Texas Charter Schools Association

High-achieving public charter schools across Texas need a lasting policy and advocacy foundation to defend their position and extend opportunities to more students. We are committed to creating and maintaining a regulatory and policy landscape that allows public charter schools of all shapes, sizes, and missions to flourish. Through a multifaceted advocacy plan, which includes large-scale outreach, sustained coordination, and grassroots mobilization, we are making sure that charter schools have a voice whenever education policy decisions are made—at the TEA, the Texas Legislature, and the State Board of Education. Measurable goals include annual growth in charter school enrollment, school engagement in advocacy actions, passage of policy priorities, additional funding available to charter schools, and more high-quality public charter schools approved to expand.

Our primary strategy is building a diverse coalition in support of public charter schools, so we can reach decision-makers through myriad channels. We equip families and educators with resources, training, and opportunities to engage policymakers. We also strengthen the advocacy capacity of charter school leaders, staff, and board members across Texas. By helping charter school stakeholders connect with key decision-makers, we create the opportunity for parents, teachers, and school leaders to advocate on behalf of their own children and schools.

Another strategy is maintaining a robust, statewide communications effort on behalf of the entire public charter school community. To ensure that public charter schools are well represented in the media and at the Capitol, we conduct timely and in-depth research into the charter community's successes and challenges, collect success stories from around the state, and share our findings across a variety of channels. Our communications strategy includes equipping supporters and schools with effective key messaging and other resources—an important aspect of our work to educate the public and policymakers about the tremendous value of public charter schools.

Another piece of our strategy is directly engaging with and educating Texas legislative and regulatory agencies on behalf of public charter schools. We inform policymakers about student outcomes, introduce them to charters in their communities, and help them develop policies that benefit all public school children. When laws and regulations impact schools’ ability to provide quality education opportunities, we ensure decision-makers have the facts.

Finally, we provide charter-specific training and resources to our member schools, to help them remain excellent and compliant. Often, this means helping schools navigate complex regulations set by the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education, or new laws passed by the Texas Legislature. Helping schools stay compliant is critical because Texas has the strictest closure law in the country.

Founded in 2008 as a member services association, TPCSA has supported thriving Texas charter schools for 15 years. In 2017, after identifying a need within the Texas public charter community, we embarked on a journey to provide public charter schools with the robust policy and advocacy foundation needed to flourish. TPCSA is the only organization in Texas dedicated to protecting and improving charter school funding, autonomy and growth. As the only group in the state with this focus, we are uniquely qualified to lead this work. We are fully staffed, with regional advocacy directors engaging charter schools in five metropolitan areas across Texas. Nationally and statewide, we have established ourselves as charter school policy and regulatory experts for a variety of stakeholders. Other charter organizations across the country are looking to our programs, such as the Advocacy Leadership Institute, as a model.

Over the past five years, we have established, tested, and fortified the infrastructure needed to execute on our goals. Along the way, we have also racked up some significant wins on behalf of the charter school community.

In 2021, TPCSA elevated the charter school voice above noisy policy debates and pandemic-related chaos during the 87th Texas Legislative Session. Our coalition defeated every bill that would have harmed charter schools, and we prevented cuts to public charter school funding—successes that will prepare more students for enriching careers and keep millions of dollars in charter school classrooms. Since 2021, we have deepened our relationship with the Texas Education Agency and increased engagement in its regulatory work. We have succeeded in getting TPCSA added to the list of education advocacy groups used by TEA for early stakeholder engagement, ensuring the charter voice is now represented at the decision-making table in a way that was never possible before. In 2022, after a full year of feedback from member schools and partners, we established a multi-year policy and regulatory vision—a first for the Texas charter school community. Throughout the 88th Legislative Session in spring 2023, we are working to further these policy priorities.

Over the next five years, we envision a healthy charter community that is consistently growing and made up of highly rated schools. As the voice for Texas charter schools, we will work toward maintaining and supporting an active base of members across the state. Internally, we are creating a healthy, financially stable organization where employees are engaged and goals are regularly measured and met. After the recent strategic hire of a vice president for charter expansion, we will focus on improving the regulatory climate so that excellent schools are better supported to expand.