- Choice on Paper, Not in Practice: After releasing our new report on barriers to voucher-accepting private schools, we held a free public webinar to share the latest updates on Texas vouchers. Watch the full recording on our website.
- No blank check for vouchers: Executive Director Carrie Griffith and TXCVT Director Dee Carney joined public school advocates to testify against the Comptroller’s request to expand taxpayer funding on vouchers from the current $1 billion to potentially $4.4 billion. This hearing was a funding request – not a vote or an appropriation. Use our No Blank Check toolkit to testify, email, call, and share the facts about Texas’ voucher program.
- OSOD on the road: Throughout September, OSOD staff were grateful to join parents, teachers, and community members at events across the state. From community conversations in Carrollton-Farmers Branch and San Antonio to the MASBA and Network for Public Education conferences, we shared our work and heard how strong public schools matter for every Texas family.
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News You Can Use
Find more news and resources at https://osod.org/news/.
- Vouchers: Texas media including the Dallas Morning News continue to report on the 27,500 families who have opted out of the voucher program. Despite high levels of families opting out, the Comptroller is requesting another $4.4 billion from the legislature next session to fund the voucher program.
- Charters: One year after the Texas State Board of Education rejected a charter application by Alpha School and its AI-powered 2 Hour Learning platform, ProPublica reported on 30 Alpha-affiliated virtual and in-person campuses that have been accepted into Texas’ voucher program. OSOD testified against the charter application in June 2025.
- State takeovers: The Texas Tribune found that over a dozen Texas public school districts are at risk of triggering Texas’ takeover law next year. Meanwhile, parents continue to raise concerns about rigid curriculum and the high costs associated with takeovers.
- School closures: North East ISD became the latest district to identify schools for possible closure due in part to declining enrollment. OSOD’s latest school closure map continues to track school closures as a statewide trend.
Our Schools Our Stories
Texans support our public schools because public schools support our communities. View the full Our Schools, Our Stories collection and submit your story to add your school to the map!
- Killeen ISD Digital Audio and TV/AV students were invited to a behind-the-scenes visit to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Crusader Stadium where they learned how the skills they learn in class are handled in a professional field.
- Big Spring ISD Aviation, Architecture and Construction students visited the Wind Energy Transmission Texas (WETT) field office, learning more about the field of energy transmission. WETT also offers an apprenticeship program for students after graduation..
- Mission CISD students got hands-on experience through summer internships with local businesses, where they explored career pathways and developed professional and technical skills through the Mission Ready Internship Program.
- United ISD middle school students are getting earlier opportunities to develop skills in engineering and technology with the Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory on campus.
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For our schools and our democracy,
Maggie Stern
Director of Community Engagement