Congratulations to hundreds of thousands of Texas public school graduates and the millions of family members, teachers, and school staff celebrating their successes as we reach the end of the school year!
Our Schools Our Democracy in Action
Last month, OSOD and the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency shared new resources at a House Public Education interim hearing on the state of Texas public education. Catch up with our testimony and explore all of our latest public resources:
- Mapping school closures: OSOD mapped over 100 campuses statewide that school districts have announced or approved for closure. We continue to meet with community members to connect the dots between education privatization and the devastating statewide trend of school closures.
- More options on paper than in practice: In an initial review of private schools accepting vouchers in four legislative districts, TXCVT found that access to private education remains conditional and unequal for many families.
- Unlimited charter expansion: Following up on our landmark report on 30 years of charter schools in Texas, OSOD has begun releasing regional-level research to help parents and the public see the impact of unlimited charter expansion in their communities. Read our first two regional fact sheets for San Antonio and Region One.
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News You Can Use
Find more news and resources at https://osod.org/news/.
- Voucher transparency: As Texas’ private school voucher program continues its rocky rollout, public school leaders are raising the alarm about the rise of special education evaluations for families seeking additional voucher funding for students with disabilities. The state did not provide enough funding for public school districts to complete these additional evaluations, leaving both voucher applicants and Texas public school families frustrated with the additional burden on schools.
- Charter watch: Commissioner Morath announced that he will propose just one new charter applicant to the State Board of Education for a final vote at the board’s June meeting. The single proposed applicant, Texas High School for Accelerated Learning, plans to locate in Aldine and Spring ISDs if approved by the SBOE. Read our latest press release for more information.
- Takeover tracker: Parents in Fort Worth ISD continue to organize in response to the state takeover. Experienced educators in the district are also speaking out with concerns about AI-written curriculum.
Our Schools Our Stories
OSOD got the chance to visit Region One last month and hear directly from local leaders about some of the amazing programs in public school districts regionwide. View the full Our Schools, Our Stories collection and submit your own story to add your school to the map!
- Brownsville ISD: Congratulations to seven Brownsville ISD middle schoolers who built their own electric race car and placed third in a national STEM competition! The BISD team was the only all-girls team in the competition.
- Hidalgo ISD: Students interested in aviation can earn their Private Pilot Certification through Hidalgo ISD’s innovative Private Pilot Program that launched this school year.
- United ISD: Student and parent interviews highlighted by United ISD show why Texas families trust and choose their neighborhood public schools, from award-winning teachers to special education services to a wide range of extracurriculars based on student interests.
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For our schools and our democracy,
Maggie Stern
Director of Community Engagement