In an average year, 3,996 people die and 5,556 are wounded by guns in Texas, according to 2023 data collated by Everytown for Gun Safety.

And the problem is growing worse. The rate of gun deaths in Texas increased 46%from 2012 to 2021, higher than the still alarming 39% increase nationwide. As we know too well, our schools are often on the front lines: In a five-year span from 2018 to 2023, 125 people were wounded or killed in 80 Texas school shootings.

It'sof little surprise that 82% of Texas AFT's K-12 members and 81% of our higher ed membersreported this year that they feared gun violence on their campus or at their worksite.

So,it is particularly galling to read reports like the latest from Texas Monthlyabout the town of Canyon Lake in Comal County, wherea small supermarket now stocks an ammunition vending machine - next to a middle school. From the story:

In this week's Hotline:

• Project 2025: What it is and why it should terrify educators, parents, and unionists.
• The AFT convention arrives in Houston next week! Join us Sunday for an important panel discussion.
• A new report from the Texas Observer finds even more cause for concern in the financial dealings of the charter school network founded by Houston ISD's state-installed superintendent.
• The efforts to repeal the WEP/GPO have reached a major milestone in the U.S. Congress.

It'simportant to note that Project 2025 is being developed with input from several figures closely tied to former President Trump,including Stephen Miller, John McEntee, and Ben Carson, as well as many former staffers. The involvement of these figures suggests that if Trump wins the presidency in 2024, there will a concerted effort to implement these policies rapidly, especially since "the Trump administration relied heavily on Heritage's 'Mandate' for policy guidance, embracing nearly two-thirdsof Heritage's proposals within just one year in office," according to the Heritage Foundation.

In short, Project 2025 representsan agenda that would dramatically alter the structure and function of the federal government, roll back civil rights protections, dismantle environmental regulations, and reshape American society in ways that would have profound negative impacts on public education, workers' rights, and democratic institutions.

The document is nearly 1,000pages long. In the full article on our website, we try to summarize the biggest components ofProject 2025 withimplications for public education, including both K-12 and higher education, and labor.

As we mentioned earlier this month, Texas AFT and our Houston area locals are honored to host our fellow AFT members from across the nation for our union's 88th conventionnext week.

The convention is the highest authority of our union, and it's a showcase of union democracy at work. And it has special significance in this election year.

Billionaire mega donors have been pouring political dollars into state legislative races across the country to push a far-right education agenda. Nationwide, lawmakers are diverting taxpayer dollars into private for-profit schools and forcing public school curriculum to fit their narrative.

So far, Texas has resisted vouchers, but policies on charter expansion, state takeovers of school districts, and curriculum battles show a tremendous increase of state interference in local schools.

At the AFT convention in Houston, educators will have a voice on these pressing issues, in Texas and nationwide, as well as the real solutions needed for a thriving public education system. If you plan to be at the convention or live in the Houston area, we invite you to our panel discussionat 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.

This panel conversation will be moderated by Sonal Shah, the chief executive officer of the Texas Tribune, and include perspectives from:

• Randi Weingarten, AFT president
• Zeph Capo, Texas AFT president
• Josh Cowen, Michigan State University professor of education policy & expert on school privatization
• Jessica Campos, Houston ISD parent and advocate with Community Voices for Public Education

RSVP to attend in person here.If you can'tmake it, watch the event on Texas AFT's Facebook pageor YouTube channel.

Coming off the heels of Spectrum News' jaw-dropping reportthat uncovereda possible multi-million-dollar scandal involving state-installed Houston ISDSuperintendent Mike Miles' formercharter school, a new report from the Texas Observerhas uncovered even more irregularities and possible financial improprieties.

As previously covered in the Hotline, the Spectrum report revealed that Third Future Schools-a network of charter schools over which Miles previously presided as superintendent and that operatesschools in Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Tennessee- allegedly funneled roughly 40%of their Texas taxpayer-funded budget out of state for "unspecified administrative costs and services." Miles'tenure at Third Future Schools began in 2016 after he was ousted from his role as Dallas ISD superintendent by the majority of that district's democraticallyelectedschool board;he left Third Future Schools in 2023 totake his current position as HISD's appointed superintendent.

New reporting from the Texas Observer reveals additionalirregularities in Third Future Schools' finances and governance documents. The irregularities are primarily concerned with the interrelations between the Third Future Schools parent entity and each of its state branches, including Third Future Schools-Texas.

Donate to Texas AFT's Disaster Relief Fund

Texas AFT has activated our union'sDisaster Relief Fundto assistaffected members in the Houston and Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

If you are an AFT member whose home, car, or property experienced significant damageduring Hurricane Beryl, please email [email protected]to receive an application for assistancethrough the Disaster Relief Fund.

For those outside of the storm's path, we ask that you consider making a small, tax-deductible donationto the fund.

Volunteer to Clear Debris with the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation

Houston-area union apprentices are spending evenings this week clearing tree debris from homes.

There are still many people who need assistanceafter Hurricane Beryl.

Our greater Houston area labor family is asking for volunteers to help with clean-up efforts this Saturday, starting at 8 a.m.

Sign up here to volunteer.

The Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal two federal provisions that cut public employees' Social Security benefits, has reached a new milestone with 60 co-sponsorsin the U.S. Congress, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the bill's author, announced this week.

"Social Security is a bedrock of our middle class," Brown said in his opening statement at a hearing on the legislation."It'sretirement security that Americans pay into and earn over a lifetime of work - and workers count on it to be there for them when they retire. And I'mcommitted to protecting and strengthening Social Security for those who have worked and paid SocialSecurity taxes throughout their careers."

Wednesday, July 24

6:30 - 8 p.m.

RSVP online

Texas again ranks dead last for quality of life in influentialannual ranking. Texas is among the United States' top states for business, according to an influential annual ranking, but it ranks dead last for "quality of life" for the second year in a row. (Houston Chronicle, July 16)

AFT Launches Push for Academic Freedom, Job Security, College Access. The American Federation of Teachers, of which the American Association of University Professors is an affiliate, is launching a $1 million campaign to support campus and statewide AFT/AAUP chapters in fighting for academic freedom, job security and college costs. (Inside Higher Ed, July 18)