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. 

• SBEC meets to discuss rule changes in response to new legislation 
• Early voting is underway through Feb. 27 
• Check out the brand-new ATPE Mobile App! 
• State officer nominations open through March 15 
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s advocacy tools 

SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met Friday, Feb. 13, to adopt final rules in compliance with several pieces of legislation from the 2025 legislative session.  

The board started with discussion and approval of proposed rules for educator preparation programs. ATPE provided feedback on these requirements as well as on lesson design. During discussion of the Educator Code of Ethics and educator discipline, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter testified concerning the board’s proposed definition of a “continuous and imminent threat” and suggested changes to the rule language to create a better definition of the term.   

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave recaps the meeting in this blog post. 

EARLY VOTING: Early voting for the March 3 primary election is now underway and runs through Friday, Feb. 27. Check your county website for polling locations and hours.  

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! 

MOBILE APP: ATPE is excited to announce the launch of the brand-new ATPE Mobile App! Download the app to get the latest advocacy updates from Teach the Vote, contact your legislators, and donate to the ATPE Political Action Committee (ATPE-PAC). Visit the Apple App Store on your iOS device or the Google Play Store on your Android device to download the app. ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter has more information in this blog post. 

SUMMIT: Registration for the 2026 ATPE Summit opens next week, 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. If you’re thinking about serving at the state level, sign in to the ATPE Professional Learning Portal to view the webinar "Running for State Office." The 30-minute panel discussion features three state past presidents who share insights on their leadership experience. Per Article IV, Section 3, of the ATPE State Bylaws, a candidate for ATPE state office must be an active Professional, Administrator, Retired, or Associate member of the association and must currently be serving or must have served within the past five years as a local unit, region, or state officer. 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: 

• 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.