Ector County ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Odessa. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
4 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Odessa and College Station 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.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Odessa team ever sits down.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
No advocate in this directory lists Odessa as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
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.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Based in San Antonio, TX
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
Based in Katy, TX
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
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
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…
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
My name is Jalani Traxler and I have loved teaching sense I myself was a student with an IEP receiving my own accommodations in elementary school.
Virtual · based in Hawthorne, NJ · works with Texas schools
IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy
I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.
Ector County ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Odessa students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
A College Station parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Texas district has 45 school days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Odessa 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.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Odessa IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
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.
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Odessa cases, so read the service area on each of the 4 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in an Ector County ISD meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Odessa, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Odessa, 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.
Do I need an advocate for a routine annual review?
No fixed trigger exists. The useful test is whether you can tell from the paperwork what the school is actually offering, and whether the last thing you asked for came back in writing.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Texas?
Yes. IDEA, the federal special education law, requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows alternative means such as video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not have to live nearby.
Who runs special education for Odessa schools?
Ector County ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Odessa students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and related services under IDEA. A 504 plan provides accommodations under a civil rights law and does not require specialized instruction. Eligibility rules differ, so a child can qualify for one and not the other.
Official Texas links for parents in Odessa.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Texas rules apply in College Station, League City, Pearland, Richardson and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
You are not limited to advocates inside Odessa. The closest listed office is in Midland, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Ector County ISD progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
