The Texas State Teachers Association is a left-of-center teachers union representing public school educators in Texas. The union is affiliated with the left-of-center National Education Association and is one of two major statewide teachers’ unions in Texas, the other being the Texas AFT affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.

The union, like other government worker unions in Texas, does not have the ability to collectively bargain at the statewide level. The union does however lobby the Texas Legislature on a variety of education-related and supports other left-of-center legislation while opposing school-choice policies, and other Republican-backed legislation regulating the teaching of critical race theory and other issues. The union has also backed the Black Lives Matter at School campaign. ^{1 2 3}

Background and History

The Texas State Teachers Association was formed in 1880 when the North Texas Teachers Association and the Austin Teachers Association combined. The union continued operation throughout the 1900s, eventually establishing its headquarters in Austin. In 1967 during integration, the TSTA merged with the Teachers State Association of Texas, which represented Black teachers. The union has been active in lobbying since its founding. ⁴

In 1974, the TSTA voted to affiliate with the National Education Association, with which it has remained affiliated since. ⁴

Activities

The Texas State Teachers Association operates a staff of approximately 50 employees including multiple lobbyists, organizers, and attorneys who assist teachers with legal issues related to their employment. ⁵ The union also has specific resources and committees for retired teachers, faculty, and teaching assistants. ⁶

Advocacy

The Texas State Teachers Association lists a variety of policy priorities on its website including increased school funding at the state level. Other priorities include pay increases and opposition to merit-based pay raises, opposing charter schools and school choice programs, increased pension payments to retirees, an increase in state healthcare subsidies for teachers, and opposition to legislation restricting the teaching of critical race theory and explicit content in school libraries. The union also opposes virtual schooling, saying that it should only be used in “high-performing” school districts. ⁷

The union also has a page on its website promoting its “racial and social justice” initiative titled TSTA’s Equity, Education and You project. The project uses critical race theory-inspired materials and curricula to teach about racial and social topics with the goal of empowering “educators and their students to become change agents with a mission to dismantle patterns of racism and injustice in our schools and in the communities we live.” The program’s work has included taking part in the Black Lives Matter at School campaign. ²

The program uses the Race Class Narrative, a critical race theory-aligned ideology and teaching tool that is used to promote left-of-center policies, described by the union as “an empirically-tested narrative on race and class that neutralizes the use of dog-whistle racism to win on the issues we care about. It has been used across the United States and internationally to win policy and electoral victories.” ²

1. “About Us.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/about_tsta/about-us-2/
2. “Racial and Social Justice.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023.  https://tsta.org/news_center/racial-and-social-justice/
3. “Know Your Rights, Live Your Rights, PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS!” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/sites/default/files/Basic%20Rights_0.pdf
4. “History.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/about_tsta/history/
5. “TSTA Staff.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/about_tsta/tsta-staff/
6. “For Members.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/for-members/
7. “Top education issues.” Texas State Teachers Association. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://www.tsta.org/issues_and_action/top-education-issues/