Governing Board Members Hear Legislative Priorities and How to Advocate for Schools

Geoff Esposito

Governing Board Members Hear Legislative Priorities and How to Advocate for Schools

ASBA introduced the top three legislative priorities going into the 2014 session, and provided some new tools to help advocate for public education.

The three priorities are 1) funding the implementation costs of the new Arizona standards, assessments and technology; 2) Fully fund voluntary full-day kindergarten statewide: and 3) Revise the school finance formula to adequately  fund schools.

The rest of the session, presented by Geoff Esposito, Governmental Relations Analyst for ASBA and Torri Anderson, Maricopa Unified and ASBA Pinal County Director, dealt with how to advocate for school issues in simple and convenient ways through digital media.

The ASBA website has a new advocacy page that makes it easy to reach out to legislators, and voice one’s opinions on key issues.  The tools are not only for board members, but for parents and educators, as well.  One section, www.azsba.org/take-action is particularly helpful, providing information and voting timetables of education bills, and email letter templates that can be personalized.  The site also provides the names and contact information of legislators.  Users can also sign up for legislative alerts that will allow advocates to cast their opinions at hearings, virtually, through The Arizona Legislative Information System (ALIS).  Audience members were given the ALIS “Request to Speak” sign up form.

The site has other resources, including information and training on Lobby Days, advocacy do’s and don’ts (don’t use your school e-mail, you can’t use school resources) and how to start a conversation with legislators.

“The power is with the parents, and it is now just one click away.  If we make it ready for them, it’s going to get done,” Anderson said, recalling her introducing the advocacy page to PTO members.   “Our representatives say they read those constituent opinions, and tally them.   Legislators are not scary, they are people just like you.”

ASPRA Reporter Craig Pletenik, Phoenix Union High School District