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 El Paso, Texas
El Paso ISD staff run the IEP meetings in El Paso. 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.
Families in El Paso and Arlington run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
Before and after an El Paso 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 an El Paso 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 El Paso 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 Coraopolis, PA · works with Texas schools
Brittany Maurizi
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- From $75 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Texas schools
Lyndon Parker
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
- From $65 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
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
The district behind an El Paso IEP
71 public schools inside El Paso belong to El Paso 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.
Parents in Arlington face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
- District El Paso ISD
- County El Paso County
- Public schools inside El Paso 71
- Size El Paso is the 6th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Austin, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. El Paso 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.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the El Paso school counts as 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.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Texas Education Agency does, and only after someone files one in writing.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Who serves El Paso today
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking El Paso cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Experience with El Paso ISD matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
El Paso IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in El Paso, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in El Paso, Texas?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Texas?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Who runs special education for El Paso schools?
Most El Paso families work with El Paso ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
Nearly every advocate on this page takes both. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings and school compliance, and ask the school in writing before you bring anyone to a 504 meeting.
What should a records request say?
Ask in writing and address it to the district rather than the front office. Schools have to let parents inspect the education records they keep, and inspection has to happen before the next IEP meeting.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in El Paso.
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.
Nearby cities in Texas
The same Texas rules apply in Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Before you contact anyone
If nobody here fits, check the Arlington page next. The same Texas rules apply there.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
