The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• Senate Committee on Finance discusses student enrollment trends
• Texas Parent PAC releases list of endorsements for the 2024 general election
• Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 21
• Listen to the latest ATPE Podcast episode on the November general election
• Sign up for the first ATPE-MAP course

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SENATE FINANCE: The Senate Committee on Finance met Wednesday, Oct. 9, to discuss student enrollment trends. The committee heard testimony from several education stakeholders but did not invite anyone to testify from the perspective of public school districts, educators, or parents. ATPE submitted written testimony examining the possible causes behind the shift in student enrollment, including the rise in homeschooling, micro-schools, and other parental choice options. ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield provides details in this blog post.

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ENDORSEMENTS: Texas Parent PAC, a bipartisan political action committee for parents, grandparents, parents-to-be, and anyone who supports high-quality public education, released its list of endorsements for the 2024 general election today. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave has more in this blog post.

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EARLY VOTING: Early voting starts in just 10 days. If you’re registered to vote in the 2024 general election, keep these dates in mind as Election Day approaches: 

• Monday, Oct. 21: Early voting begins 
• Friday, Oct. 25: Ballot-by-mail deadline (receipt, not postmark) 
• Friday, Nov. 1: Last day of early voting 
• Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day 

You can also visit vote411.org to build a sample ballot to take with you to the polls. Keep in mind that voters cannot use cell phones within 100 feet of voting stations; however, you can print a copy of your sample ballot to take with you when you vote. 

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THE ATPE PODCAST: In the latest episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter and ATPE Managing Editor David George discuss the importance of registering to vote and showing up to the polls in the November general election. Listen to the podcast here.

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ATPE-MAP: Don’t forget to sign up for the first course in the ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP), “Introduction to Advocacy.” Click here for a quick tutorial on how to add a course to your wishlist on the ATPE Professional Learning Portal. Once you’ve added the course to your wishlist, you’ll receive an email notifying you when the course is released in the next few weeks. Learn more about this comprehensive advocacy experience.

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