In the Interim

In

the Interim

Advocacy doesn’t have an off-season. Throughout the interim year, TPCSA cultivated relationships with lawmakers, State Board of Education members, and dozens of candidates who will shape the future of Texas public education. And, we saw fresh evidence that years of steady engagement are creating the right conditions for growth.

This spring, when the Texas House Committee on Public Education convened hearings on the state of education and expanding high-performing schools, TPCSA had a seat at the table. Our VP of government affairs, Bryce Adams, gave compelling invited testimony on the charter sector, while Elizabeth Goldsmith, founder and executive director of Thrive Center for Success, shared the importance of earlier funding projections.

Cynthia Trigg, CEO of Evolution Academy, was invited to represent dropout recovery charter schools. Though public charter schools serve an outsized portion of students seeking a second chance at success, they haven’t always had a voice.

Now, they do. With college and career readiness rates rivaling those of standard accountability schools, Evolution Academy blooms with the best.
It’s pretty hard to impress every member of the committee, but Ms. Trigg did it.

Changing Minds and Warming Hearts

Throughout the year, policy advisors and staffers for 43 state lawmaker offices joined our government affairs team for candid conversations about top myths circulating at the Capitol.

An October mythbusting tour took key legislative offices to IDEA Rundberg College Preparatory in North Austin. Built on the site of a former bowling alley, this A+ campus is now a beacon of opportunity in a neighborhood of underperforming schools — proving that students of all backgrounds can succeed at the highest levels. Staffers for Governor Abbott, House Speaker Burrows, and 10 other offices enjoyed the hospitality of IDEA’s student baristas.

clearing the way for

clearing the

way for

Each year, TPCSA dedicates hundreds of hours to pruning red tape and enriching the policy landscape. In 2025-26, we tackled more than 40 proposed regulations from the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education — and secured important wins — so that member schools spend less time in the weeds and more time changing lives.

Literary Works List: The SBOE recommended roughly 300 works for consideration, well exceeding the requirement of at least one literary work in each grade and specifying the year each must be taught.

Impact: We gave public testimony on the need to preserve curriculum autonomy and organized school advocacy efforts. Greater flexibility allows texts to be taught in earlier grades as part of advanced curricula, and the list was reduced by around 100 works.

ESA Implementation: Proposed comptroller rules required schools to provide proof of accreditation before becoming an approved provider.

Impact: Thanks to our public comments, the final rules require the comptroller to use electronic verification on the TEA website. This streamlines the process for schools that wish to serve families through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program.

ESA Implementation: Proposed comptroller rules required schools to provide proof of accreditation before becoming an approved provider.

DPS Process: Schools and TEA were wasting time on letters of good standing each time they needed access to the DPS background check system.

Impact: TPCSA engaged, and DPS updated its internal processes to remove the requirement.

DPS Process: Schools and TEA were wasting time on letters of good standing each time they needed access to the DPS background check system.

Impact: TPCSA engaged, and DPS updated its internal processes to remove the requirement.

Seed to Sprout:

Full Cycle SBOE Engagement

TPCSA provided comprehensive support for the Texas High School for Accelerated Learning as its leaders navigated the rigorous Gen. 31 charter approval process. When THSAL was awarded its charter in June, SBOE Members Brandon Hall and Julie Pickren were among the first to congratulate them.

charter

Unlocking the Power of Greater Facilities Funding

Before the passage of House Bill 2, Cedars Academy faced a dilemma. The school had outgrown its buildings, but securing a new home in East Austin was simply too expensive.

That’s why Dr. Leslie Sparacello, the superintendent, became the face of TPCSA’s 2024-25 facilities funding campaign. She repeatedly met with lawmakers and testified at the Capitol multiple times during the 2025 session.

In fall 2026, Cedars Academy began the year in its brand-new campus. In May, we even took a few legislative staffers to tour the new building and see the impact of their support during the 89th session. According to Dr. Sparacello, it’s a true Cinderella story — from cramped portable buildings and teaching in the cafeteria to ample classrooms with plenty of light and space for learning and play.

“We are absolutely, over-the-moon excited,” she shared. Two weeks later, trucks arrived to take Cedars to its new home.

For Cedars, additional facilities funding means the community can stay together. That means everything to parents like Brianna Everett, a Cedars graduate whose two sons are thriving at the school today. (She even met her husband at Cedars in middle school.)

Planting New Seeds for Success

Every public charter school should have access to the facilities its students deserve. Today, some traditional districts are bending over backward to prevent public charter schools from purchasing unused buildings. Our top priority in the 90th session will be to give charters the first right of refusal for vacant buildings and to prevent deed restrictions that block buyers of those buildings from using them as schools.

Planting New Seeds for Success

the long bough of advocacy

Policy change doesn’t happen in a single season. This timeline traces how each advocacy win for charter school facilities grew into the next — blossoming into reduced costs, more cash, and greater access to buildings ready to help kids learn.