Pressroom

News coverage 1/26/12 – ATPE mentioned in Abilene-Reporter News article, "Abilene, Big Country districts say their teachers work more than enough hours each school day"

News coverage 1/25/12 – ATPE Foundation featured in The Pasadena Citizen news article, "Pasadena High athletic trainer receives $2,500 grant from ATPE"

News coverage 1/11/12 – ATPE mentioned in The Hays Free Press news article, "HCISD bringing teacher pay 'up to average'"

News coverage 1/9/12 – ATPE mentioned in Victoria Advocate news article, "Collective bargaining could lead to strikes, divisiveness in schools"

News coverage 1/4/12–ATPE Foundation literacy grant initiative featured in Killeen Daily Herald

Press Release 1/4/12 - Literacy grant open to Texas public school libraries
AUSTIN—The ATPE Foundation’s literacy initiative grant provides funds to Texas public school libraries for the modernization of literacy materials and resources. The deadline to apply for the grant is Feb. 1.

News coverage 12/7/11 – ATPE mentioned in Austin American-Statesman news article, "Austin education group wants to keep its exclusive status"

News coverage 12/2/11 – ATPE mentioned in Austin Chronicle news article, "'More Inclusive' at the Exclusion of Teachers?"

Press Release 10/28/11 - ATPE Foundation Golf Tournament raises more than $36,000
AUSTIN—The ATPE Foundation Golf Tournament raised more than $36,000 Oct. 21. Seventy-two business professionals and education advocates played in the tournament at the Teravista Golf Club in Round Rock.

Statement 10/11/2011 - ATPE President: Court order might help fix school finance system
AUSTIN—The following is a statement by Cheryl Buchanan, president of the 116,000-plus member Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), regarding the school funding lawsuit recently filed against the state.

Press Release 10/5/2011 - ATPE Foundation Golf Tournament benefits Texas schools
AUSTIN—The ATPE Foundation Golf Tournament benefitting Texas public schools will be held 8 a.m., Friday, Oct. 21 at Teravista Golf Club in Round Rock.

Press Release 9/12/2011 - Report: Educators are frustrated with teaching to test
AUSTIN—Some of the state’s best educators are frustrated because they are forced to spend most of their classroom time teaching students how to pass high-stake tests, according to a recent report on a focus group held at the ATPE Foundation Regional Teacher of the Year Gathering.

News coverage 8/29/2011 – ATPE Secondary Educator of the Year Award winner featured on NBC in Rio Grande Valley

Press Release 8/25/2011 - Ballinger ISD educator elected ATPE state president
AUSTIN—Cheryl Buchanan, a six-grade English and ESL teacher in Ballinger ISD, was recently elected state secretary of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). Her term began Aug. 1.

Press Release 8/25/2011 - Paris ISD employee elected ATPE state vice president
AUSTIN—Deann Lee, director of state/federal programs in Paris ISD, was recently elected state vice president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). Her term began Aug. 1.

Press Release 8/25/2011 - Martinsville ISD educator elected ATPE State Secretary
AUSTIN—Ginger Franks, a special education teacher in Martinsville ISD, was recently elected state secretary of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). Her term began Aug. 1.

Press Release 8/25/2011 - Boerne ISD educator elected ATPE State Treasurer
AUSTIN—Richard Wiggins, a special education department chair in Boerne ISD, was recently elected state treasurer of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). His term began Aug. 1.

Press Release 8/23/2011 - Falls City ATPE honored as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year
AUSTIN—The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) honored Falls City ATPE as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year for local units with one to 500 members. Falls City ATPE was presented the award July 22 during the ATPE Summit Membership Awards Luncheon at the Austin Convention Center.

Press Release 8/23/2011 - Willis ATPE honored as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year
AUSTIN—The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) honored Willis ATPE as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year for local units with 501 to 1,000 members. Willis ATPE was presented the award July 22 during the ATPE Summit Membership Awards Luncheon at the Austin Convention Center.

Press Release 8/23/2011 - Mesquite ATPE honored as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year
AUSTIN—The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) honored Mesquite ATPE as a 2011 Local Unit of the Year for local units with 1,001-plus members. Mesquite ATPE was presented the award July 22 during the ATPE Summit Membership Awards Luncheon at the Austin Convention Center.

Press Release 8/23/2011 - ATPE honors campus representatives of the year
AUSTIN—The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) presented three of its members with the Campus Representative of the Year Award July 22 during the ATPE Summit Membership Awards Luncheon at the Austin Convention Center.

Press Release 8/3/2011 - ATPE offers free webinars open to any Texas educator
AUSTIN—The state’s largest educators’ organization, the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), will begin a free webinar series open to any Texas educator today. More than 700 educators have registered for the first webinar.

Press Release 7/27/2011 - Mesquite superintendent named Educator of the Year
AUSTIN—Mesquite ISD Superintendent Linda Henrie received top honors when the state’s largest educators group named her Administrator of the Year.

Press Release 7/27/2011 - School secretary named Associate Educator of the Year
AUSTIN—Deer Creek Elementary School secretary Carolyn Williams of Crowley, Texas was honored as the Associate Educator of the Year July 21 by the state’s largest educators group.

Press Release 7/27/2011 - Third-grade teacher wins Elementary Educator of the Year
AUSTIN—T.M. Clark Elementary School third-grade teacher Veronica Stapper of Portland, Texas was honored as the Elementary Educator of the Year July 21 by the state’s largest educators group.

Press Release 7/27/2011 - Ninth-grade teacher named Secondary Educator of the Year
AUSTIN—Hannah High School ninth-grade teacher Scott Sherman of Brownsville, Texas, was honored as the Secondary Educator of the Year July 21 by the state’s largest educators group.

Press Release 7/27/2011 - School behavior specialist named Special Services Educator of the Year
AUSTIN—Andrews Middle School behavior specialist Donny Hearn of Andrews, Texas, was honored as the Special Services Educator of the Year July 21 by the state’s largest educators group.

Press Release 7/14/2011 - More than 1,000 educators to attend ATPE conference
AUSTIN—The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) will host the 2011 ATPE Summit July 20–23 at the Austin Convention Center.

Press Release 7/8/2011 - Education commissioner rules in favor of terminated ATPE members
AUSTIN—A Texas school district has been ordered to rehire four employees it had wrongfully terminated after Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott issued a ruling July 5 that found the district’s decision not to renew the employees’ contracts due to a reduction in force (RIF) was ”arbitrary and capricious„.

Press Release 6/16/2011 - “Mandate relief” bill brings no relief to teachers, schools
AUSTIN—Senate Bill 8, a comprehensive “mandate relief” bill that adds numerous amendments that will do long–term damage to public education, passed today in the Texas House of Representatives. The House piled on several floor amendments to SB 8— many of which will further hurt educators at a time when they are already facing layoffs as well as the likelihood of furloughs and pay cuts.

Press Release 5/13/2011 - Four Killeen ISD educators appeal alleged RIF
AUSTIN—An attorney representing members of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) has filed an appeal with Commissioner of Education Robert Scott against the Killeen Independent School District for terminating member’s employment due to an alleged reduction in force (RIF).

Press Release 4/20/2011 - ATPE encourages lawmakers to protect the classroom
AUSTIN—The Texas House of Representatives is set to take up House Bill (HB) 400 Thursday, April 21. The following is a statement by Brock Gregg, governmental relations director for the 116,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), regarding the bill, which the organization believes will jeopardize the quality and standards of education statewide.

Press Release 12/08/2010 - Parents educators support maintaining class-size limits
AUSTIN – The following is a statement by Brock Gregg, governmental relations director for the 115,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators, regarding the release of the Financial Allocation Study of Texas (FAST) and its implication on the state’s class-size law:

Press Release 10/22/2010 - ATPE releases teacher quality study
A study recently released by the state’s largest educators’ group found that the teachers with the most experience and qualifications tend to be found in more affluent, higherachieving schools:

Press Release 10/08/2010 - SBEC to vote on Educators' Code of Ethics
AUSTIN – Major changes to rules governing the ethics of Texas teachers are up for a vote Friday by the State Board for Educator Certification, and the changes still have significant issues, according to the state’s largest educators’ group.

Press Release 08/5/2010 - Governor playing politics with needed ed funding
AUSTIN – The following is a statement by Brock Gregg, governmental relations director for the 115,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators, regarding the recent passage of the state aid package (H.R. 1586):

Press Release 07/22/2010 - Educators urge responsible management of PSF
The following is a statement by Monty Exter, a lobbyist for the 115,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators, regarding the State Board of Education's consideration of a plan to invest Permanent School Fund resources in charter school facilities:

Press Release 06/29/2010 - AG opinion protects teacher pay
AUSTIN – School districts will be required to give teachers annual pay increases based on years of experience for the 2010-11 school year, according to an opinion issues today by Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott.

Press Release 05/19/2010 - Discontent over social studies continues
AUSTIN – The following is a statement by Sam Spurlock, state president of the 115,000-plus member strong Association of Texas Professional Educators, regarding the contentious social studies debate during this week’s State Board of Education (SBOE) hearings:

Press Release 04/22/2010 - Teacher turnover costing school districts millions
ATPE testified that districts could save an estimated $500 million associated with teacher attrition by establishing a state-funded educator mentor and induction program that is ..."

Press Release 04/19/2010 - ATPE celebrates anniversary, reaches milestone
ATPE reached two new milestones this month: ATPE celebrated its 30th anniversary and reached the impressive 115,000-member mark ..."

Press Release 12/17/2009 - ATPE honored for supporting public schools
ATPE was among 11 Texas employers honored at a recent meeting of the State Board of Education for their part in promoting employee volunteerism in neighborhood public schools ..."

Press Release 11/23/2009 - No 13th check for retired teachers, AG’s office says
Texas retired educators will not get a “13th check” this year, according to an opinion released today by Attorney General Greg Abbott ..."

Press Release 11/20/2009 - Teachers in best position to determine students’ grades
The following is a statement from Sam Spurlock, ATPE state president, regarding the lawsuit filed by six Texas school districts over TEA’s interpretation of the new minimum grading law ...

Press Release 10/08/2009 - SBEC to vote on major changes to educator prep program standards
"The State Board for Educator Certification will take its first vote tomorrow on major changes to the state’s accreditation system for all educator preparation programs ..."

Press Release 09/15/2009 - Political battle over curriculum not in the interests of Texas students
"..the State Board of Education’s attempt to write a rigorous and challenging social studies curriculum already appears to be dissolving into a partisan battle at the expense of the millions of Texas schoolchildren ..."

Press Release 08/27/2009 - Let teachers, not school districts, determine grades
Millions of Texas schoolchildren returned to school this week, and many of them will continue to receive grades that they might not have earned ...

Press Release 07/24/2009 - Olney teacher heads to DC to talk education issues
The president of the nation’s largest nonunion educator association led a team to Capitol Hill last week to discuss how federal regulations affect Texas public schools. Sam Spurlock, an Olney Junior High School science teacher and ...

Press Release 07/15/2009 - Top local units and campus reps named (pdf)
The winners of the Association of Texas Professional Educators 2009 Local Unit of the Year and Campus Representative of the Year awards were announced during a special ceremony at the association’s annual “Leader U” leadership workshop...

Press Release 05/27/2009 - Senate approves teacher pay raise (pdf)
The Senate approved a bill late yesterday that will give teachers in Texas public schools a much-needed pay increase. House Bill 3646, by Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston), provides school districts with $1.9 billion in new funding...

Press Release 04/29/2009 - Important changes still needed in accountability (pdf)
The following is a statement by Jerry Bonham, a teacher with the Mesquite Independent School District and state president of the 112,000-member Association of Texas Professional Educators, regarding Senate Bill 3 by Sen. Florence Shapiro (R–Plano) and House Bill 3 by Rep. Rob Eissler (R–The Woodlands)...