPE Summit 
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s member advocacy tools 

TEA/SBOE: Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath provided an update to the State Board of Education (SBOE) on Texas’ teacher workforce on Wednesday, April 8. 

Much of the presentation focused on how the state seeks to strengthen the teacher pipeline following the passage of House Bill (HB) 2 in 2025, with Morath admitting: “The state has never really made a statewide investment in aspiring teachers.” The presentation highlighted both progress and ongoing concerns about preparation, certification, and the profession’s long-term sustainability. 

ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield, who covers the SBOE, has more in this blog post, and Teach the Vote will provide a full recap on the SBOE meeting early next week. 

SUMMER INSTITUTE: Texas educators may apply now through April 20 for an opportunity to attend a free Texas Summer Institute on Genocide Education from June 3–6. Sponsored by the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) and St. Sarkis Armenian Church in collaboration with The Genocide Education Project (GenEd), this professional learning program is designed to equip teachers to teach the World History TEKS pertaining to genocide. Learn more on atpenews.org. 

SUMMIT: Delegate certification for the 2026 ATPE Summit is now open through June 12. 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.  Registration and housing are also open through June 12.  

The ATPE Summit will take place July 14–16 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. Register today and experience three days of inspiring sessions, fun social events, the annual meeting for the ATPE House of Delegates, and the opportunity to earn up to seven hours of continuing professional education credit.  

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 new ATPE mobile app to conveniently access member benefits and advocacy tools.  
• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s 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.