Based in Austin, TX
Chelsea Venegas
Educational Advocate
Chelsea Venegas is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
- From $175 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
IEP advocates in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Brownsville. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an IEP advocate is
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Brownsville schools are offering enough.
Before and after a Brownsville IEP meeting
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Brownsville team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Brownsville as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
David Gonzales
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
- From $50 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Midland, TX
Kate Keenan
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
- From $75 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual advocates who work with Texas families
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Texas schools
Ms. Dixon, Psy.S.
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
- Anxiety, ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $100 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in Kansas City, MO · works with Texas schools
Diane Plunkett
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
- Behavioral & Emotional, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Early Childhood
- From $150 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Harrisburg, PA · works with Texas schools
Boaz Gregory
Special Education Advocate
I’m a special education teacher with experience supporting students with behavioral, intellectual, and learning needs.
- From $100 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
The district behind a Brownsville IEP
51 public schools inside Brownsville belong to Brownsville ISD. Each one has its own case manager and its own backlog, and the answer you get about scheduling depends on which building your child attends.
An Amarillo parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
- District Brownsville ISD
- County Cameron County
- Public schools inside Brownsville 51
- Size Brownsville is the 18th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Midland, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Brownsville addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
If the Brownsville team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
No license, no required certification
The Texas Education Agency oversees special education in Texas. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Where advocacy stops
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Brownsville. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
Who serves Brownsville today
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Texas rules is usually a better hire for Brownsville than a local one who does not.
Experience with Brownsville ISD matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Brownsville IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Brownsville, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Brownsville, Texas?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Who runs special education for Brownsville schools?
Brownsville ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Brownsville students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What should a records request say?
Ask for the full file, which means every evaluation, the progress data behind each goal and any email where the school said no. Put it in writing and keep the date.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Brownsville.
Sources for the Texas rules on this page
- 19 TAC Chapter 89, Subchapter AA, currently in effect (TEA) (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1))
- TEA, Full and Individual Initial Evaluation timeline (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1) and Tex. Educ. Code 29.004(a)(1))
- TEA special education complaints process
- TEA special education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Before you contact anyone
You are not limited to advocates inside Brownsville. The closest listed office is in Midland, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Free calls are common. Use them to compare people, not to collect advice for nothing.
