Letter
Dear colleagues, family and friends
Greetings and abrazos!
As many of you know, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2021, two years after my retirement as IDRA President and CEO. It has now been more than four years of ongoing successful treatment. I am blessed to have spent this time enjoying my family, continuing to teach Zen, and supporting the invaluable work of IDRA in the role of President Emerita.
Federal Alert
• Students Betrayed by Federal Vouchers in Colossal Bill Passed by Congress
• Mass Firing Plans at Education Department Sparks Legal Battle
• Supreme Court Leaves in Place Oklahoma Ruling Denying State Charter School Funding to Religious Schools
Federal Alert
The federal government is withholding billions of dollars of funds promised to public schools across the country. Congress appropriated $6.8 billion for this fiscal year for programs that support educator training, English language acquisition, academic enrichment programs, education for migrant students, family engagement, and after-school and summer programs. State and federal laws require schools to educate all children and to provide learning programs and other opportunities that ensure students have equal access to a high-quality education. Federal funds are essential to protecting students’ civil rights. The federal government was supposed to release funds for these programs by July 1 so that state education agencies and school districts can accurately budget, plan for the summer and academic year, and provide critical services to students, teachers and families.
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IDRA Newsletter
- A Message from Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President Emerita
- Legislature Dances the Texas Three-Step: Defund, Demonize, Privatize Public Education
- Policy Whiplash in Georgia – The 2025 Session Delivered Education Gains, Losses and Looming Threats
- Civic Changemakers – Students and Advocates Join Forces at the Georgia Capito
- Coalitions Represent Communities Across the U.S. South
On Wednesday evening, a federal judge ruled the Texas Dream Act unconstitutional, halting access to in-state tuition for undocumented students. That decision came just hours after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the state seeking to end the Texas law. The Texas Attorney General sided with the DOJ instead of defending the state’s own policy.
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Alert
The 89th Texas Legislative session has wrapped up, and certain lawmakers spent those 140 days doing what we call the “Texas Three Step:” defunding public schools; demonizing them by attacking educators and what students can learn; and privatizing public education through private school vouchers. Despite a litany of attacks, IDRA and our partners stood strong in the face of billionaire-backed campaigns to harm students’ freedom to learn and ram through vouchers against most Texans’ wishes. We advocated alongside San Antonio educators who had lived through failed local voucher experiments and shared their stories on why vouchers hurt our communities most.
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eNews
Six students received prizes in a competition among participants in the IDRA Youth Leadership Now program, an asset-based leadership development program serving eighth-grade students who are deemed at risk of dropping out. In a reflection contest for YLN students in multiple school districts in Texas, the tutors wrote about how the program helped them do better in school and how they had helped their tutees to do better.
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eNews
Three students received prizes in a competition among participants in the IDRA VisionCoders program, an eighth-grade computer science course developed by IDRA serving Title I middle schools in Bexar County. In this innovative course, middle school students who are in at-risk situations become software designers who create educational games for younger students (their “buddies”).
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eNews
“I felt like I had a place to go where I was always welcomed.” – Kristina Espino, Odessa High School
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eNews
Students are still being hit in schools. That could finally end. The Protecting Our Students in Schools Act would end corporal punishment in all public schools receiving federal funds
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Alert
• IDRA Equipped Georgia Advocates to Defend Public Education
• Long Debate on School Safety and Discipline Results in Mixed Bag Legislation
• Charter Legislation Passes, Voucher Expansion Stalls
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ban Defeated – For Now
• Georgia’s Education Budget Funds Vouchers First, Mental Health and Poverty Support Second
• Partners Pushed Against Key Bills Affecting Education and Youth
• Spotlight: Coalition and Community Work in Georgia
eNews
Every student deserves a learning environment that fosters growth and belonging, where they are safe and free from harm. But, such a learning environment is not possible if corporal punishment is allowable under the guise of “discipline.” 20 states still permit corporal punishment in schools, where approximately 70,000 children were hit during 2017-18 alone.
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As the Texas and Georgia legislative sessions proceed, we are committed to achieving equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to succeed in college and life.
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Statement
The Texas House passed Senate Bill 2, a $10 billion voucher bill that would threaten resources for the public schools that serve 5.5 million Texas children. SB 2 vouchers would support private school costs for a small number of families, with very few requirements for public accountability and transparency.
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News
Barriers to access college are a longstanding challenge for Texas students from underrepresented backgrounds. Federal and state restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion introduced new barriers. IDRA released a preliminary report this month from its study of the impact of Texas Senate Bill 17’s ban on college diversity, equity and inclusion offices in 2023 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that same year to significantly limit race-conscious admissions in higher education on marginalized college-going students.
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Statement
President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education – a move that jeopardizes critical funding, programs, and protections for students in public schools and colleges across the country. We must not go back to the days of leaving it to the states to enforce federal constitutional rights.
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New Report
State legislatures across the U.S. South are acting on policies that significantly impact education equity. IDRA has released a new report outlining key legislative actions taken last year and previewing the current year.
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eNews
Inside
• Call your congressperson to tell them what public schools mean to you.
• Schedule a visit with your congressperson during the March recess.
• Schedule a meeting with your congressperson to urge them to oppose federal vouchers.
• Toolkits ready to use!
New Data Map
As the Texas Senate began its discussions of a voucher bill, see the potential loss of funding to your school district.
• Houston ISD could lose $75 million
• Dallas ISD could lose $57 million
• Cypress-Fairbanks ISD could lose $48 million
• Northside ISD could lose $41 million
• Katy ISD could lose $38.8 million
eNews
These students wrote a petition, gathered signatures and took their case to the school board
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Podcast Episode
As activities to divert public money to private schools grow across the country and at the national level, the Texas leadership is pushing hard to establish its own voucher program. This is despite public outcry for strengthened and fully funded public education. And it is taking place in the midst of much misinformation about the proposed program.
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Federal Policy Brief
IDRA believes in the inherent value of all children, the power and promise of public education as a critical public good, and the right of every child living in this country to attend an excellent public school. Much of education policy and practice is shaped in states and local communities. But the federal government plays a critical role in ensuring all children have access to an excellent public education. Though a shift in presidential administrations and congressional leadership can result in changes to the policies and procedures of the federal government, it does not change the core rights and protections guaranteed to every student in the United States.
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eNews
A multiracial, intergenerational coalition of advocates filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging a Texas appellate court to end a Houston-area school district’s years-long practice of discriminating against Black students wearing racially and culturally significant hairstyles.
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eNews
Brownsville ISD middle school students who are in at-risk situations will become the next generation of technology leaders through an innovative project called IDRA Youth TechXperts™. Through this in-school program, eighth-grade students will gain cutting-edge STEM skills while also fostering leadership, inclusivity and real-world experience.
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eNews
Whether you are a student seeking to make a difference, a family advocating changes to your child’s education, an educator striving for inclusive classrooms, or a policymaker at any level driving change, the IDRA SEEN Model Policy Shop is your hub for actionable policies and resources.
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eNews
Contact
5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78228
Phone: 210-444-1710
Fax: 210-444-1714
