With the 88th regular legislative session ending months ago and a special session beginning soon, lawmakers continue to battle over the future of public education policy in Texas. Again, private school voucher legislation will be the focus, and the magnitude of educator engagement will likely determine the results.

In the regular session, ATPE testified on a number of bills and worked with legislators in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle to craft and pass meaningful legislation. With the help of engaged educators from all over the state, we were able to reduce accelerated instruction burdens caused by HB 4545 in the previous session with HB 1416, secure a much-needed COLA and extra check for our retirees, and end the session without a voucher.

In the upcoming special session, what other education issues are we likely to see addressed? Will we see legislation concerning teacher pay and retention, school funding, or even testing reform? And if we do, what is the likelihood that we get any of those things without a voucher attached?

In this episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave previews the upcoming special session, what educators can expect, and what you can do to be involved.