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. 

• Share opinions on compensation, special education before next House Public Education interim hearing
• Don’t forget to vote in the primary runoff election Tuesday, May 26
• SBEC receives first look at TEA’s new Educator Misconduct Dashboard
• Participate in public comment on TEKS and instructional materials
• Now available—ATPE Master Advocate designation details!
• Keep celebrating your colleagues with Show Texas Teachers Love
• Use your teacher voice with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

SURVEY: Now through next Wednesday, May 27, you have the opportunity to share your opinions on the Teacher Incentive Allotment, Teacher Retention Allotment, and special education in advance of the House Public Education Committee’s second interim hearing on June 1. Your feedback will inform ATPE’s testimony to the committee. Take the survey by 11:59 p.m. CT May 27 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/886XXJS. This survey is open to all Texas public school employees, so feel free to share it with your colleagues.

PRIMARY RUNOFF: Early voting closes at 7 p.m. local time Friday, May 22, in the Texas primary runoff elections. Your only other opportunity to vote is Tuesday, May 26. Find voting information at VoteTexas.gov and on your county election’s website, and learn more about the candidates in each primary runoff here on Teach the Vote. Remember: Both the Republican and Democratic parties have statewide runoffs in this primary election, so everyone should get out and vote!

SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) held a short special-called meeting Tuesday to discuss business related to its work on educator misconduct. Texas Education Agency (TEA) Inspector General Levi Fuller briefed the board on the newly created Educator Misconduct Dashboard, now live on the TEA website. As work on the dashboard has unfolded, ATPE has provided suggestions to TEA regarding its design and the information made available. Specifically, ATPE has asked TEA to make a clearer distinction between educators who are under investigation and those who have been officially placed on the Do Not Hire Registry. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave has more details on the special called meeting.

TEKS/IMRA: Texas public educators may participate in two TEA opportunities for public comment, and ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield has the details here on Teach the Vote. First, public comment is being taken through June 15 on proposed changes to the Social Studies and Spanish Language Arts and Reading/English as a Second Language (SLAR/ESL) TEKS, as well as the headline-generating new “Literacy Works List,” a new statewide required reading list to embedded in the English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS. Learn more about these changes and find links to comment in this blog post. The second opportunity to provide feedback is on the next round of instructional materials submitted through the state’s Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process for Cycle 2026. The deadline to submit public comment is July 31. Find out how to participate in this Teach the Vote post.

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. We are excited to have already received several Master Advocate applications and will announce our first Master Advocates next week! Learn how to become an ATPE Master Advocate on atpenews.org. Please note: To be recognized as an ATPE Master Advocate at the 2026 ATPE Summit, you must submit your MAP Master Activity report form by June 10, 2026.

SHOW TEXAS TEACHERS LOVE: ATPE is continuing to celebrate Texas public school teachers throughout May, 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! 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.