4 minute read
Professional Learning Update - Advocating for Public Education: A Call to Action
Dr. Demica Sanders, Director of Professional Learning, CLAS
It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of the year again when legislators convene in Montgomery, and we sit back and wonder how this legislative session will impact teaching and learning in Alabama schools. During the 2023 legislative session, we faced many challenges related to teacher recruitment and retention, student physical and mental health, and K-12 funding. Soon, the ESSER funding that has afforded educators with programs and extra personnel will run out and schools will be left to figure out how they are to sustain so much without what they previously received in local and state funding.
Soon, Principals and Assistant Principals who meet certain requirements will be able to earn a stipend thanks to SB300. The Principal Design Team is working hard to have this program ready for the 2024-2025 school year, so we must wait to see what impact this will have on teaching and learning.
Educators may worry that there are a lot of uncertainties and unknowns during the legislative session, but administrators, your voice is powerful, and the children you serve daily need you to advocate for them! Angela Carter once stated, “language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation. Carter underscores and acknowledges the dynamic role that our voice plays in shaping individual and collective experiences within a society.
As you prepare for the session, I want to remind you how you can use your advocacy skills this legislative session.
Stay abreast of the changes that are occurring throughout the legislative session by reading weekly Legislative Update on Mondays to get updates on bills that matter to school leaders. Take some time to review the CLAS Legislative priorities, which serve as a roadmap for the CLAS advocacy team during the legislative session. Remember, the best advocate is an informed one!
Once you are informed, it is time for you to act. Contact your legislators and let them know how they can help you impact teaching and learning in your communities. Stand ready to text, email or call them if asked to do so.
This year, CLAS is reinventing our Advocacy Days. Take some time to join us in Montgomery where you will hear updates on bills affecting education, learn advocacy tips, discuss pending legislation, and visit the Alabama Sate House. Oh, and did I mention that lunch will be served? Register here!
Invite your legislator into your building to shadow for a day. This will give them the opportunity to see the challenges educators are currently facing and give them a meaningful opportunity to connect with your faculty and student body. Hopefully, this will inform the decisions as they return to Montgomery to advocate for their communities.
Finally, take this time to connect with others as you advocate this year. There is strength in numbers. So, take some time this session to network with your fellow colleagues as you together, advocate for our students.
I know that you all are busy and have a lot on your plates, but remember if you are not at the table, you’re on the menu!
Our students, faculties, and staff are depending on us. Don’t let them down!
Ziegler, B. (2019, December 18). The Principal Advocate: 5 Ways School Leaders Can Support Students, Teachers and Communities
