Austin, TX
'Educator Bill of Rights' seeks to address teacher pay, safety in upcoming Texas session
AUSTIN, Texas — We’re a few months away from the start of a new legislative session and the Texas American Federation of Teachers is laying out the priorities they’d like lawmakers to address.
Known as the Educator Bill of Rights, it looks to address critical problems such as teacher pay.
The A.F.T. says the public education system is broken, forcing teachers, bus drivers, and support staff out of the profession and leaving schools to close or operate without the resources they need. In a state sitting on a $32 billion surplus, the group hopes these priorities could right the ship, with “rights” covering everything from teacher pay, to book bans and classroom safety.
“All of this is connected to funding, it’s all connected to funding.” Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said.
Zarifis says Austin ISD’s $119 million budget deficit is emblematic of a larger, statewide problem. Even if voters approve a tax rate increase in November, the district will still be in a dire situation.
“That’s all we can do locally before we start cutting services and possibly people,” Zarifis said. “So the state needs to step in.”
That’s why he’s such a fan of the Educators Bill of Rights released in San Antonio and Dallas Tuesday by The Texas American Federation of Teachers. It’s a list of priorities they plan to bring to the upcoming legislative session which starts in January. Zarafis’ union is part of the AFT.
“The Bill of Rights is asking for a respectful workplace, a place where we feel safe, that we feel honored,” Zarifis said. “How do we support our kids?”
The AFT lists ten rights: the right to reasonable working conditions, fair wages, a secure retirement, quality childcare, a healthy safe, and secure working environment, academic freedom, meaningful training and development, organizing, democratic representation, and freedom of religion.
ALSO| Central Texas school districts approve pay raises despite budget concerns
“This is legislation that focuses on overwhelming popular priorities: fully funding our public schools, supporting our kids with the resources they need, and keeping our educators where they belong: in our public schools.” A representative with A.F.T. said.
Of chief concern, is that Texas teachers make $9,000 less than the national average, and the AFT says 70 percent of its 66,000 members have considered leaving the industry.
“This gap not only undervalues our profession but also directly impacts our ability to attract and retain the best educators for our students.” Northside A.F.T. Teacher Ledda Arcelus said.
Many teachers also worry about gun violence and are working in classrooms without air conditioning, or in schools where religious freedoms aren’t respected. There’s also the issue of retirement pensions and childcare for working professionals, which present other problems.
“No public school student should have to endure cuts that compromise their education, and no educator should have to choose between filling a prescription or putting gas in their car just to do the job that they love,” Arcelus said.
Zarifis believes if these rights can be achieved, not only will it keep much-needed professionals in the classroom, but will bring students the quality education they deserve.
“What happens at the state impacts every student in this state, and this bill of rights addresses the needs that we know as professionals on our campuses and in public schools, what our kids need,” Zarifis said.
The 89th Legislative Session begins January 14.
To see a full list of the Educator Bill of Rights, click here.
Austin, TX
Appeals court rules Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in class
DALLAS (AP) — Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, a U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into schools.
WATCH: Texas school board approves new course material that includes Bible passages
It sets up a potential clash at the U.S. Supreme Court over the issue in the future.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said in the decision that the law did not violate the First Amendment, which protects religious freedom and prevents the government from establishing a religion.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, called the ruling “a major victory for Texas and our moral values.”
“The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day,” Paxton said.
Organizations representing the families who challenged the law, including the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement that they were “extremely disappointed” by the decision.
“The court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority. The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights,” the statement said.
The law is among the pushes by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, to incorporate religion into public schools. Critics say it violates the separation of church and state while backers argue that the Ten Commandments are historical and part of the foundation of U.S. law.
The ruling, which reverses a district court’s judgment, comes after the full court heard arguments in January in the Texas case and a similar case in Louisiana. The appeals court in February cleared the way for Louisiana’s law, requiring displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 12-6 to lift a block that a lower court first placed on the law in 2024.
Texas law took effect on Sept. 1, marking the largest attempt in the nation to hang the Ten Commandments in public schools. About two dozen school districts had been barred from posting them after federal judges issued injunctions in two cases against the law but went up in many classrooms across the state as districts paid to have the posters printed themselves or accepted donations.
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Waymo self-driving car navigating city traffic, San Francisco, California, August 20, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is launching a new authorization system for companies looking to operate automated motor vehicles.
A new goes into effect next month that requires companies using automated vehicles to be authorized by TxDMV with the following requirements:
- Complies with all applicable Texas traffic and motor vehicle laws
- Is equipped with a recording device
- Uses an automated driving system that complies with federal law
- Can achieve minimal risk condition in the event of a system failure
- Has a proper title and registration
- Maintains motor vehicle insurance
The process allows companies to submit their applications online through the Texas Motor Carrier Credentialing System.
The new laws outlined in Senate Bill 2807 go into effect on May 28.
Automated vehicles in Texas
The backstory:
Autonomous driving services are already operating in major Texas cities. Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio are all serviced by the driverless ride-share company Waymo.
In Austin, the service has received dozens of complaints about vehicles stalling, speeding and crashing.
There have also been complaints of vehicles illegally passing school buses.
In March, Swedish company Einride announced plans to bring autonomous freight trucks to Central Texas.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and previous FOX Local reporting.
AUSTIN, Texas – A man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after a crash in East Austin.
The backstory:
According to an arrest affidavit, on April 17, around 1:31 a.m., officers responded to a crash in the 2800 block of East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
An investigation revealed the driver, Jalen Carter, 32, was driving a 2026 white Nissan at an estimated speed of 100 mph in a 45 mph zone. The car “bottomed out” at a train crossing and lost control. The car then hit a utility pole, hit a bus station, and five parked cars before finally coming to a stop.
A passenger in the car, Carter’s mother, suffered a serious hand injury.
One witness told an officer that Carter had been smoking marijuana about 30 minutes before driving and was acting “abnormal and paranoid.” An officer described Carter’s eyes as bloodshot and glassy.
An officer said he also “exhibited cyclic behavior” and was alternating between grabbing his mother and falling unconscious.
When officers tried talking to Carter, they said he was uncooperative and combative. They also said he ignored verbal commands and had to be removed from his mother.
Carter and his mother were taken to a local hospital. His mother lost her thumb and required emergency surgery.
At the hospital, Cater was so aggressive that it took about 10 people, including four security guards, to hold him down. He was eventually sedated and intubated.
Carter was later charged with intoxication assault.
The Source: Information from an arrest affidavit
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