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. 

• House Public Education Committee holds first interim hearing of 2026
• From The Texas Tribune: Teachers with national certification earn more, but Texas is questioning its worth
• Early voting for May runoff election begins May 18
• From atpenews.org: Become an ATPE Master Advocate
• Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week all month long with ATPE
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

INTERIM HEARING: The House Public Education Committee met Monday, May 11, to take up the House interim charge on the state of public education, as well as monitor the newly enacted House Bill (HB) 1481, restricting cell phone use in schools. In its discussion of the state of public education, the committee mainly focused on enrollment decline as well as the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools.  

Texas public schools have experienced the first non-pandemic enrollment decline in nearly 40 years, and one state demographer testified during the hearing that overall enrollment could decline to 5 million (a loss of 400,000 students) within five years.  

While the committee did not hear from an invited panel of teachers on the state of public education, teachers from across the state, like this English teacher from Fort Worth ISD, provided invaluable feedback from the trenches during the public testimony portion of the hearing. Hundreds of educators and parents from across the state also responded to calls like those from ATPE to submit comments via the House online comment system. ATPE’s written testimony on the state of public education can be read here.   

The committee also heard from a panel of education stakeholders who stated implementation of HB 1481 is going well. ATPE also conducted a survey of our members and found that although members largely agree with this sentiment, this the biggest problem with implementation is having buy-in from all parents and staff members in enforcement. See ATPE’s written testimony on this item here.  

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave has more in this blog post. 

NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has been tasked to decide by the end of the year whether National Board Certification aligns with state law under House Bill (HB) 2, the nearly $8.5 billion school funding law passed during the 89th legislative session.  

During recent legislative and board discussions, elected officials have argued that the national certificate does not align with Texas' goal of rewarding teachers based on merit and that the National Board's emphasis on equity conflicts with state mandates prohibiting such practices. Lawmakers had previously pushed for its continued inclusion as recently as four years ago. 

Read more in this article republished from The Texas Tribune. 

RUNOFFS: Early voting in the May runoff election begins Monday, May 18, and runs through Friday, May 22.  

At the state level, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who currently represents Texas’ 21st Congressional District, will face Sen. Mayes Middleton, who serves Texas Senate District 11, in a runoff to determine the Republican nominee for attorney general. On the Democratic side, Sen. Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski are vying for their party’s nomination for attorney general.  

Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who currently represents Texas House District 47, will face Marcos Velez in the Democratic runoff to determine the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor.   

Sitting U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is facing a runoff against current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to determine the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate.  

Voters who participated in the March primary election must vote in the same party’s primary runoff; those who didn’t vote can choose which party’s runoff to participate in. Election Day is Tuesday, May 26.  

MASTER ADVOCATE: The ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP) offers an opportunity for members to earn microcredentials in state- and local-level public education advocacy, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. We are excited to announce the next expansion of the ATPE-MAP program—the ATPE Master Advocate designation. This designation is for those members who have already completed the State-Level Advocacy Microcredential, which is a prerequisite for attending an ATPE Capitol Expedition. Learn how to become an ATPE Master Advocate on atpenews.org. 

SHOW TEXAS TEACHERS LOVE: ATPE is celebrating Texas public school teachers all month long, and 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!  

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.    
• 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.