Why ATPE is the No. 1 Choice of Texas Educators

ATPE is proud to support you with membership benefits that set us apart from other educator organizations. We know that you have a choice when joining a professional organization, so here are a few highlights of what makes us the leading educators’ association in Texas and one of the largest independent educators’ associations in the country.

$8M

Up to $8 million in professional liability insurance subject to policy limits.*

Nine staff attorney positions—more than any other Texas educators’ association.**

$1,300 average savings

2,400

Support from over 2,400 volunteers in school districts across Texas.

9 982 1M

ATPE staff attorneys bills tracked by ATPE lobbyists site visitors to TeachTheVote.org in professional liability insurance* volunteers across Texas on-demand PD courses

Exclusive discounts on everything from hotels to prescription drugs, saving members more than $1,300 a year on average.

Our lobbyists tracked 982 bills while covering more than 175 hearings over four sessions during 2021–22.

Engaged educators through Teach the Vote, ATPE’s comprehensive advocacy website, which has had over 1 million total site visitors.

92% 180

ATPE-PAC win ratio

More than 180 on-demand professional development courses available through the Professional Learning Portal.

ATPE-PAC supported 10 candidates in the 2022 Texas primaries—100% won or moved on to the next round—and 24 candidates in the 2022 Texas general election, with a 92% win ratio.***

*THE EDUCATORS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICY IS UNDERWRITTEN BY NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE CO. OF PITTSBURGH, PA. ALL COVERAGE IS SUBJECT TO THE EXPRESS TERMS OF THE MASTER INSURANCE POLICY ISSUED TO ATPE AND KEPT ON FILE AT THE ATPE STATE OFFICE. View insurance policy details at atpe.org/Legal-Benefits/Liability-Insurance. ATPE reserves the right to determine eligibility for the appropriate membership category. The membership year runs from Aug 1-July 31. **Staff attorney services are provided separate from the Educators Professional Liability Insurance Program.***ATPE-PAC solicits contributions only from members, employees, and their families. Participation in ATPE-PAC is voluntary.

The thousands of ATPE volunteers across Texas are the backbone of this association. Their hard work and dedication allow ATPE to serve the state’s largest community of educators. In this ongoing ATPE News series, we spotlight volunteers who set a great example of service to their fellow educators. NEXT UP: LAMARCUS WALLACE, transportation facilitator for Nacogdoches ISD, treasurer for Nacogdoches ATPE, and ATPE’s 2021–22 Campus Rep of the Year for local units with 201–500 members.

Wallace first joined ATPE because he saw that it was a community. “What I found in ATPE was that it was like a family,” Wallace recalls. “It was a group of people who understood my struggles on a daily basis. They were able to relate to what I was going through, whether in the classroom, the school buses, or the lunch lines. It’s just a group of people that understands my day to day.”

Wallace was inspired to recruit new members to ATPE so they might share in the benefits of this community. He has been able to leverage his outgoing personality to do just that.

“I have been blessed with a gift: I’m a connector of people,” Wallace says. “I can build a relationship with anyone.” A key part of building these relationships—and then recruiting people to join ATPE—is listening to them in order to present a personalized pitch. “I tailor it to the individual. I let them talk to me. I let them tell me what they’re passionate about. Then I will sell ATPE, but not before.”

Recruiting and building relationships may come naturally to Wallace, but he says many of his techniques are easy to replicate and use in your own recruiting efforts: “My advice would be to connect with your why. Why did you join? What makes you passionate about ATPE? Figure that out and share that. Once people connect with what made them sign up in the first place and share that with others, it’s easier to convince others to sign up. That is what motivated me to join.”

Wallace also reveals preparation and patience are the other keys to his recruiting success. First, he is prepared to meet common objections to joining.

“Some people are concerned about the price, spending $5 or $10 per paycheck,” Wallace explains. “I respond by asking them for three examples when they blew $5 on something frivolous. I will share that I routinely blow $5 on a bag of Doritos and a Dr Pepper. But with this money, you are getting something that can change and enhance your life. You are getting access to people who will support you if something goes wrong. You are getting people who advocate for you in Austin and Washington, D.C. That removes a lot of objections.”

Finally, if this approach does not work, Wallace does not press the issue. He focuses instead on creating a personal connection he believes will pay dividends in the future.

“If I don’t close the application, at least I have made a connection with that person. I’ll just come back a bit later. I just try to share my love of ATPE and how it will benefit them whenever they join.”

 INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ATPE VOLUNTEER? Reach out to ATPE’s Volunteer Program Coordinator at volunteer@atpe.org.