Rally Day 2025 Legacy in Action
Advocacy is at the heart of the PTA’s mission, and you represent the voice of Texas parents, students, teachers, and schools. From local campuses to the steps of the Capitol, your efforts drive meaningful change. Even though the House and Senate will not convene for the next legislative session until January 2025, the Texas PTA Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors start preparing months in advance. We want to make you sure you are preparing too.
- Mark your calendars for Rally Day in Austin on February 24, 2025.
- Listen to Rally Day Webinar #1: Planning
- Listen to Rally Day Webinar #2: Legislative Priorities
- Register for Rally Day Webinar #3: Meeting with Legislators, January 16, 2025 @Noon
Tentative Event Schedule
| 9:00 | Doors Open | Addresses coming soon! |
| 9:30-11:15 | Texas PTA Adult Caucus | |
| Texas PTA Student Caucus | ||
| 11:30-12:00 | Texas PTA Rally | |
| 12:00 | On your own: meetings with your legislators, lunch, Capitol tours, etc. | |
Event Resources
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Apparel |
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| Hashtag | #TXPTARally25 |
| Rally Day Toolkit | Click here to access the toolkit |
Learn About Texas PTA's Legislative Priorities
Click here to learn more about Texas PTA's legislative priorities.
A Look Back at Rally Day 2023 In-Person & In-Sync
Thank you to the many PTA members who gathered from across our great state to converge in Austin and amplify our voice for Rally Day! On February 27, 2023, during the 88th Texas Legislative Session, some 1,500 parents, students, educators, and community leaders filled the grounds of the Capitol to rally and petition state legislators to support Texas PTA’s legislative priorities: fund school based on enrollment, not attendance; oppose vouchers; address the teacher shortage and retention crisis; support student mental wellness; and reform the school rating system.
The energy our members brought to the halls of the Capitol was truly electric and sent the message loud and clear that we’re fighting for Every Child, with One Voice.
We are grateful to the legislators, staffers, and students who enriched Rally Day 2023 as speakers and caucus panelists:
- State Senator José Menéndez
- State Representatives James Talarico, Ken King, Gina Hinojosa, Steve Allison, Brad Buckley, Caroline Harris, and Rhetta Bowers
- TEA’s Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Alejandro Delgado
- Education Policy Advisor for Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Chris Duke
- Chief of Staff for Representative Salman Bhojani, Brianna Menard
- Chief of Staff for Representative Hugh Shine, Annie Jamaritz
- Student panelists Julian Coleman (Plano ISD), Evalynn Hoffmann (Northside ISD), Emma Hoskin (Round Rock ISD)
A special thank you to the incredible student performers, the Round Rock High School (Round Rock ISD) Marching Band and Canyon Lake High School (Comal ISD) Cheerleaders.
We also want to celebrate the 56 PTAs scattered throughout Texas that joined us in recruiting more members on the Road to Rally Day, adding nearly 8,000 new PTA members to our ranks!
Rally Day 2023 Slideshow:
Rally Day 2023 Media Coverage:
Rally Day History
We have had a significant presence at the state Capitol since Texas PTA President Ida Caddell Marrs (1920-22) worked with Annie Webb Blanton, Superintendent of Public Instruction, under Governor William P. Hobby, to establish a permanent office, inside the Department of Education, and hire our first staff member. Legislative priorities included providing students textbooks at no charge, improving conditions of rural schools, involving parents in public education decisions, and increasing school funding.
In 1976, Texas PTA hosted the first “PTA Day at the Capitol.” The legislative program supported giving funding of public education the highest priority, lowering pupil-to-teacher ratios, and parent education program for grades K-12.
Texas House Representative Rob Eissler adopted a resolution naming February 3, 2011, as Texas PTA Rally Day at the Capitol. That year our legislative priorities included pursuing an adequate and equitable solution for school funding, strengthening penalties for cyberbullying, and supporting programs to fight obesity. With his resolution and under the leadership of President Sharon Goldblatt (2010-2012) our biannual event had a new name and we have been rallying communities to back the future of Texas ever since.