Teach the Vote's Week in Review: Sept. 18, 2026

Posted on: 9/18/2026

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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.

TRIBFEST: ATPE is excited to be a supporting sponsor of the 2026 Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 24–26 in downtown Austin. We are also partnering with The Texas Tribune to offer continuing professional education (CPE) credit for any Texas educators attending the festival. Students and educators may purchase specially priced tickets for only $65—an incredible discount off the main ticket price ($350). Learn more in this blog post.

SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification met Friday. Topics discussed included a repeal of language in 19 TAC Ch. 231 that allows elementary special education teachers to teach high school life skills courses and continued discussion around the Accountability System for Educator Preparation and the Continuous Approval Review. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave testified twice, once on the Ch. 231 language repeal and once in public comment on the National Board Certification review. She will have a full recap early next week.

MORATH: When Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Mike Morath as the state’s education commissioner 10 years ago, Morath set a goal to make Texas No. 1 in education. Under his leadership, Texas’ fourth grade math students have jumped from 18th to eighth nationally, but eighth grade math performance has declined since 2015. Reading scores dropped to their lowest point in decades in 2024. Although Morath has said that the buck “is designed to stop with local school boards,” districts have faced increasingly stringent restrictions on how they spend money and teach content—leading to low morale and teacher turnover. ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter told the Tribune: “He’ll be very deferential to educators in commentary, but not in action.” 

Read more in this article republished from The Texas Tribune.

VOTING: The voter registration deadline is just over two weeks away, so be sure to mark the following dates on your calendar:

  • Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline—Make sure your voter registration is up to date, particularly if you’ve moved. Verify your voter registration on the Secretary of State’s website. 
  • Oct. 19–30: Early voting—Polling locations and hours can vary by county, so always check your county’s elections website before heading to the polls.
  • Oct. 23: Deadline to apply for a ballot by mail—The application must be RECEIVED by this deadline.
  • Nov. 3: Election Day—Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check your county elections website for polling locations.

Learn more in this Texas election deadline post here on Teach the Vote.

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.   

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