The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments. ATPE members: Share your thoughts and ask our lobby team questions in The Rotunda on the ATPE Online Community. 

• From The Texas Tribune: Texans ask for eligibility fixes, stronger accountability in school voucher program
• Register to vote in the Nov. 4 election by Monday, Oct. 6
• Invite the ATPE Lobby Team to give an advocacy update at your local unit or region’s fall meeting
• Free College Application Week to take place Oct. 13–19
• Stay in the know and take action with ATPE’s member advocacy tools

ESA RULES: The Texas comptroller’s office held a public hearing Tuesday on proposed rules for the education savings account (ESA)/voucher program, after roughly 200 education advocates, parents and private schools submitted written testimony on the program over a 30-day period that concluded last week.  

ATPE submitted written comments to the Texas comptroller regarding implementation and administration of the program, citing concerns about unnecessary resource burdens, staffing, and class-size planning. ATPE has urged the comptroller to require that resident school districts be notified when a student is approved for ESA participation, as well as when a student exits ESA-funded schooling. 

Read more in this article republished from The Texas Tribune. 

VOTER REGISTRATION: Only three days remain to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election. A special election will be held to fill the 18th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House as well as the Texas Senate District 9 seat. Texans will also vote on 17 proposed state constitutional amendments and various local offices and ballot measures, including some school board races and propositions. Here are some important dates to keep in mind leading up to Election Day: 

• Monday, Oct. 6: Voter registration deadline 
• Monday, Oct. 20–Friday, Oct. 31: Early voting 
• Friday, Oct. 24: Last day to apply for ballot by mail 
• Tuesday, Nov. 4: Election Day 

ADVOCACY UPDATES: ATPE local units and regions are invited to request a virtual advocacy update at their fall meetings. Interested local units and regions may complete the ATPE Meeting Information Form to request a member of the ATPE Lobby Team speak at their event. Members are also encouraged to reach out with any advocacy questions in The Rotunda on the ATPE Online Community. 

FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION WEEK: Free College Application Week, which was created by Senate Bill 2231 during the 89th Legislature, requires all public colleges and universities in Texas to waive admission application fees for Texas residents who apply through ApplyTexas to undergraduate programs between Oct. 13–19, 2025. Learn more on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website.  

MEMBER ADVOCACY: Even when the Legislature’s not in session, we urge you to stay informed and engaged. Here are a few advocacy resources to check out: 

• Advocacy Central: Get in touch with your elected officials about the legislation impacting your profession.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed.   
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn state-level and local-level advocacy microcredentials, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so be sure to check it out today.    
• ATPE Professional Learning (PL) Portal: Three sessions from the 2025 ATPE Summit are available in the ATPE PL Portal: an HB 2 compensation overview, the ATPE lobby team’s advocacy update and the closing keynote by Jonathan Alsheimer. Log in to watch the recordings and earn 1.5 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit. (Jonathan Alsheimer’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists.) 
• The Rotunda: Don’t forget, members, that you can interact with your ATPE lobby team throughout the week when you log in to the ATPE Online Community.