IDRA

"The program, which promises $10,000 to qualifying families per student, was championed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Hinojosa’s opponent in the primary. The vouchers are paid for by Texas taxpayers. "

Vouchers are a scam. Just another way for rich people to avoid paying taxes that oh, might benefit their public schools

Majority of Texas school voucher applicants already attend private schools, data shows Gov. Greg Abbott waves to the crowd during a Houston tour stop to drum up support for school vouchers. Editor's Note: This article was updated to clarify

“Nearly three-quarters of the 152,389 Texas students whose families applied to enroll in the state’s school voucher program already attended private campuses this year,“ #txlege
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/majority-of-texas-school-voucher-applicants-already-attend-private-schools-data-shows/

Special thanks to our sponsors: San Antonio Spurs, IBC Bank, Alamo Colleges, St. Philip’s, & Moak Casey!

The future STEM leaders of San Antonio are here! ✨
 
Today IDRA is here at St. Philip’s College for our 2026 Alamo STEM Youth Summit! An event that brings together 300 middle and high schools students together for a powerful day of hands-on STEM learning! #SanAntonioSTEM

Effective Investment in Early Education – IDRA Research Brief Texas’ early education allotment supports Pre-K and K-3 reading and math. This brief examines funding use and student outcome trends.

Proud to share this #research brief on TX #earlyeducation funding by @idraedu.bsky.social showing:

🧑‍🎓 Investments increase student readiness for K-3

📊 Emergent bilingual students performed higher in PK reading in key districts

⚒️ Fixes still needed

#prek #bilingualed

www.idra.org/education_po...

Last week, students, parents, and community advocates came together for Protect Public Education Day of Action hosted by Fund Georgia’s Future & the Georgia Coalition for Education Justice!

Special thanks to our Fund Georgia's Future partners, for helping to make the day such a success. #gapol

🚨TODAY, the Georgia House will debate HB 1023, a bill that would require weapons detection systems at school entrances, despite little evidence they make schools safer.

➡️ Use our form to contact your House Rep and urge them to vote NO on HB 1023. #gapol

idra.news/SayNotoHB1023

Exclusive: HISD has lost nearly 4,000 immigrant students amid ICE fears HISD's immigrant student population fell for the first time since COVID this school year. Experts say families are staying home as they fear ICE enforcement.

"Schools have a constitutional responsibility to serve all students, including immigrant students. And that means developing a school climate that is safe not only for students, but also for their adult caregivers," - Paige Duggins-Clay, IDRA #txlege
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Proud to have @idraedu.bsky.social & TLEEC support students in their right to free speech as they walkout of classes across TX and the country this past week. The stakes are high but the youth are strong ✊

idra-resource.center/TLEECSupport...

🚨 ACTION ALERT:

To easily send a message to your House Rep opposing SB 74 and the criminalization of librarians, click here: secure.ngpvan.com/Yc1dv8o4M0aW...

It's time our lawmakers start focusing on the real issues impacting Georgians' lives and leave scapegoating LGBTQ people in the past!

Mikayla Arciaga with @idraedu.bsky.social is explaining the process of book challenges:

"Our concern is that there are not clear guidelines... we have jumped straight from adding standards of what you want to see to adding criminal penalties... We have time in this session to do our due diligence."

132 CAP This is "132 CAP" by Georgia House of Representatives on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

SB 74 is up right now in the Judiciary Non-Civil House Committee. Criminalizing librarians with bills like SB 74 would chill access to constitutionally protected speech, undermine public institutions, and invite costly litigation. #gapol

Watch live: vimeo.com/1162300445?f...

Texans can learn from other states what can happen when voucher programs grow without guardrails and adequate oversight: budget deficits, misuse of public funds, and limited improvement in student outcomes.

#txlege #txed

A public hearing SB 74 scheduled for Thursday, February 5th at 3:30pm, in room 132 CAP with the House Judicial Non-Civil Committee. The room is in the basement of the Capitol Building. You may attend the hearing or if you are unable to attend, please bring your state-issued ID.

☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️Time Sensitive! Make your call to protect librarians and our libraries from interference and overreach. Librarians are professionals who should be trusted to use the training they have to do the job we depend on them to do! Share this post!!!

indivisiblegeorgiacoalition.org/2026/02/04/s...

This week, the Texas private school voucher program goes live to families across the state.

We call on state leaders to fairly fund our neighborhood public schools instead of sending more money to an already billion dollar voucher program. #txlege

idra.news/TxVoucherWatch

If the majority party is not trying to censor gay people for simply existing (in literature), they should stop progressing legislation which uses an antiquated definition of harmful. #GaPol

Georgia librarians could face criminal charges for ‘harmful materials’  • Georgia Recorder Librarians and education advocates are warning that a bill moving through the state Legislature could cause Georgia’s librarians to self-censor controversial materials and lead to more challenges on b...

@mikaylaarciaga.bsky.social Georgia advocacy director at the IDRA, a non-profit educational advocacy group, said that could lead to books with passing references to LGBTQ characters to accusations of obscenity. #SB74 #gapol
georgiarecorder.com/2026/02/03/g...

Proud to partner with @idraedu.bsky.social and Texans across the state for the Voucher Week of Action!

#DefendPublicEducation

We are joining @osodtexas.bsky.social & public education supporters across the state for a week of action from February 2 to February 6 to call on the state to put transparency first, protect taxpayer dollars, and ensure fairness for public school students. ✏️ #txlege
bit.ly/VoucherWeekO...

Are you ready to join the Voucher Week of Action next week?

Check out the toolkit at bit.ly/VoucherWeekOfAction and get ready to:
🏫 Celebrate our Texas public schools
📧 Contact your Texas lawmaker
✏️ Write an op-ed to your local paper

UPDATE: Due to the threat of inclement weather, we have made the decision to switch tomorrow's advocacy training to VIRTUAL ONLY.

Anyone registered for the in-person event MUST additionally register for the virtual option to receive the Zoom information: www.georgiaequality.org/advocacy2026

All Risk, No Reward for Public Ed: What’s Ahead for the Federal Voucher Program pfps.org/all-risk,-no...

Georgia’s voucher programs are riddled with gaps in accountability, transparency, and effectiveness. We need to get our house (and senate) in order before we go adding more privatization.

Read our whole statement here: prod.cdn.everyaction.com/emails/van/E...

#GaPol #EduPol

This week, Gov. Kemp announced that Georgia will opt into a federal private school voucher program that provides tax credits to donors to voucher organizations in the state. He made this decision without public input with the legislature.

Georgia students deserve better. #gapol

ELC’s #MakingTheGrade shows vast regional differences in public school funding across the country. New York, the highest-funded state, spends about 2.5 times as much on K–12 education as Idaho, the lowest-funded state. Read more: edlawcenter.org/wp-content/u...

This Feb 2-Feb 6, join public education supporters for a statewide voucher week of action.

Together, we can show that Texans demand transparency, accountability, and fairness for public school students. Join the next phase of the fight: bit.ly/KeepVouchersOut.

#txed

Thanks to @josephinelee.bsky.social for telling this important story. We reminded legislators all last session that this voucher program would discriminate against students.

Now, it's happening right in front of our eyes.