Making Advocacy a Habit
Waiting until there is a crisis in Madison or Washington, D.C. is definitely not the right approach. Effective advocacy is a biennial job. To win in the advocacy game, you need to work throughout the legislative session to develop and nurture relationships with legislators and key staff members. Generally, this requires creating an advocacy policy for your school district that states explicitly your commitment to advocacy for education as well as following up with regular activity. A Sample of a Two-Year Advocacy Strategy First Year of the Biennium January - Start of State Legislative Session (odd-numbered years) Adopt a policy that includes advocating for education. The policy establishes an advocacy process with a point person and a media contact. The point person should have authority to contact legislators on the board's behalf and provide updates on legislative issues at board meetings. The media contact communicates through a news release on the board's policy positions. Attend the State Education Convention in Milwaukee to learn about legislative issues. Listen for the Governor's State of the State Address and the implications it will have on public education in Wisconsin. Relay any requests for legislation to legislators as early in the session as possible.
February - School Visits March/April - Day at the Capitol Attend the WASB's Day at the Capitol to receive an update on state budget activity from legislative leaders and to lobby your legislators on budget issues. Follow up with a letter to the editor of your newspaper or an opinion piece on the needs in your school district and the effect the state budget could have on them. Set up a roundtable discussion on school and state budget issues with your legislators. Invite the media. Testify before the Joint Finance Committee regarding your district's financial needs. Watch for WASB updates on budget activity.
May/June - Budget Action Contact your legislators to express support or opposition to the budget approved by the Joint Finance Committee. Meet with your local editorial board to share your concerns about the budget. Communicate with local community leaders to highlight the bottom-line impact of the state budget on your district. Call your legislators just before the vote to remind them of your concerns, and thank them for their responsiveness in the past.
July/August - Post-Budget/Back to School Thank legislators for their supportive budget vote or to follow up if their vote didn't go your way. Invite your legislators to speak at a back-to-school event. Invite your legislators to the annual school meeting. Send notices to the media about the event and the legislators who will attend.
September/November - Committee Work Testify before a legislative committee that is holding a hearing on an issue of importance to your district. Express any concerns you may have on particular bills to your legislators and work with them to resolve any problems that may develop. Watch for WASB updates.
December - First Year Wrap-Up Second Year of the Beinnium January/March - Final Months of State Legislative Session/Start of New Federal Budget Process (even-numbered years)
April/May - Request Governor's Support June/July - Summer Wrap-Up Assess accomplishments and identify areas to be worked on in the next session. Thank your legislators publicly at a board meeting or other event for their support. Write a letter to your local editorial board, outlining your legislators' education accomplishments.
August/November - Elections Attend forums and get to know candidates for your legislative districts. Question them on their knowledge of education issues and positions. Consider donating your time and/or money to a candidate who you believe will best represent your interests.
December - Prepare for Next Session School Board Member's Role in Legislative Process Communicating with Legislators Working with the Media Building Grassroots Support and Citizen Involvement How the WASB Can Help
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