SBA 2016-17 Advocacy

Advocacy:

The Art of Community Leadership

2016-2017 School Board Academy In cooperation with The Tennessee Department of Education

School Board Academy

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership Agenda

8:00 a.m. Welcome and Overview

Ben Torres

8:30 a.m.

Ben Torres

Influencing State and Federal Legislators

9:45 a.m. BREAK 10:00 a.m. Developing Commission/City Council Support

Randall Bennett

10:45 a.m. Turning Employees into Advocates

Randall Bennett

11:30 a.m. LUNCH 12:30 p.m. Working with the Media

Ben Torres

2:00 p.m. BREAK 2:15 p.m. Generating Public Support

Ben Torres

2:45 p.m. Generating Parental Support

Randall Bennett

3:15 p.m. Advocacy through TSBA

Ben Torres

3:45 p.m. Wrap-up and Evaluations 4:00 p.m. Adjourn

To access the digital version of this notebook, please visit www.issuu.com/tsba.

Contents

The Art of Advocacy: an Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Generating Parental Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Influencing State and Federal Legislators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Turning Employees into Advocates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Developing Commission/City Council Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Working with the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Generating Public Support.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Advocacy through TSBA.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

The Art of Advocacy: an introduction The Advocacy Role of the Board: an Overview Advocacy is defined as the act of speaking or writing in support of something. To be an advocate, one must be in favor of and support a particular position, cause or belief. School board members must be advocates of children, and they must advocate public education, lifelong learning, equality in education, and parental involvement.

At all times they must focus on “what’s best for children.”

Citizens want school boards to be aggressive advocates for children and youth, as well as watchdogs of the public purse. School boards are the only publicly-designated stewards at the local level for the education of children and youth. They are charged with the educational welfare of all students, irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, or ability to learn.

In their advocacy roles, school boards should recognize the essential link between educational excellence and the economic and social health of communities. They should make advocacy a stated goal with appropriate policies for board actions. They should be the catalyst for community discussion and action on issues that affect the welfare of children and youth.

Whether you’re talking about raising student achievement, spending local tax dollars wisely, or ensuring that children are educated with a nod to community values, the importance of local school control is all too clear. It doesn’t hurt school board members to speak out more forcefully about this reality. Local control ensures that the community has a say in spending tax dollars, selecting curricula, and meeting the needs of the region.

Local decision-making also means more accountability. Unlike state and federal policymakers who legislate mandates from afar, local school board members “are very accessible...

you’re questioned at school events, on the ball field, in your houses of worship, and definitely in the supermarket...Everyone knows your telephone number, and they know where you live. You can’t get more accessible than that.”

It’s also important to remember that local school boards are unique in that their mission is solely devoted to student learning. State legislators, municipal mayors and other elected officials can seek a greater stake in education decision-making, but school boards “are unique because education is not just a line item in the budget. It is the only item. We are unique in that we are single-minded and single-focused...we are the voice of public education.”

That voice is particularly important when it comes to raising student academic achievement. Using data for decision-making, setting high academic goals and standards, and holding educators accountable are among the many ways that school boards can prove a powerful force in improving a school district’s success in teaching children.

Evidence of that is found in the Iowa Association of School Boards’ Lighthouse Study, which “shows very clearly that not only do school boards matter, but they are integral to student achievement.

School boards do make a difference.”

For all of that, criticism of local school boards continue, and over the years, state and federal mandates increasingly have eroded the authority of local officials to make decisions on behalf of their schools. To slow that trend, school boards must become more advocacy-minded.

Source: NSBA Advocacy and Legislation National Affiliate webinar, 2011.

Boards must strengthen their effectiveness by becoming more active in exercising leadership for education throughout the community and all sectors of society. They must advocate for the entire educational community, not just “their

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

district” or special interests. Board members must capitalize on their potential influence as public officials. Since most do not use their influence, too often they are perceived as reactive rather than deliberative. What can be done? How can this be corrected?

Some citizens believe that school board members operate the schools, are paid handsome salaries for doing so, and if something is wrong, a board member can fix it. Consequently, citizens contact individual board members, even cultivate them, make their interests known, and then expect board members to respond to their concerns as individuals.

Many citizens do not understand that a board member has no authority as an individual and can only bring problems to the attention of the superintendent or, ultimately, to the full board.

Board members allow this to happen, either because they do not understand, or they enjoy being in administration. Sometimes they do not know the law or they refuse to obey it. In any case, it is not good advocacy.

There are two ideological beliefs held by school board members – representatives and trusteeship.

Some board members see themselves as representing either a specific geographical area, or the interests of a narrowly defined group or both.

Others see themselves as general trustees of the public interest.

Those who hold the representative point of view are much like those who ran school districts before professional administrators were hired.

They are not reluctant to interfere in management, nor to pass judgment on individual or system performance. They do not view the system as a whole-rather, they see a dirty school, an upset parent, a poor teacher, an unfair principal, a leaky roof, each as an occasion for intervention.

Those who favor trusteeship see themselves as monitors or overseers, relying on the superintendent and other managers to operate the system. They value managerial efficiency, allowing the superintendent and chairman to develop the

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board agenda, report on the district’s progress and recommend policy for board consideration and adoption. They place importance on hiring a top executive and holding that person accountable.

Their decisions view the school system as a cohesive unit.

How Board Meetings Create Negative Impact Some of the most common complaints against board members are factionalism/individualism that divides boards, and the difficulty inexperienced board members have in working as part of a corporate body. Board members themselves list the following dissatisfactions: 1. Many board members don’t understand their role and how to operate in a large organization.

2. Many board members are oriented toward single-issue concerns, making them suscepti ble to the pressures of special interest groups.

3. The board lacks cohesion, and the members at times do not reflect a “trusteeship” concept of service that represents the entire community.

School Board Effectiveness What makes an effective school board – one that positively impacts student achievement?

From a research perspective, it’s a complex question. It involves evaluating virtually all functions of a board, from internal governance and policy formulation to communication with teachers, building administrators, and the public. The research that exists is clear: boards in high-achieving districts exhibit habits and characteristics that are markedly different from boards in low-achieving districts.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

So what do these boards do? Here are eight characteristics:

establish a strong communications structure to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals. In high-achieving districts, school board members could provide specific examples of how they connected and listened to the community, and school board members received information from many different sources, including the superintendent, curriculum director, principals and teachers.

Findings and research were shared among all board members. (Lighthouse I; Waters and Marzano) By comparison, school boards in low-achieving districts were likely to cite communication and outreach barriers. Staff members from low-achieving districts often said they didn’t know the board members at all.

1. Effective school boards commit to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision. Effective boards make sure these goals remain the district’s top priorities and that nothing else detracts from them. In contrast, low-achieving boards “were only vaguely aware of school improvement initiatives” (Lighthouse I). “There was little evidence of a pervasive focus on school renewal at any level when it was not present at the board level,” researchers said.

(Lighthouse I) 2. Effective school boards have strong shared beliefs and values about what is possible for students and their ability to learn, and of the system and its ability to teach all children at high levels. In high-achieving districts, poverty, lack of parental involvement and other factors were described as challenges to be overcome, not as excuses. Board members expected to see improvements in student achievement quickly as a result of initiatives.

In low-achieving districts, board members frequently referred to external pressures as the main reasons for lack of student success.

(Lighthouse I) 3. Effective school boards are accountability driven, spending less time on operational issues and more time focused on policies to improve student achievement. In interviews with hundreds of board members and staff across districts, researchers Goodman, Fulbright, and Zimmerman found that highperforming boards focused on establishing a vision supported by policies that targeted student achievement. Poor governance was characterized by factors such as micromanagement by the board.

4. Effective school boards have a collaborative relationship with staff and the community and

5. Effective school boards are data savvy: they embrace and monitor data, even when the information is negative, and use it to drive continuous improvement. The Lighthouse I study showed that board members in highachieving districts identified specific student needs through data, and justified decisions based on that data. Board members regularly sought such data and were not shy about discussing it, even if it was negative. By comparison, board members in low-achieving districts tended to greet data with a “blaming” perspective, describing teachers, students and families as major causes for low performance.

In these districts, board members frequently discussed their decisions through anecdotes and personal experiences rather than by citing data. They left it to the superintendent to interpret the data and recommend solutions.

6. Effective school boards align and sustain resources, such as professional development, to meet district goals. According to researchers LaRocque and Coleman, effective boards saw a responsibility to maintain high standards even in the midst of budget challenges. “To this end, the successful boards supported extensive professional

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development programs for administrators and teachers, even during times of [fiscal] restraint.” In low-achieving districts, however, board members said teachers made their own decisions on staff development based on perceived needs in the classroom or for certification.

7. Effective school boards lead as a united team with the superintendent, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust. In successful districts, boards defined an initial vision for the district and sought a superintendent who matched this vision. In contrast, in stagnant districts, boards were slow to define a vision and often recruited a superintendent with his or her own ideas and platform, leading the board and superintendent to not be in alignment. (MDRC/ Council of Great City Schools) 8. Effective school boards take part in team development and training, sometimes with their superintendents, to build shared knowledge, values and commitments for their improvement efforts. High-achieving districts had formal, deliberate training for new board members. They also often gathered to discuss specific topics. Low-achieving districts had board members who said they did not learn together except when the superintendent or other staff members made presentations of data. (Lighthouse I; LFA; LaRocque and Coleman) Though the research on school board effectiveness is in the beginning stages, the studies included in this report make it clear that school boards in high-achieving districts have attitudes, knowledge and approaches that separate them from their counterparts in lowerachieving districts. In this era of fiscal constraints and a national environment focused on accountability, boards in high-performing districts can provide an important blueprint for success. In the process, they can offer a road map for school districts nationwide.

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Posted January 28, 2011. Copyright Center for Public Education.

Communicating Do’s and Don’ts When Dealing With Pressure Groups Do: 1. Communicate in plain language with a wide variety of interested individuals and groups whether or not you face criticism or opposi tion. The public’s right to know should be respected and fulfilled with enthusiasm.

2. Depend on democratic processes to foster multiple conversations throughout the com munity. In order for everyone’s ideas to be shared and debated openly, it may be helpful to have them in writing and signed by the indi vidual or group represented.

3.

Establish and keep open lines of communication with the media, respecting their role to provide information about the public’s business and their deadlines. But, feel free to correct misinformation the media may receive from others, especially through letters to the editor and guest columns.

4.

Ask individuals if they are representing themselves as individuals or as part of a group. If representing a group, ask the nature of the organization, membership, headquarters and nonprofit status.

5. Know the law regarding patrons’ rights to materials, sitting in on staff meetings or class rooms and access to all ways the schools and district communicates to its students, staff and communities.

6. Learn to recognize misinformation efforts and tactics designed to shut down schools or remove certain personnel from the school or district.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership Don’t: 1. Discount ideas from critics and opponents.

Diverse ideas enrich your efforts to improve student learning. Critics often have good ideas, so don’t let their behavior, or yours, get in the way of considering multiple opinions.

• When the board makes a decision with which you disagree, support the action to the public.

• Never make promises you can’t keep.

2. Avoid or underplay unpleasant news.

3.

• Don’t commit to vote a certain way on an issue before you have heard all the discussion from the rest of the board.

Try to shut critics out of open processes. You can challenge inappropriate, unethical tactics, statements, and accusations in public meetings. Your behavior must honor the democratic process and not mirror unscrupulous behavior by others, opponents or allies.

• Be prepared for each meeting by reading the background material provided by the administration.

Board Commitment to the Advocacy Role

4. Allow yourself to be personally insulted or school activities to be disrupted.

5.

As an elected official, you have clout, but do you use it? Do you take advantage of your community’s perception that you are the lay expert on their schools? Or do you simply attend meetings, vote on motions and go home? Studies on the effectiveness of the school board agree that in addition to carrying out their planning and policy-making roles, school boards must be more vigorous in assuming their role as advocates for education.

Become shrill or cynical toward opponents.

The democratic process will serve the greater good for the most people, even though the results may not turn out to be exactly as you would have wanted them.

6. Answer “loaded” questions. Restate the ques tion in a way that accurately presents the facts and then answer.

As a representative of the schools, you have the credibility of a community member and the firsthand knowledge of an “insider.” People, more than likely, are going to believe what you say. At least they’ll listen.

What Individual Board Members Can Do Board members are highly visible, therefore their actions can contribute greatly to the board’s ability to exercise community leadership (advocacy) on behalf of boys and girls and the schools they attend.

Become more assertive about identifying, supporting and testifying on legislative issues that are important to your school district. With the many other demands on your busy life, it’s hard to find time to study the issues. But ask your school district supervisors to keep you informed and up-to-date on issues, challenges and unfolding programs. Read your state and national association publications.

With this in mind: • Tell people about your strong belief in public schools and the importance of a good education.

• Help the public understand your role as a board member.

Always be mindful of the Five P’s of advocacy.

These are: persuasion, pressure, protests, politics and the press. You’ll learn more about using these different advocacy tools in the following chapters.

• When speaking with the public or news media, emphasize that you are speaking as one board member, not on behalf of the board.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Hold public hearings on crucial topics, or post issues or FAQ’s on your district’s website to promote your ideas and issues.

Your advocacy role should be well-defined and organized. Designate different members of your board as school contacts for large organizations and businesses in your community. Be a catalyst for community discussion and action on issues that affect education, such as core standards, economic conditions and technological advancements. Do what you can to build public support for the public schools you govern.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Section 1

Influencing State and Federal Legislators

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Influencing the Legislature to Act for Children State Advocacy

4. Board members strongly support local control and know they represent the electorate.

Because in Nashville, decisions are made that impact school systems across the state for years to come, advocacy for public education is a critical part of the responsibility of every school board member. Legislators must depend more and more on information from knowledgeable sources in various fields. In education, school board members must be the source of information if local control of schools is to continue.

5. Anywhere from 80 to 85% of a school system’s budget is tied to salary and benefits, which is controlled by mandates and negotiations.

6. TSBA provides a representative on Capitol Hill to support the position statements and legislative priorities of its members. If you or your board has questions or concerns about a TSBA position statement, please contact the TSBA Director of Government Relations.

Many times a simple phone call can clear up any confusion or discrepancies.

School board members have firsthand understanding of what is needed to ensure the best education for children. They have an important message to deliver and they have credibility with other elected officials.

Therefore, school board members must learn the tactics of politics and lobbying if they are going to be successful advocates.

Individualizing the Message to Legislators 1. Know the legislator. A school board member can be most effective as a legislative advocate by getting to know the legislators from his or her home district on a personal basis. Before a legislative session begins, school boards should meet with legislators to discuss education legislation. These personal contacts can help establish the school board members in each legislator’s district as the key resource for educational management information. Make it easy for your legislators to do their job by making yourself an accurate and credible source of information. Know the whole issue, who it affects, how others feel about it and what impact it will make in the future, both in your school district and statewide.

Taking Board Positions In presenting your board’s position on legislative matters, consider these central messages: 1. Schools have changed. Many things that legislators say people want, are already happening.

2. The accountability process is working.

Parents are involved. Goals are being set and met. Progress is being assessed.

3. Inadequate funding leads to inadequate facilities and programs. We take visitors to our newest, best buildings and show off our most glitzy programs and equipment.

While the successes do need to be shown, so do the problems: the things we want to change but can’t because of financial incapacity.

2. Know the legislation. A legislator’s time is extremely limited. Before you approach a legislator, know the issue and have facts available to support your position. Do your homework. Get right to the core of the issue

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when you talk to your legislator and present your information clearly and concisely.

Explain what you want and why. Then offer to answer any questions the legislator may have or to find answers you don’t have at hand.

Your job is to keep them informed about what you think is right.

7. Don’t look down on government and politics. A disdainful attitude will not win over anyone.

3. Know the legislative process. Understanding the steps a bill goes through to become a law is critical in your advocacy efforts.

Your input can be valuable at many times – when bills are originated, during committee consideration, during floor consideration, during conference committee consideration and during the governor’s consideration.

Your input can be helpful at any point in the process, but be careful to target your efforts to the right person at the right time.

8. Be understanding. Put yourself in the place of the public official. Try to understand their problems, their outlooks and aims. Then you are more likely to be successful in persuading them to understand your concerns.

9. Be thoughtful. Commend the good things that public officials do. As school board members you know public officials get dozens of letters asking them to do something, but very few letters of thanks when they do what is asked.

4. Be firm, but friendly. You should never force a commitment from a legislator on how he is going to vote. However, once he is aware of your position and the issue, it is never too early to begin asking for his commitment.

Remember to always be courteous to your legislator. Respect time limitations. Try to make your home contact on Monday or Friday, rather than on the weekend. (In Tennessee, the Legislature meets Monday evening through Thursday.) Don’t contact public officials only when you need their help. Make a real effort to keep in touch with them throughout the year – every year.

10. Don’t blame public officials for “failing” to do what you wanted. The failure may be yours if you have not done a good job of preparing, presenting and following through on your case. And remember you will need their support on other issues.

11. Avoid selfish requests for special favors and exemptions. If it becomes absolutely necessary to ask for them, state the reasons frankly.

5. Attack the issue, not the person involved. It isn’t always possible to remain in harmony with your legislator, but making threats, presenting unfounded allegations or publicly expressing indignation will get you nowhere.

Don’t feel that you must be idle when you disagree with an issue, just be certain to make it understood that you are opposed to the issue, not the people involved with the issue.

12. Be cooperative. If a public official makes a reasonable request, try to comply with it.

Don’t back away for fear that it’s “a deal.”

13. Be realistic. Remember that controversial legislation and regulations usually result in compromise. This practice has always been true in a democracy and always will be.

14. Be practical. Recognize that each legislator has commitments. Don’t chastise a legislator who normally supports you when he or she happens to vote against one of your bills.

This vote doesn’t necessarily mean the

6. Don’t underestimate public officials. With very rare exceptions, they will be honest, intelligent and want to do the right thing.

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legislator has deserted your whole program.

Give them the benefit of the doubt; they will appreciate it and remember you for it.

Keep in mind that while some votes are firmly committed, there will be many others that can be swayed on the basis of sound arguments.

c.

Provide information about how

the proposed legislation will

affect his or her district.

d.

Have all relevant costs available.

e.

Present any relevant past experience.

f.

Use demonstration materials,

such as charts, to make

your points effective.

g.

Get to know your legislator’s staff.

15. Never break a promise. If you tell a public official you will do something in exchange for a certain action, stick to the bargain.

16. Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream. Never leave officials stranded out on a limb by changing your policy or position after they have publicly stated a position you have urged them to take.

ADVOCATING BY VISIT 1. Call ahead of time stating your position and schedule a meeting.

17. Learn to evaluate and weigh the issues.

Many bills that are tossed into the hopper “by request” are never intended to become law. Don’t criticize legislators for the bills introduced and don’t call out the “army” until you are sure the bill is a serious one.

3. Let the legislator know if you are working with others on the issue, or if you are representing your school board.

2. Notify TSBA’s government relations staff of your scheduled meeting. TSBA will provide you with relevant and useful information.

4. It is best to visit with legislators in a small group – three is optimum – and to keep the visit as brief as possible. One person should be the main spokesperson.

18. Remember these don’ts.

a.

Don’t be repetitious in your

statements by duplicating

material from others.

b.

Don’t assume your legislator has

read materials that you previously sent.

c.

Don’t distort information.

d.

Don’t be evasive or antagonistic.

e.

Don’t argue.

f.

Don’t get sidetracked.

g.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know.

h.

Don’t give up.

i.

Don’t overdo it.

5. Be prepared to state your position and supporting facts quickly. Most meetings with legislators last less than 15 minutes.

6. A concise, one-page fact sheet on an issue or bill is helpful. Leave it with the legislator as a reminder of the issue and also of the visit.

State your opposition’s side of the issue.

7. Legislators will appreciate knowing how others view a particular bill. In addition, this will provide you with an opportunity to rebut the arguments of your opposition.

Remember these do’s.

a.

Refer to bills by the official number.

b.

Know the status of bills in both

houses of the legislature.

8. Don’t allow a disagreement over a position to end in harsh words or personal remarks.

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9. Ask your legislator specific questions: Are you going to support increased funding for education? Do you believe in the local autonomy of school boards? Do you think public funds should go to for-profit entities?

3. As with anything you write, short sentences are better than long ones; plain words are better than jargon.

4. Be specific and to the point. Avoid analogies, metaphors and generalities. Avoid “educationese.”

10. Follow up your visit with a letter or e-mail thanking your legislator for his or her time and reinforce your position.

5. Try to limit your letter to a single subject on a single page.

ADVOCATING BY PHONE 1. Identify yourself by name, address, city or town and as a school board member.

Identify the bill you wish to speak about by number.

E-MAIL With today’s technology, electronic mail can have the same effect as a letter and be written and sent with ease right from your computer.

You should follow the same general guidelines as you would when writing a traditional letter and always remember to include your name and mailing address in the e-mail. If your legislator or his/her staff members are unsure you are a constituent, your message may not be read. Also, remember to always “cc” the TSBA Director of Government Relations with your e-mail correspondence. This paper trail will aide him/her in his/her lobbying efforts.

2. Briefly state your position on the bill and how you would like the legislator to vote.

3. Ask for your legislator’s position on the bill.

If he or she requires further information, supply it as quickly as possible.

4. Thank the legislator for past votes which you supported.

5. Don’t expect to speak directly with your legislator each time you call. If your legislator is unavailable, provide your information to his or her secretary and request that the legislator return your call.

WRITING A LETTER TO A LEGISLATOR 1. If you write a letter, address it properly, ask your legislator to state a position in the reply and include your full name and address to identify yourself as a registered voter in the legislator’s district. Make it clear you are a member of the school board, too. You share the same constituency.

2. Remember that your letter may be one of hundreds of pieces of correspondence your legislator will receive. Therefore, make it easy to scan its contents to get its message.

Give each point a separate paragraph, and state your main point in the first sentence.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE MEDIA The power of the media can be one of your most effective advocacy tools. Legislators look to their local media to determine what issues are important to their communities. Write letters to the editor on current issues affecting educations and be available for interviews with newspaper, television and radio reporters. Just be sure to be concise so that your views are reported accurately. Through frequent contact with the media, you can develop solid and professional relationships with education reporters and editors. If your information has been beneficial to their stories, you will find them turning to you for your opinions on education issues, allowing you to shape the story and in turn, the opinions of others, including legislators.

Effective legislative advocacy is a continuous educational process, and some of the most effective advocacy takes place at the grassroots level.

Most legislators are willing to listen to influential

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persons in their constituency. They like to hear familiar voices, see familiar faces, and they usually find it easiest to communicate with individuals from their home area.

bills filed after 4:00 p.m. of the preceding day or during that day’s session are held for introduction the next day the house is in session. There being no objection, the bill is passed on first consideration.

Learning the Legislative Process

Passed on Second Consideration The next legislative day following introduction of a bill, the bill is passed on second reading and is referred by the Speaker to the appropriate standing committee under the proper order of business.

Bill Filing Pursuant to the filling deadline established at the beginning of session legislation must be filed in both the House and Senate. Either body may amend, reject or ignore the actions of the other on legislation. Legislation may originate in either the House or Senate, but may be amended, rejected or ignored by the other house.

Referred to Committee The committee structure is a very important step in the legislative process. Many bills never advance beyond the committee to which they’ve been referred.

Introduction A legislator may introduce a bill in the body of which he is a member by filing it with the appropriate clerk. The bills are jacketed in manuscript covers of different and distinctive colors. The signature, or signatures, of the member, or members, sponsoring the bill must be placed on the cover which also must contain the caption of the bill.

After the Legislature convenes, the lieutenant governor and speaker appoint committees. The most important for school board members are those addressing education, finance, and state and local government.

Once a bill is filed the speaker or lieutenant governor sends the bill to an appropriate committee to be studied and/or acted upon. The power of the speaker and lieutenant governor to refer bills to committee is important because a bill can sink or swim depending upon the committee to which it is referred.

Numbered by Chief Clerk The bill is then examined by the Chief Clerk of the House or Senate to see that it conforms to legislative rules, is given a number which is placed on all copies, and is then distributed as required under the rules.

After the bill has been referred to committee, it will remain there unless one of the following courses of action is taken to bring it out: (a) the sponsor of the bill appears before the committee to explain the bill, and a motion to have the bill recommended for passage receives a majority vote of those members of the committee present and voting thereon; (b) after seven days in a committee without action being taken, the bill may be recalled from committee by a majority of the members of the Senate or House as the case may be; (c) if the bill is not considered controversial in nature, it is placed on a committee consent calendar and then reported as “recom-

Since the Tennessee Constitution provides that no bill shall become a law until it shall have been considered and passed on three different days in each house, a somewhat complex procedure then follows concerning the bill.

Passed on First Consideration A bill must be filed with the Chief Clerk no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day preceding the date of introduction. Any bills pre-filed in conformance with this House and Senate rule are introduced under the proper order of business, while any

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mended for passage” if objection is not raised; or (d) in the House committees, if the sponsor fails to appear before the committee at the scheduled hearing on two occasions and he fails to request that his bill be rescheduled, the bill is returned to the Clerk’s desk where it is held pursuant to Rule 83(2); (e) in the Senate committees, if the sponsor fails to appear before the committee at the scheduled hearing and has failed to request that his bill be re-scheduled, the bill is returned to the Clerk’s desk for the purpose of being withdrawn from the Senate.

The committee chairmen report committee action taken in reporting bills out of committee to the Chief Clerk. All bills being recommended for passage by the committee are referred automatically to the scheduling committee, which is the House Committee on Calendar and Rules or the Senate Calendar Committee.

Referred to Calendar The Calendar Committee is another crucial stop along the legislative road. The House Committee on Calendar and Rules is composed of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore, the majority leader or his designee, the majority caucus chairman, the minority leader or his designee, the minority caucus chairman, two members each of the majority and minority parties appointed by and to serve at the pleasure of the Speaker, one chairman, and one vice-chairman (appointed by the speaker), and the chairman of each standing committee. This committee sets the calendar and establishes the schedule of meetings of the various standing committees.

Unlike the Senate Calendar Committee, the House Calendar and Rules Committee debates the merits of a bill or resolution. While the Senate Calendar Committee determines when a bill will reach the floor for debate, the House Calendar and Rules Committee determines whether a bill will reach the floor.

The Senate Calendar Committee is composed of a chairman and the majority and minority floor leaders. The Senate rules state specifically

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that the Calendar Committee “shall only act as a scheduling committee and shall not engage in the determination of the merits of a bill or resolution” but shall calendar every bill or resolution referred to it.

Placed on Calendar Written calendars (lists of bills to be considered for third reading) are required to be posted in the Senate Chamber at least 24 hours prior to consideration by the Senate or in the House Chamber at least 48 hours prior to consideration by the House. Senate rules limit the Senate calendar to 14 general bills, plus holdovers, while House rules place the maximum at 25, including any bills held over from previous calendars or any bills set by special order and excluding only those bills “bumped” or objected to on a Consent Calendar.

Consent Calendars are made up of those bills and resolutions considered non-controversial in nature and are required to be posted in the House at least three days in advance of consideration and in the Senate, by 2 p.m. of the day prior to consideration.

Passed on Third Consideration On the day a bill appears “on the calendar,” it is open to debate and amendment by the entire body considering it (House or Senate). This action takes place under the order of business now known as “Calendar”.

The bill is then called up for passage, and after being considered the third time and discussed or debated, it may be passed with or without amendment by a majority of the members to which the body is entitled. (50 or more votes in the House of Representatives; 17 or more votes in the Senate.) When debate is over, a vote is taken on the bill; and the question is, “Shall the bill be passed on third and final consideration?”.

Procedure reaches that point either by (a) debate being exhausted, i.e., all those wishing to speak have done so and the Speaker calls for the question; or (b) a motion for the “previous question,” which requires two-thirds vote of those present, automatically stops debate and a vote is taken. If

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership the vote on the passage of the bill carries, the bill automatically goes to the Chief Engrossing Clerk.

Bill is Engrossed The bill now having been passed in one body then goes to the office of the chief engrossing clerk, where it is retyped, without errors or erasures and is transmitted to the other body. The bill is “engrossed” by reproducing it with all the amendments inserted in the proper places.

on a heavy-weight paper, by the Chief Engrossing Clerk in the house of origin. This step involves preparing the bill in the exact form passed by both houses and in a format suitable for approval by the two Speakers and by the Governor.

Signed by Speakers After the Speakers sign the enrolled copy, it is automatically transmitted to the Governor for his action.

Companion Bills and Conference Committee

Signed by Governor

It is customary to introduce identical bills in both houses simultaneously. When this is done, the bills are called “companion bills”. When a companion bill is passed in one house, it then goes to the other house to await action on its companion. When the companion bill is called up, it is made to conform with the version already passed by the other house and the version first passed is substituted for the companion in the second house. The substituted bill is then considered on third and final reading.

(The motion to conform and substitute is appropriate only on third readings where a bill would have already gone through the first two steps required by the Constitution and the rules.)

Once a bill reaches the governor’s desk, he may do one of three things: sign the bill; veto it; or allow it to become law without his signature. The Governor is allowed ten (10) days (Sundays excepted) after a bill is presented to him to approve or veto the bill; if he takes no action within that period, the bill becomes a law without his signature. The Governor also has constitutional authority to reduce or disapprove any sum of money appropriated in any bill while approving other portions of such bill.

If a bill passes one house and is amended in the other, the bill goes back to the house where it was originally passed for action on the amendment. The first house may vote to concur or not to concur. If it concurs in the amendment(s), the bill follows through for the governor’s approval; but if the first house refuses to concur, the bill goes back to the house where the amendment originated and the motion there is that that house recede or refuse to recede from its position in adopting the amendment(s). If there is a refusal to recede, it then becomes necessary to appoint conference committees, consisting usually of at least three members of each house, to meet and attempt to reconcile the differences between the two houses on the bill or to recommend a course of action agreeable to both houses.

Bill Is Enrolled After being passed by both houses, the bill is enrolled, that is retyped, without errors or erasures,

If the Legislature is still in session, the Governor returns all bills and joint resolutions to the house of origin after he has taken action. After adjournment of the General Assembly, bills are returned by the Governor to the Office of the Secretary of State.

If the Governor has vetoed a bill or reduced or disapproved an appropriation within a bill, the veto can be overridden, or reduced or disapproved sums of money restored, by a majority vote of the membership to which each body is entitled under the Constitution.

Sent to Secretary of State and Assigned Public Chapter Number The Secretary of State’s office assigns each general bill passed into law a public chapter number, while local bills are assigned private chapter numbers.

The public chapters are published in pamphlet form soon thereafter for distribution to members of the General Assembly and other interested parties. Several months after the session, the public chapters, resolutions and joint resolutions adopted are published in bound volumes as the Tennessee Public Acts.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership The private chapters are similarly published in bound volumes as the Tennessee Private Acts.

Incorporated into the Code In the meantime, the Tennessee Code Commission and the publishers of the Tennessee Code Annotated are busily converting and annotating new laws into the existing Code. The supplements and replacement volumes of the Code are usually available about six months after the adjournment of the General Assembly. (It should be remembered that private acts apply only to one city or county and do not become a part of the Code.)

Source: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/about/billtolaw.html

Working through TSBA to Influence Legislation TSBA has the task of keeping a constant watch over all proposed bills and State Board of Education Rules and Regulations that might affect local school boards and the children they represent. This effort is supported by the Tennessee Legislative Network, or TLN, which is composed of board members representing each of the school districts in Tennessee. Each local school board should appoint a board member to serve as its representative on the TLN and set aside a time during each board meeting for the TLN representative to report on recent legislative activity.

TLN is governed by a board of directors which sets TSBA’s legislative priorities. The association’s legislative program is approved each year through resolutions and position statements submitted by local boards and adopted by the Delegate Assembly at the annual convention.

Each February, TSBA sponsors a Day-On-The-Hill in Nashville which brings school board members, superintendents and state legislators together for a discussion about pending legislation.

During legislative sessions, TLN members provide legislators with information on key education issues and explain the impact that proposed legislation may have on local schools.

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A weekly legislative update is provided to TLN members during the session informing them of upcoming committee and floor action and providing advocacy direction through talking points on important bills and issues.

Involving Parents to Influence Legislation No segment of our society has more true interest in education than parents. Parent and/or parent-teacher organizations are great sources or support. For example, the Tennessee PTA has a legislative network and regularly tracks bills during the legislative session.

The organization spends one special day in Nashville meeting and discussing proposed bills with legislators.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

How a Bill Becomes a Law in Tennessee House of Representatives

Senate

Representative introduces the bill

Senator introduces the bill “Companion Bills� Introduced at same time

Speaker refers bill to committee

Speaker refers bill to committee

Committees study bill Hearings, public comment

Bill passes committee and is placed on House Calendar

Bill passes committee and is placed on Senate Calendar

Representatives debate and possibly amend bill

Senators debate and possibly amend bill

Majority (50) passes with or without amendment

Majority (17) passes with or without amendment

Speakers sign bill and send to the Governor for action GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL

NO ACTION Bill becomes law without signature after 10 days BILL BECOMES LAW 1

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VETO Constitutional Majority of both Houses can override

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Key Steps to Legislative Advocacy

There are four key steps necessary to effective legislative advocacy. By following these steps, adapting them to your local needs and resources, TSBA’s legislative efforts are greatly enhanced.

Step one: Gather the Necessary Information Information is power. Knowing how to gather useful information will make you a powerful advocate for public education.

Among the many information resources you will find helpful are: • Voting record of the legislator.

• Background of the issues.

• Available resources – people, time.

• Media contacts.

• Mailing lists/phone lists of key association members.

Step two: Develop a plan Planning is an essential element in any activity. By planning you can identify short-and long-term goals and create a series of steps that lead to the attainment of the association’s legislative program.

Step three: Organize and Implement The organizing component involves bringing together people and other resources to accomplish your objectives. Some keys to effective organizing and implementing are: • Drawing on the talents of fellow board members.

• Utilize systems (i.e. telephone, letters, etc.) for effective communications.

• Enlist the skills/resources of parents and others interested in public education.

Step four: Review and Evaluate Evaluation is an important part of any effective legislative effort. When and how you do the evaluation may depend on whether the activity was for a short-term objective – such as lobbying for a specific bill – or whether you are assessing the success of the entire year. Important points to remember when conducting an evaluation of your activities include:

• Record successful techniques.

• Let people know your accomplishments.

• Show appreciation.

• Set goals for the next challenge.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

How Does Your Board Rate Legislatively?

Here is a quick test to rate your board’s state legislative involvement. In the box to the left, give your board 10 points for each activity accomplished or less points for partial accomplishments.

1. Your board has a member designated as the legislative liaison for each legislator serving your district.

6. Your board discusses positions to be considered at the annual business meeting of the Delegate Assembly at the TSBA Convention.

2. Your board meets at least once a year with your legislative delegation to discuss the board’s legislative concerns.

7. Your board regularly communicates its legislative priorities to local officials and seeks their support.

3. Your board works on legislative issues as they arise.

8. Your board informs citizen groups and local officials of its legislative priorities and seeks their support.

4. Your board annually attends Day-onthe-Hill event in Nashville.

9. Your board adopts positions on important legislative issues and communicates reasons for the board’s support to the news media.

5. Your board attends functions such as legislative receptions or fundraisers or regular legislative briefings.

10. Your board expresses appreciation to its local legislators, mentioning the specific issues which he/she supported.

Total Score

90 pts. You’d have a hard time improving, 70 pts. You passed. but keep trying!

60 pts. You need to make more of an effort.

80 pts. Very good, but aim for 90 points. 50 pts. Legislators wonder where you are.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Glossary of Legislative Terms ACT..........................................................................

A bill which has passed both houses of the legislature and has been signed by the governor, filed without his signature, or passed over his veto.

AMENDMENT.......................................................

An alteration made or proposed to be made in a bill.

APPROPRIATION.................................................

A sum of money designated for a particular purpose by an act.

BILL..........................................................................

Draft of a proposed law introduced in the Legislature for enactment.

CALENDAR............................................................ ..................................................................................

Catalog of bills listed by number showing dates of hearings and other statistical material.

CAPTION................................................................

A brief statement at the beginning of a bill designed to ............................................................................. give reasonable notice of the subject of the proposed .................................................................................. legislation.

COMPANION........................................................ ..................................................................................

A bill introduced in one house that is identical to a bill introduced in the other house.

FISCAL NOTE........................................................

Information on a bill detailing the probable cost of its implementation.

HEARING................................................................

Public meeting of a committee for the purpose of allowing testimony concerning proposed legislation.

PRE-FILING............................................................

Filing of bills before the legislative session begins.

RESOLUTION........................................................ its ............................................................................. ..................................................................................

A means used by either or both houses to express its feeling, concern, or interest in a matter but which does not have the effect of law.

RULES......................................................................

The guidelines by which the General Assembly governs itself.

SINE DIE.................................................................

Final adjournment at the end of the two-year assembly.

SPONSOR..............................................................

Legislator(s) who introduce(s) a bill and whose name(s) appear(s) on it.

STANDING COMMITTEE..................................

Permanent committee during a session authorized by each house.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Making Congress Aware of Local School Needs Taking Boards Positions In order to have a real impact on the policy decisions made in Washington, D.C., remember the golden rule – make a habit out of advocacy.

Effective advocacy for education is a year-round job. It’s not enough to wait until there is a crisis on Capitol Hill. To win in the advocacy game, you need to work throughout the year to develop and nurture relationships with your members of Congress and their key staffers. Generally, that requires passing an advocacy policy for your school district that states explicitly your district’s commitment to advocacy for education then following up with regular advocacy actions.

The policy includes a directive to get involved in advocacy at the state and national levels. It sets up an advocacy committee with a point person to join a nationwide advocacy network – such as NSBA’s Federal Relations Network – and to give regular advocacy briefings at board meetings. The board agrees on who has authority to sign letters and use board letterhead. The media contact person on federal advocacy is selected.

Regular advocacy actions include taking positions on education issues and publicizing them by way of the media and notifying your Congress-man to be part of the action.

Why is your advocacy so important?

Your advocacy is critical because there is a vital need to deliver our message. The education of our children must become a top priority of our nation’s policy makers. In this time of shrinking budgets, our leaders in Congress must understand that education is too important an investment to be placed on the proverbial chopping block. The need is only increased by the barrage of federal laws and regulations that place tough mandates

on local school districts. These make it imperative for school board members and educators to get involved in the broader political arena.

Can you really have an impact?

Absolutely! Members of Congress listen to the folks back home, particularly those who have knowledge in the area in which they are advocating. You are truly on the front lines of education and can explain the real-life impact of federal policy decisions. That kind of information is invaluable to members of Congress. You are also a leader in your community who shares an electoral base with your members of Congress.s Most members of Congress are influenced by two key sources: 1. Communication from constituents, particu larly face-to-face contact and insightful, per sonal letters/e-mails.

2. Positions expressed in the local media, opinion editorials, and resolutions adopted by elected bodies.

How a Bill Becomes a Law The following outlines the path that legislation follows on its way to becoming law: • Introduction of Bill—A member of Congress introduces a new piece of legislation or bill.

It can be introduced in either the House of Representatives (House) or Senate or both, except that all appropriations or funding bills start in the House. A bill number is assigned (S. 1, for instance, for the first Senate bill introduced; or H.R. 50 for the fiftieth bill introduced in the House).

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

• Committee Consideration—The bill then goes to the appropriate committee, based on the issue addressed, for consideration. That committee refers the bill to a specific subcommittee, where a hearing is often held and interested parties can testify for and against the bill. After the hearing, a mark-up occurs where amendments are debated and voted on to revise the original bill. The bill then is voted out of the subcommittee to the full committee, where more hearings and another mark-up may take place. The committee votes to decide if the bill will be “reported out” of the committee for consideration by the entire legislative body.

• Floor Action—Once the bill is reported out of the committee, the process differs somewhat in the House and Senate. In the House, the bill goes to the Rules Committee, where rules are given to the legislation that regulate time limits for debate and determine whether all members of the House can offer amendments. In the Senate, the bill moves from committee passage to floor debate.

• Debate—The speaker of the house and the senate majority leader hold great power due to their responsibility for scheduling floor debate. A common tactic for “killing” a bill is to delay scheduling of the bill so that it may not be voted on. After the bill is scheduled, floor debate occurs and amendments may be offered (if allowed by the rule in the House).

The bill is then voted on for final passage. If it passes, the same process occurs in the other chamber.

• Conference—The legislation passed individually by the House and Senate usually differs due to the amendments offered in the committees and on the floor. Each chamber’s version must go to a conference committee made up of members from both chambers in order to work out the differences. A conference report is issued which contains the bill with all agreed upon compromises. Both the full House and the Senate then must vote on the conference report. If the conference report passes . . .

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• The Bill Becomes Law or is Vetoed—The bill is then sent to the president for signature so that the bill can become a law. If the president does not agree with the bill, it can be vetoed and returned to Congress. The bill dies unless the required two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate overrides the veto. Appropriations and Authorizations All federal programs that involve funding have to go through two distinct processes—authorization and appropriation.

An authorization bill establishes the details of the program, its reporting requirements, its duration, and the maximum amount of money that is allowed to be spent on the program.

Typically programs are authorized for many years and only need to be reexamined when the authorization expires.

A separate appropriation bill actually provides the annual funds for a program. An appropriation must be passed every year that a program is authorized. It is essentially like writing a yearly check for the program. The amount of money appropriated must be within the parameters set out by the authorization. For instance, if a program’s authorized level is $2 million, any given year’s appropriation could be between $0 and $2 million.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have a difficult task. When they decide appropriations for specific programs, they must take into account the budget parameters for federal programs agreed upon by the annual budget resolution that, in recent years, has been designed to lower the deficit. In other words, they do not have unlimited resources and must pick and choose carefully among different programs.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Communication with Congressmen What You Need to Know About Your Members of Congress Taking the time to assemble information about your members of Congress is an important step to take before you contact them. This may influence the arguments you make and the action you take.

The following are some basic critical pieces of the puzzle: 1. Committee Assignments: It is essential to note on which committees your representative and senators serve and the impact that those committee assignments may have on achiev ing your advocacy objective. For example, if one of your members of Congress sits on a budget or appropriations committee, he or she will be a critical player in the battle to increase education funding. The committees that your members sit on indicate their primary areas of interest and influence.

However, remember that it is important to keep all members advised on education issues. Ultimately, every member has a vote.

Think long-range. Committee memberships change and your members of Congress may one day serve on a key committee.

2. Voting Records: Knowing how your mem bers of Congress voted in the past on key edu cation issues will give you an idea of where each is likely to stand on the issue at hand. It may also help you shape your arguments.

3. Personal Information: Knowing some per sonal tidbits about your members of Con gress can help you establish ties. Where did each go to grade school? High school?

College? What are their professions?

Religions? Hobbies? You may, for instance, be able to invite a Congressman member back to his/her own grade school to see how federal dollars are helping now.

Writing Your Members of Congress Personal, thoughtful letters/e-mails have a considerable impact on your members of Congress. As a school board member, the most effective way to write to your members of Congress is as a representative of your entire board; however, individual letters are the next best. To make certain that letters can be written in the often brief time frame of national politics, have a school board policy in place authorizing a point person on the board, on behalf of the board or for the board president’s signature.

When writing your letters/e-mails, keep the following in mind: 1. Focus on one issue or bill per letter and identify the bill by name and number.

2. Express your point of view and explain why your legislator should be supportive. Be brief and courteous.

3. Briefly explain the local impact of the legislation.

4. Request that your member of Congress take a specific position on the bill. If you want your member of Congress to support the bill, you may want to ask him/her to co-sponsor it or to vote for its passage.

5. When writing an individual letter, use your signature and personal letterhead, and state that you are a board member. If it is a collective letter written by the board, have the superintendent of the board sign it and put it on the board’s letterhead.

6. Ask for a response from your member of Congress. Make sure your return address is on the letter (envelopes often get lost) so that your member of Congress can respond.

7. “cc” the TSBA Director of Government Relations when writing to a member of Congress. This paper trail will aide him or her in his or her lobbying efforts

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Calling Your Members of Congress

Working with Congressional Staff

Phone calls are an effective and fast way to communicate with your members of Congress, especially when a critical vote is coming up. Phone calls remind members of Congress that constituents are closely monitoring their votes. Sometimes you may be able to talk directly with your member of Congress or his/her key education staffers and have a more substantive conversation. Other times, your calls may be tallied by the receptionist and your members of Congress given count of constituents for and against the particular issue.

Key staff are the movers and shakers behind any congressional office – their opinions and knowledge are passed on to their member of Congress.

When phoning one of your members of Congress, keep the following in mind:

It is also advantageous to get to know the chiefs of staff for both your member’s Capitol Hill staff and local district offices. Whenever you contact your member in writing, send a copy to the staffer’s attention or place a courtesy call so the staff will know that an issue of concern to school board members is being considered in Congress.

When you plan to meet with your member, let the staffer know and keep in touch throughout the year.

1.

Ask to speak with the members of Congress or the legislative assistant who handles the issues, or briefly state your position to the receptionist. This is one of the times your carefully nurtured relationship pays dividends

2. Give your name, title, and school district.

3. Focus on one issue or bill. Whenever possible, identify the bill by number and name.

4. Briefly state what position you want your member of Congress to take on the issue. Be prepared to give a locally-based rationale for your position.

5. Ask for your member’s position on the bill.

6. If asked, give your address so that you can receive a written response.

To contact your U.S. senators and representatives: call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your senator’s or representative’s office. You can use local directories or NSBA’s U.S. Congressional Directory to find phone numbers for their local district offices.

To contact the White House: call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111.

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You should get to know the education staffer by name, and he or she should know you by name.

If your member of Congress is a leader in a committee or subcommittee, she or he will also have committee staff who are the member’s point person on the business of the committee. Those staff members need your attention as well.

Visiting Congressmen Meeting in person with your members of Congress is the most effective way to make your views known and influence legislation. You can visit your members of Congress in Washington, D.C. or at their district offices back home. Members of Congress schedule district work periods specifically so they can meet with constituents. They are often in their districts when Congress is not in session, and also on Mondays and Fridays.

In addition to going to your Congress member’s office, consider inviting your member of Congress to visit a school in your district to see programs in action! If a face-to-face meeting cannot be arranged, consider setting up a conference call with your member of Congress and several other education advocates.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Following are tips for setting up a meeting: 1. Write or call your Congress member’s local or Washington, D.C. office and ask for the scheduler. State the subject(s) to be discussed and the time needed. Most meetings in Washington, D.C. last 15 to 20 minutes, although meetings in the home district can last longer, especially if coalitions of people are included.

2. Depending on the issue, arrange to make your visit along with several other school board members, educators, or community members to demonstrate broad support for your position. Let the scheduler know who will be attending the meeting with you.

3. Call TSBA to let them know that you have a meeting scheduled. They will work with NSBA to provide you with the most up-to-date briefing materials for your meeting.

Tips for a Successful Meeting: 1. Call the staffer to discuss issues in advance of the meeting and afterwards.

2. Hold a pre-meeting with everyone who will attend the meeting to make sure all agree on your position. Decide in advance who will discuss which points so that your visit runs smoothly.

3. Be concise and focus on just a few issues or bills. Remember that the member of Congress may have no understanding of the bill, so be prepared to educate him/her.

4. Whenever possible, speak from personal experience. Provide brief anecdotal evidence of how this issue affects your local school district and the Congress member’s constituents.

5.

Ask directly for your Congress member’s support. If your member of Congress is supporttive, ask him/her to urge other members of Congress to support your position. If your member of Congress disagrees with you, hear him/her out politely, express respectful disap-

pointment, and rebut his/her argument if you have the facts to do so. Be courteous; you’ll have other issues to take up in the future.

6.

Always provide a concise, one-page fact sheet or letter describing your position to be left with the member of Congress as a reminder of the issues and your visit.

7. After the meeting, write a letter to thank your member of Congress for his or her time and reinforce your position.

Linking with Other Agencies Coalition building is a natural part of your local leadership as a school board member and it can be a powerful advocacy tool. When working on a specific effort, decide if a coalition will help achieve your goals. Think about the nature of the issue – some issues have a broader appeal than others. If your issue is strictly a school board issue, pursue it individually or with your school board team. However, if it is a broad issue of interest to all or part of public education, or your community, pursue a coalition.

Look to other school boards, teachers, parents, administrators, other local elected officials, business leaders, advocates, etc. to join your effort.

Ask yourself who else has a stake in the outcome of the issue and how important it is to them. Also, consider who may have a particular influence with decision makers on the issue.

Working Through NSBA for Children One of the best ways to increase the influence of your school board is to join a broader network of education advocates. NSBA’s Federal Relations Network (FRN), made up of school board members form every congressional district, advocates in a united way for the interests of public education.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

FRN members work together with the legislative staff of NSBA’s Office of Advocacy . These staff members routinely visit members of Congress and executive branch policy makers. FRN members are kept informed about federal activities through “Calls-to-Action” via phone, fax, mail or e-mail.

FRN members work throughout the year – calling, faxing, writing and visiting – to develop strong relationships with their members of Congress.

Their consistent advocacy efforts make a real difference.

Don’t forget to contact TSBA after meeting, corresponding or talking to your member of Congress to let the association know how he or she responded to your issues of concern.

FRN holds an annual meeting each February in Washington, D.C.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Section 2

Turning Employees Into Advocates

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Strengthening Public Support Through Employees Creating Positive Relationships

correct in details, but that last 10 percent is often the most important part of the message. While the grapevine generally carries the truth it seldom carries the whole truth. An interesting note about the informal communications network is that an estimated 80 percent of grapevine information is oriented toward the individual while 20 percent concerns the company or organization.

In advocating for education, school boards must recognize the important roles staff members play in the success or failure of their schools. They should recognize and use the expertise of their employees, both certificated and non certificated.

An organization’s image is primarily determined by its staff – what they say, think, feel and do 24 hours a day. That is why advocacy starts in the school building and why it is important for all staff members to know their advocacy roles.

Alltman and Postman said that the key thing to remember is that the grapevine exists. “Grapevine exists, always has and always will, and you can’t stop it.” The real value of the grapevine should be in revealing to management those issues that generate from the grass roots. “Its usefulness is seldom acknowledged, its voice often muffled, its insights ignored.

Be sure all staff members know what is happening to them and the school district. Information is power. Staff members will resent not having enough information and they will feel empowered and self-confident when they have good, accurate, up-to-date information. Ask staff members what the school district should be doing to reach its goals and use those answers as funding decisions are made.

Alltman and Postman also mention that a company or organization’s leaders have three options when it comes to their participation in the grapevine: 1. Ignore the grapevine, be not part of it. This is difficult in most organization, but can be accomplished.

The Price of Adversarial Relationships

2. Participate only when it serves their purpose.

Grapevines exist in all organizations in varying degrees. According to Allport and Postman’s research from 2010, “most rumors start as a report of an actual episode - that is to say, with someone’s perceptual experience of an event which he or she deems of sufficient importance to communicate to others.”

3. Become an active and full-time participant Since grapevine activity increases during times of uncertainty, the school board must provide information through the formal system of communication about key events and issues that affect employees.

Allport and Postman also note that in a normal work situation, upwards of 80 percent of the information that comes over the grapevine is accurate. While the day-to-day accuracy may be good, people believe the grapevine is less accurate because the times it is wrong are more dramatic. A communication may be 90 percent

You should supply employees with a steady flow of accurate, timely information; in this way, the potential damage caused by the grapevine can be minimized.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Negative information tends to filter through all levels of employees, whereas good news tends to be filtered out before it reaches all levels.

The price of adversarial relationships is high and no school system can afford the price. It lowers employee morale as well as community support.

To reduce negative feelings on the part of staff, the board should provide ways in which the staff can find ownership in the system. They must feel that they belong, that they are worth something to the system.

One of the ways to accomplish this is through involvement. Representatives from diverse groups sitting at a common table sharing ideas for the common good is a powerful way to have involvement. Empowering employees to assume certain responsibilities and make certain decisions can engender a strong sense of pride for those employees as well as their fellow workers.

4. Community pressures.

5. Limits on teachers’ energy, given existing day-by-day demands. There is dismay over added responsibilities.

6. Need for staff development and administrator’s support.

7. Parents tend to expect their children’s school experiences to mirror their own.

8. Parental reluctance to participate in schoolrelated activities (except athletics).

9. Some teachers aren’t particularly comfortable having parents in the classroom.

10. Teachers don’t seem to have much “say” these days about what happens in education. Lack of respect from general public and from politicians.

What Obstacles Stand in the Way of Teachers Taking on Advocacy Roles?

11. Lack of support from colleagues, principal, district.

Minimizing the grapevine through effective communication and employee involvement will help strengthen the public’s support for the school district, but having your employees take on the role as advocates for the district will greatly help improve public support. Encouraging employees to become advocates may be difficult, but certainly not impossible. The following are a few obstacles that might stand in the way of teachers taking on an advocacy role:

12. Media that goes against best practice.

1. Time...Time...Time

13. Parental opposition to new practices.

14. Lack of informed state legislators.

15. Lack of informed citizens when it’s time to elect local and state school board members.

16. Limited funding. No funds for dissemination of information.

17. Change takes time and energy.

2. Personal reluctance and fear of risk-taking on the part of teachers. “Those who have a vision of what needs to be are those who are willing to take a huge risk.”

3. An us-versus-them atmosphere. The perception that school decisions are made by people who care more about their own status than about kids.

18. Sometimes teachers ignore reactionary groups, which only increases the group’s frustration and anger and leads them to seek further support.

19. Difficult to talk issues in the face of political agendas.

20. Lack of clear, articulated goals.

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What Boards Can Do To Encourage Employee Advocacy

Requiring Advocacy Plans for Each School

How much do the staff in your school know about schools? How good do they feel about themselves, their jobs and the school system?

What kind of image do they project? Following are some helpful suggestions:

Requiring advocacy plans for your school system and each of your schools is a first step in a successful advocacy program. The framework for such a plan must come from those who will play key roles in delivering the advocacy message.

Such a plan rates up there in importance with your system’s long-range and safety plans.

1. Publicly express appreciation to individual staff members who provide exemplary service.

2. Enclose a special thank you in paychecks to employees who have performed extra tasks.

3. Set aside special occasions for honoring various segments of employees, such as teachers and various divisions of support personnel.

4. Encourage PTA’s or business partnerships to stage special breakfasts for various segments of employees.

5. Offer informational meetings to staff and conduct them in a manner that shows mutual respect between board members and staff.

6. Help employees do their best and be their best through appropriate training.

7. Appoint staff members to advisory committees. They can add an important perspective to the committee’s work.

8. Include a wide range of staff in strategic planning, budget development, policy development, and major curricular changes.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Classified Workers Have Class!

Caring and teamwork are what excellence is all about. In our school district excellence is exemplified by the classified staff members who are an important part of our educational team.

Our schools could not operate without the many employees who provide support services to students, staff and the community each day. They play a vital role in helping our children be successful, yet their contributions are often overlooked or taken for granted.

“Thank you” to every person who works behind the scenes in our school district. Our school district couldn’t run without: • Custodians who keep our buildings clean and running smoothly; • Business staff who take care of district finances; • Secretaries who greet visitors, answer phones and keep schools and/or departments organized; • Technology experts who keep our computers humming; • Educational assistants and office staff who assist our teachers with numerous details; • Grounds crew who mow the lawns and take care of our playgrounds; • Nurses who keep medical records, comfort sick students and supervise those with special medical needs;

• Maintenance staff who keep the heating and cooling systems running and the buildings in good shape; • Cooks who fix delicious, nutritious lunches and breakfasts; • Transportation staff who coordinate bus routes and troubleshoot safe walking routes; • Playground supervisors who oversee students at recess and lunch time; • Central office staff who support the work of everyone else; • Bus drivers who transport students safely to and from schools; and • Mechanics who keep district vehicles running safely.

Thank you for being an important part of a team that is making a difference for our students!

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Strategies

Strengthening Employee Advocacy

List below at least one idea for strengthening employee advocacy.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Section 3

Developing County Commission/City Council Support

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Developing County Commission/City Council Support Building a Relationship with the Commission/ Council All city and county school systems in Tennessee are fiscally dependent, meaning another body must approve their budgets. These bodies which control the purse strings for local boards of education are county commissions or city councils. They must determine the taxes needed to fund all services provided by the county or city, including education, police and fire protection, and streets.

As elected officials, also, school board members can have a major impact with these other locallyelected officials.

Following are some do’s and don’ts used by a Tennessee county board of education and its superintendent in dealing with its county commission: Do: 1. Take the initiative to establish personal rela tionships with other locally-elected officials.

2. Establish personal relationships with aides and office personnel of other elected officials.

3. Invite local officials to a special tour of the school system and to attend school board meetings and other educational forums.

4. Avoid confrontations. Be friendly, even if you disagree; be polite but firm.

5. Be involved in the REAL MEETINGS. 6. SMILE – keep your sense of humor.

7. Make appropriate items personal for commis sioners (anything that affects their districts).

8. Know the magic numbers – TIMING. 9. Have key commissioners ready for motions and opinions.

10. Have a plan.

11. Keep close and keep them informed.

12. Schedule individual time with each commis sioner.

13. Listen – you must help meet their needs before you can get what your school system needs.

14. Be flexible – plan for rejections – no is not forever.

15. Negotiate for future funding – announce publicly.

16. Be a gracious winner or loser.

Don’t 1. Think that only you have good ideas or that your way is the only way.

2. Let your pride or ego hurt your school sys- tem.

3. Feel you must win each debate (be on equal ground with these people).

4. Win a battle that will cost you the war.

5. Ask for a vote on something you know you won’t get – negotiate a future vote.

6. Ride a dead horse – or fight a battle you can’t win.

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7. Publicly criticize individuals on the funding body – state your need and that the funding body is not presently ready to fund this and the repercussion.

8. Demand funding – your county may not be ready or able.

9. Close the door.

10. Let items affecting a commissioner personally or his district go unidentified.

11. Be extravagant.

10. Encourage commissioners to spend time in the school buildings-even teach a class.

11. Remember the three most important things in relationship building:

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.

Keep Roles and Responsibilities Understood and Respected

1. Don’t underestimate, oversimplify or over- generalize.

2. Understand county/city finances: debt service, fund distribution, etc.

From the Horse’s Mouth A former school board member/county commissioner in Tennessee has the following advice for school board members: 1. Accept the fact that relationships do not just happen.

Keep the Commission Informed 1. Keep local officials up-to-date with school board activities by sending them copies of board minutes and school system publications.

2. Bad relationships are easily achieved, but good relationships come from hard work.

2. The line of communication must be kept open with the funding body. (It’s up to you to open the door)

3. Good relationships can disappear without notice.

3. Share research findings that may pertain to other agencies.

4. Remember that commissioners are, in fact, real people.

4. Involve local officials in the school system’s strategic and long-range planning efforts.

5. Be willing to share complete, accurate infor mation on all issues.

Earn the Support of the Commission

6. To the greatest extent possible, involve com missioners in the decision-making process.| 7. Realize that the commissioner’s responsibility for funding covers all agencies of government, not just schools.

8. Talk with commissioners often, and listen with both ears and eyes.

9. Positive reinforcement gains a lot.

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1. Let them share in success.

2. Be honest and truthful.

3. Don’t send mixed messages.

4. Thank them publicly for increased support.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Building Support for the Budget 1. Provide sufficient supporting materials for every proposal to the local funding body and explain all proposals in economic im pact terms.

2. Be realistic and practical. Local funding bodies must balance available funds with all services provided by the governmental entity, including education.

3. ALWAYS thank commissioners publicly for increases in funding (dinners, grand openings, advertisements, etc.)

4. Have a public list of projects that the commis sion is going to do when funds are available – post in the meeting room.

5. Let the commissioners make changes in your proposals.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Case Study 1 Use it Our Way or Lose It! The Progress County Board of Education reluctantly agreed Monday to reallocate $887,503 of its $83.7 million school budget in an effort to gain approval of its budget by the county commission.

Specifically, the school board accepted the recommendations made by the county commission’s budget committee earlier this month to move to other areas the money allotted for employee salaries and benefits and fees for in-service training and consultants.

The budget committee’s requirement was that salary increases not exceed 4 percent for any individual employee, including the costs of life insurance and disability

insurance.

At a special-called meeting Monday night, Superintendent J.M. Able, told the board that if the budget committee’s recommendations are not followed, he believed the committee will simply cut the $887,503, and the school board will lose the money altogether.

“We were assured that if left like it was, they’d cut it.” Able told the school board. Board chairman Phil Smart expressed the frustration of the board at having its budget under the scrutiny of the county commission and making changes to what the board believes to be the best way to spend the school system’s funds.

“This is not an easy vote,” Smart said. We’re stuck between a

rock and a hard place.”

Fifth District Board Member Kara Lott encouraged other board members to vote against the reappropriation.

“Don’t let 11 members of the county commission (budget committee and education committee members) scare you into backing off what you believe in,” Lott said.

Lott also said the board should not cast off its accountability because of pressure by the county commission.

“The responsibility lies with the school board, not the county commission,” she said. “Don’t act like a wimp.”

1. What do you believe is the basic cause of this situation?

2. Who is right and who is wrong?

3. What should the board do to resolve this issue with the Commission?

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Case Study 2 Four Middle Schools vs. Two High Schools?

The Progress County Board of Edu The Progress County Board of Education on Monday rejected a school construction plan calling for building four new middle schools.

Instead, school board members voted 5-to-2 to present to the county commission two previously rejected versions of the board’s school construction proposals that would involve building two consolidated high schools.

The county school board met in a special called session at the request of School Superintendent I.M. Able, who said he was presenting a $47 million school construction plan, which was

intended to achieve a compromise between the school board an the Progress County Commission.

The school board favors moving to consolidated high schools, while the county commission does not. “The county commissioners told me that they would like for us to come up with a compromise,” the superintendent said.

The school superintendent then asked the school board to consider the compromise proposal to build four middle schools.

School Board Chairman Phil Smart said he would entertain a motion on the compromise.

But no motion was made and the board sat silent, even after

Smart asked a second time.

Able told the school board, “I work for you,” and said he would do what the board wishes. But he pointed out, “We’re very close to a complete gridlock” with the commission.

If the proposals are presented again, Able said, the commissions response is likely to be, as the country song says, “What part of ‘no’ do you not understand?”

After the vote, Able said he had asked for a joint meeting of the Education Committee and the school board on Wednesday,” on the basis that we would have a compromise. Maybe I took some things for granted.”

1. How would you describe the relationship of the board and the commission?

Excellent; Good; Poor; Beyond Repair 2. What should the board do to resolve this issue with the Commission?

3. List three things the board could do to improve the relationship with the Commission in the future.

1.

2.

3.

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Presenting the Budget to the Commission The school board and superintendent can prep a budget that reflects the educational plan for the school system and the revenue and expenditure plans which show where the funds will come from and where they will be spent. But if adequate preparation is not made for presenting the budget to the county commission or city council, all previous work could have been in vain.

The Information Needed Each member of the commission or council should be provided a copy of the proposed budget, along with sufficient documentation. This documentation should include: 1. An explanation of annual and long-range plans which tie in with the budget request.

2. Research which shows the history relating to budget increases.

3. A needs assessment which includes: • Improvements in facilities, staff, curricu lum and equipment

• Repairs in facilities and equipment

• New buildings and equipment

4. Breakdown in cost for each request for new money.

Persuasive Techniques There are some strategies that can be invoked which may be useful in persuading individual members of the funding body to accept your proposal.

Here are a few: 1. Show commissioners/councilmen how proj ects can be funded without raising taxes 2. Negotiate for future funding of it or other projects when not accepted at present

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3. Have key commissioners or councilmen ready for motions and opinions In some districts the superintendent hosts monthly luncheons attended by school board members and county commissioners. These one-hour luncheons include a presentation on some aspect of the county school system. This gives commissioners a better understanding of the school system’s needs and the financial commitment necessary for each program.

Also, the school system, which is experiencing dramatic growth, includes county commissioners on key school committees, such as planning and land acquisitions.

The Importance of Board Presence Even though establishing personal relationships with local funding body members and keeping them informed are very important, being present at the meeting when the budget is presented is another strategy toward getting the board’s budget approved. The presence of all board members and the superintendent shows that the board and superintendent are united in their recommendations. It further shows that the board is not lacking in interest and that it has the well-being of the children which they serve uppermost in their minds.

Further, various board members may have a better feel for a concern or concerns of individual commissioners/councilmen than the superintendent and be in a position to provide the appropriate answer.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Challenge: You have been appointed by your board to chair a group to recommend a plan for the board to work effectively with the commission. List as many suggestions as you can in 5 minutes.

Then, select the best 5 to present to the group.

Suggestions for Working Effectively with the Commission: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Role Play Reaction The board has decided that each board member should be responsible for gaining the support of one or more commissioners for the board’s budget and the schools it supports. A board member has attempted to influence the commissioner to support the school board budget.

Jot down statements the board member should make:

Consider the role play you have just seen; then list comments which you believe the board member could have made in an attempt to influence the commissioner to support the school board budget.

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Section 4

Working with the Media

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Using the Media to Build Public Support Living in the Media Spotlight Public schools deal with two of your community’s most important resources: its money and its children. As a result, schools are news. Big news.

Sometimes the schools are not the source of good news. Things do go wrong, and the media and public want to know about it.

But often schools are the source of good news.

Successful programs, meaningful community involvement, good management and planning are often taken for granted.

While it would be nice if the media focused more on the positive, the reality is that schools are a public institution, and the news media perceives its role as that of a watchdog for the public interest.

The challenge, then, is to deal sensibly and effectively with the media when the news is bad and to develop techniques. strategies and relationships designed to improve the odds of delivering a more positive message.

We are in a time of a new age of media. Some may call it a media revolution. The task is to do the research, develop a plan and act on it. We must join the media movement that is happening, invest time in understanding it and implementing the new techniques into a communications plan.

“What was once considered a trend has become a way of life - and now the way we do business.”

Are You Activating Your Constituents?

The key to using media as a benefit often isn’t determined upon which tactical approach is used but whether the strategy behind it matches the audience and makes sense given each school system’s targeted objective.

How can you do it?

Sometimes even the word “media” can make people anxious. There are so many different media channels, levels of expertise and an abundance of new information that it can make it difficult to know where to begin.

Today, most marketing and communications programs are integrated, blending a mix of employee communications, media relations, social media, community relations, and paid media tactics.

The first priority is to understand the role the school board plays or you as an individual board member plays in your constituents life. Once you have a better understanding of your role, or purpose, you must take the time to understand the role that your constituent plays for you or your school board. Understanding your audience is a key objective to effectively communicating through media.

“You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (PR). You can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free.”

When understanding your role you must tell your story, or set the record straight. For far too long, educators have allowed others to set the public’s agenda for public schools. With societal changes, we live in communities where facts often don’t matter, suspicion is high, and the economy has

What is the Media Today

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undermined national confidence. School boards must take more pride in their accomplishments and more care in how they conduct the public’s business. Choose your words carefully. Share the facts. Cut the jargon and statistics. Ultimately, focus on areas of agreement, set aside issues that create the greatest conflict and tell your story.

Understanding your audience is imperative in order to shape the message you are trying to deliver. Because public schools deal with two of the community’s most valuable resources, you must prepare to deliver a message to a large variety of individuals throughout your community.

Regardless of the audience, you as the primary local public education source, will put you in the spotlight to have all of the answers. You won’t have them, but being prepared will become your best asset.

Understanding Your Audience A report funded with the support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and commissioned by West, Whitehurst and Dionne, Jr. on March 2011 found that readers and viewers of education news want more media coverage of their local schools.

In particular, they want more information than they now receive about teacher performance, student academic achievement, crime and violence in their schools - and more as well about curricula, finances and reform efforts.

While there is a great interest in receiving this information through new technological sources more so than ever before, Americans however, continue to rely on traditional media, particularly newspapers for information on their schools.

There is an imperative to improve both education journalism and the ways in which schools communicate directly to parents, students, and citizens.

Journalism is transforming itself into a new digital form that looks and behaves differently than traditional models. Digital technologies have altered the manner in which the traditional news industry produces and disseminates information.

Through the emergence of the Internet, social media, blogs, electronic news readers, smart phones

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and cell phone texting, the cost of information transmission has dropped and the vehicles for communication have expanded dramatically.

New content providers have found novel ways of delivering information to students, parents, and the general public.

The following results were conducted through 1,211 adults over the age of 18 years or older (including an over-sample of parents).

Top news coverage priorities The following percentages pertain to what topics the public is interested in hearing more news about (percent saying yes): • • • • •

73% 71% 69% 68% 66% -

teacher performance student academic performance school crime or violence school curricula school finances and school reform

Targeting news sources What media source do you use to get education news? Are you reaching your target audience in today’s new age of technology? The following results may leave you surprised to find that the most common media sources aren’t involving technology.

• • • • • • • • •

75% from family and friends 60% from newspapers 56% from school publications 54% from local television 42% from community groups 38% from national television 37% from Internet sites 14% from Facebook or social media sites 11% from electronic readers

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

However, for non-education related news the numbers have shifted: • More than 50% of Americans get national or local news on a mobile device • Almost 50% get local news online at least three times per week • More than 40% of baby boomers are engaged in social networking sites • Twitter activates 2-3 accounts every second • YouTube is the 4th most visited site on the web.

Younger respondents were more likely than older respondents to have positive assessments of electronic media outlets: 35 percent of those aged 18 to 29 gave excellent or good ratings to Internet news sites, compared to 9 percent of senior citizens. There were similar magnitudes of difference when it came to school Facebook sites, blogs and electronic readers. Understanding your target audience and their choice of media outlet will help improve the dispersal of your message and ultimately help generate public support for your district.

When given a list of suggestions for improving the information they received on education, 82 percent said their schools should communicate more through printed newsletters, 74 percent wanted to receive more school information through the Internet and 71 percent said they wanted more from e-mail communications.

Schools need to communicate not only on day-today issues, as they do now, but also on thornier policy questions related to curriculum, teacher performance and student achievement.

your message; Defining your channels; Defining your purpose, and Asking what your content stands for.

You may also find it useful to ask the following questions when developing and/or implementing a strategy: What resources do I have; What Expertise do I have; What topics should I target; What results do I want, and What actions do I want them to take.

Defining the message involves takings a look at what makes your district unique. Developing a unique selling proposition (USP) will help prepare a message to explain what makes your district unique, special, different, or better. The key is to capture this message in a few words.

This USP can serve as a focus for your media communications strategy.

Before you are ready to articulate these key messages, you must clearly define and articulate some basic traits. The following page provides a toolkit to develop a USP, or key messages for your school system.

Once you understand your message by creating a unique district communications strategy, you must define your channels. There are an abundance of media channels available. The right channel will depend on the staff’s time and expertise, budget restraints and system demographics.

The primary media channels that tend to be the primary focus for school board members are the news media and the social media channels. These are just two of the many outlets that school boards have access to or may be confronted with.

The second priority is action. Identifying the actions the school board must take to increase public support will only prepare you for the third priority of creating momentum.

Utilizing content marketing and developing a strategy will better allow you to take action in building public support. The strategy may involve the following: Defining your audience; Defining

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Strategy What Makes Your System Unique?

Developing a unique selling proposition.

Before you can understand what makes your district unique, you must clearly define and articulate the following: • What sets your district apart in the marketplace?

• Why should parents care enough to send their children to you?

• Why should taxpayers fund public education?

Some other questions to ask or discuss include: • Has your board, working with the superintendent, mapped out your community’s political landscape (positives, negatives, neutrals)?

• Is your district a one-size-fits all approach to communications, or segmenting messages by different audiences?

• Do you have the infrastructure - in terms of staffing, content management software, and technology - necessary for this type of work?

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Building a Relationship with the News Media Face-to-face communications are sometimes the most effective means for changing attitudes and establishing opinions. Face-to-face relationships with the news media are valuable, too, no matter how busy you are. They are a time investment you can’t afford to overlook.= As you become more important to your district, you become more important to your community and the reporters that cover that community. To them, you are a news maker, a resource person, a “quote person” and – too often – a stranger. As a public official, you have to prove to reporters that you are a trustworthy, fair source, and that takes time and effort on your part.

To improve your relationship with the media:

isn’t news and you shouldn’t expect it to be used by the news media. On the other hand, many opportunities for news are often overlooked because they aren’t brought to the media’s attention in a newsworthy manner or usable format.

Getting organized Establishing good media relations not only depends on good relationships between people, it also depends on your being organized so you can respond to the media’s needs and provide timely, accurate information. School systems cannot assume that the media will come to them for news the board may consider important. Positive media coverage requires a proactive school board approach.

2. Ask for – and listen to – what reporters have to say about your district. These people are in close touch with many facets of your community and probably have a good feel for what the community thinks about various educational issues and programs.

• Provide each media representative with a basic information packet about your district for background use. The packet might contain a one-page fact sheet covering enrollment, budget highlights, number of employees (by groups), time and date of school board meetings, square mileage of district, etc.; a map of the district; a mini-directory that provides names, addresses and phone numbers (office) of the superintendent and school board members. It’s also important to include a list of all schools and departments, including the site address, phone number and name of the administrator in charge.

3. Watch, listen and read the media that cover your district so you are familiar with their formats.

• Establish a relationship with your media outlet’s managers and editors and learn what they might be interesting in reporting.

4. Periodically call or e-mail and tell reporter when he or she did a good job.

• Consult with school district staff to establish a list of story ideas related the system’s programs, achievements, and issues.

1. Make an effort to meet regularly with the reporters who cover your district. This might mean visiting their offices, getting together for lunch, making a point to chat with them at community (not school-related) affairs or have a media briefing.

a

5. Keep in mind that the media isn’t in business to help you with your communications needs.

It is in business to (1) make money and (2 disseminate news. News is information that is of interest to the public. Some of the information you’ll need to disseminate to your public

• Meet their deadlines because timing is crucial in the media.

• Have the following on file about the reporters that cover your district: name, address, phone

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number, name of reporter or assignment desk editor, deadlines, coverage area and special topics of interest.

• Be certain that your school district has identified a media liaison (contact person) and that this person is kept informed and has the authority to provide the reporter with the appropriate sources of information. The suggestion is for the board chairman to serve as the primary media liaison.

• Spend some time to learn how the media in your community operate.

• Add the media representatives to your special mailing lists for district newsletters (staff and community), special purpose brochures, school board agendas and minutes and special reports.

The differences between information and communication underscore the differences between managers and leaders. Managers push; leaders pull. Managers try to light a fire under people; leaders stoke the fire within. Managers focus on facts; leaders focus on feelings. Management is intellectual; leadership is emotional. Managers inform; leaders communicate. As board chairman it is your responsibility to both manage and lead your school board and school system towards effective communication.

It is important that all board members, especially the board chairman, follow the chain of command in the media - start with the reporter. Always remember that your role is that of the school board chairman representing the district, not as an individual with personal issues.

When You are Asked to Respond to a Reporter ...

Even if you have a public information specialist on your staff, you and the superintendent are still the primary district spokespersons and should respond to the media’s inquiries in a timely and accurate manner.

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When the media calls you for a comment, the reporter wants to talk to YOU... NOW. A common complaint reporters have about school board members is their easy accessibility when they want a story to be told, and their inaccessibility when the news is not so good.

It is in your best interest in the long run to establish a consistent policy of forthright responsiveness to all media inquiries.

• If you are unavailable when a reporter calls, be sure whoever answers the phone asks for the reporter’s deadline. If you are in a meeting that is expected to run past the deadline, the co-worker should ask the reporter what the inquiry is about, and ask if someone else could provide the information. If not, you may want to consider instructing your co-worker to interrupt your meeting. The more insistent the reporter is about talking with you, the more important it probably is that you talk to him/her.

• When giving a reporter an impromptu statement on the phone, jot down what you said. This will provide for consistency of response in the event another reporter calls on the same subject and could be helpful in the event you are seriously misquoted. Ask the reporter if they would be willing to email the question and allow you to respond via email. This will allow you time to prepare your information and respond accurately.

• If an issue heats up, acknowledge the very real possibility that a reporter will call and ask you about it. Go over in your mind the kind of questions you might be asked and determine the kind of messages you want to communicate. (This process can be helpful with lots of other people too, including parents.)

• Avoid saying “no comment,” unless you want the reporter to report that you would not answer his/her question or interpret why you are not answering his/her questions.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

• If you are backed into a corner and are faced with a question you can’t or don’t want to answer, tell the reporter you are not ready to answer that question and provide a reason. A helpful response to a question on a personnel matter may be “I want to answer that question, but I’m concerned because some of the information may be confidential (by board policy or law).”

• Never say something you expect to be “off the record.” While some reporters may keep the information confidential and use it only for their background knowledge, there is the possibility that something you say “off the record” could be very newsworthy and could appear in the media because the reporter has taken your tip and found someone who would confirm it “on the record.” The reporter might say, “The board chairman told me that the district is planning to ask for a bond issue. Could you give me some details of your planning?” A staff member asked this information might happily comply with the inquiry unaware that the chairman’s comment was “off the record” because, as an example, the decision had not yet been made by the school board.

• Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know, I’ll call you back in 15 minutes” when you are unsure of your facts. Check your facts and call back... in 15 minutes or less!

• If a reporter interrupts you before you have finished answering a question, pause, let the reporter finish and then continue your answer. Don’t get into a shouting match, but don’t let the interviewer tell you when you have finished your answer. However, if the reporter keeps interrupting, there may be a reason.

• If a reporter asks several questions at once, say something like “You’ve asked several questions here. Where would you like me to begin?”

• Don’t repeat the reporter’s terms unless you want to be quoted on them.

• If a radio reporter calls you, assume the conversation is being taped. Keep your answers short and to the point.

• Never—absolutely never—lie to a reporter.

Honesty will help build trust between you and the media.

Understanding What Makes the News Media Go To work successfully with clients, associates or even opponents, you must first understand all you can about what they need, what their views are, i.e., where they’re coming from and where they want to go.

Work with reporters begins the same way – understanding their motives and what biases they bring to their jobs. BUT don’t prejudge what is meant by the word “bias” here.

First and foremost, news media outlets are businesses. They are in business to make a profit, meaning their news coverage is designed to build an audience. News must sell.

Some stories – murders, political scandals, major fires – are “must cover” stories for most news departments. Yet, these and similar categories make up only a small fraction of the news which appears in print or is broadcast on daily basis.

Most of the other covered stories of the day met the “3-C test”: conflict, criticism or controversy.

Consciously or subconsciously, reporters, editors and news directors ask themselves these kinds of questions when considering whether to do news story: •

Does it have consequence to many people?

•

Does it have prominence for a place in people’s lives?

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•

Does it have immediacy?

•

Does it have heroes and/or villains?

• Does it present a “slice of life” for feature exposures?

And when you’re talking about television news, one more question rates above them all: Does it have pictures?

When the call from the reporter comes in, keep in mind that the caller is usually motivated by a story that has one of these elements: conflict, criticism or controversy.

Getting the News Media to Publish Positive News News releases, fact sheets, tip sheets and media advisories are all part of your arsenal to get the good news about your district to the media.

Generally, districts that have public information specialists issue more news releases and media advisories and tend to get more coverage because the specialist is trained to perform this function.

But districts that do not have public relations personnel can also get their share of positive coverage by trying some different approaches.

The truth is that there are literally dozens of topics that could provide positive coverage for your district if they were presented in a manner that makes them interesting to the reporter and the public.

1. Use the telephone or e-mail. When you have a good feature…like a graduate with 12 years of perfect attendance, a new before-and-after day care program or a new education program…pick up the phone or computer and tell the reporters covering your district about it. Don’t get frustrated or offended if they don’t use your story suggestion. Keep offering ideas and building that personal relationship. Eventually, there will be a slow news day and your story idea will be used.

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2. Take advantage of the news opportunities at your school board meeting. By making sure the media has full and complete back-up information, is aware of board meetings at which major issues or new programs will be discussed (especially if the reporter doesn’t regularly attend meetings) and you make yourself available for questions immediately following the meeting, you can improve the media’s coverage of your school board. Some reporters will call ahead to see what you think the major items are on the agenda. This is your chance to paint what could be a controversial topic in a positive light. First impressions for a reporter often prevail, so don’t miss the opportunity to explain your position first. By talking with a reporter beforehand, you have the chance to get them to focus on what you think are the topics of interest, not necessarily what they find the most controversial.

3. Look for alternative media outlets. A story about senior citizen volunteer opportunities might receive good play in the senior citizens’ center newspaper; the new business education curriculum might make interesting reading for the chamber of commerce; and the city’s newsletter might love to carry an article on “youth in government” day.

4. Tip off reporters about stories that explain how your school is preparing children for the future. Be on the lookout for opportunities to tie your program into a current event, such as going green, while your students are building solar windmills to conserve energy.

5. Write a guest editorial on the board’s visions and goals. And remember what Thomas Jefferson said: “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” If you think your editorial will be printed, submit the same article as a “Letter to the Editor.” Newspapers almost always print all letters to the Editor, unless they are tasteless or offensive.

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Your Rights While you have many responsibilities for gaining and maintaining good media relations, you also have some rights.

1. You have the right to ask a reporter what an interview is about, how long it will last, the angle of the story and why you were selected. Often the answers to these questions can better prepare you for the interview or point to a better source for the reporter.

2. You also have the right to request a copy of a report, proposal or news story the reporter is asking you to comment on if you haven’t seen it.

8. You have the right, politely and positively, to bring inaccuracies to a reporter’s attention.

(Source: PR Pipeline) We’ve talked about disseminating good news, but first you must garner the information.

• Ask each site to designate a “reporter.”

Give them some training (perhaps led by a reporter from your local newspaper) on what the media needs in terms of format, style and content.

• If you have a public relations person on your staff, help this person to be more effective by:

3. You have the right to refuse a reporter’s request for information if you are not permitted by law to give it or you do not have directory information authorization from a child’s parent or guardian. You have the right to (and should) politely refuse to comment on items under litigation or in negotiations.

4. You have the right to tell your story. Even if you are interrupted, you have the right to finish your sentence. You also have the right (and should) to try and provide the reporter with background information – preferably in writing.

5. You have the right to think about your answers. If a reporter calls you unexpectedly and you are unprepared to respond, find out when the reporter’s deadline is and tell the reporter you will call him or her back in time.

And be sure you do! Taking just a minute to collect your thoughts might prevent you from providing inaccurate, damaging information.

6. You have the right to ask several reporters converging on you at the same time to wait for a few minutes so you can give them all a statement simultaneously.

7. You have the right to emphasize a point and to repeat it, if necessary.

1.

Making sure your building administrators know to whom news and information should be channeled.

2.

Emphasizing that the public relations person does not have a crystal ball (and neither does the media) and depends on the information that is provided.

3. Letting your staff know that the PR person’s priority is to provide news that the public must know and should know.

4. Encourage staff members at all levels to fill out a fact sheet or story idea forms.

Keeping media relations positive . . .

There are some things we say and do that make us unpopular with the media. Here are some tips to keep your media relations positive: • Be sure to let the media know if a scheduled event has been cancelled or the location has changed.

• Don’t presume to tell a reporter what is or is not newsworthy. This decision is made by the reporter and his/her editor.

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• Don’t ask a reporter when an article will be in the newspaper or a story aired because “I don’t get your paper” or “I don’t watch (listen to) your station.” It’s also good advice not to ask for clippings or tear sheets of a story after it appears.

action on the chosen topics. Often these editorials follow news stories and are therefore, based on information the news organization has already gathered on an issue.

However, that doesn’t preclude school officials from meeting with editorial boards to bring other issues to mind. This is a good opportunity to bring your issues to the forefront, to get the media “powers that be” on your side before the community has an opportunity to respond. Often, an editorial in support of the school and or school board will lead to positive feedback from the community, which can easily be swayed by editorial opinion.

• Keep your cool. It’s easy to get emotionally involved in a school issue, but it doesn’t help you when you’re dealing with the media. Count to 10, take some deep breaths and remember it’s not you personally who is being attacked, it’s the district’s position on an issue that is being scrutinized.

Important Tips!

• Save your battles for the “really big ones.”

Remember the words of an old sage who said he made it a practice never to fight with someone “who bought ink by the barrels and paper by the ton.”

When you attend a school board conference, keep a record of all travel expenses and your activities in general. Record which sessions you attend, and be ready to explain why you chose them. If you stay an extra night or arrange for purely personal activities, pay for these yourself and keep the receipts. Speak with school board colleagues, PTA leaders, or other community leaders who value professional development – and keep the names of these supporters as potential allies. If reporters question you about your conference participation, you will be prepared with answers. Source: NSBA

• You do have the right (and responsibility) to complain when the media is inaccurate.

Take your complaint to the reporter first and point out the factual mistake. If the factual errors continue, contact the reporter’s supervisor or editor, but be sure you have the documentation to support your claim.

Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes when you make them. If something goes wrong, admit it and tell the media what you’re doing about it. Don’t try to cover it up because it won’t stay covered up for long, and you will be on the defensive. It’s always better to be on the proactive side when there’s bad news to be told.

Soliciting Editorials An editorial packs a lot of punch in a few wellchosen words. Although it is merely one’s opinion, it represents the opinion of a powerful community voice – print or broadcast organizations.

Usually the editorial staff of a newspaper or the radio/ TV station manager/owners will discuss local “hot topic” issues to formulate arguments and calls-to-

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Reporters evaluate an item’s “news worthiness” by the impact it will have on their audiences. An item that affects a large number of people (such as implementing a school uniform policy) is considered more important and relevant than a matter that affects only a small group. When you “pitch” a story, examine your news item from the perspective of how it will affect the reporter’s audience.

If you want your local media to report on the useful strategies and programs you discover at out-of-town conferences and training sessions, pitch the idea to a reporter who covers your beat. Start by preparing the pitch while you’re still at the conference. For example, if the dropout rate is high in your district and you attend a session on the subject, take notes at the session and gather all the handouts. Ask the speaker if he or she would be interested in talking to your local reporters about the program. Discuss with fellow

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

school board members how a similar program might work in your community.

When you return from the conference or training session, draft a letter to your local reporters – explaining the dropout program and outlining highlights. Include the name of your contact from the session. Volunteer to discuss your thoughts on how the program would work in your community. When reporters contact you for an interview, offer to give them copies of the handouts.

Answer all questions and be ready to provide specifics on your conference or retreat-related activities and expenditures. Conclude with specific comments on how your school district will benefit from your learning experience. Don’t just say, “I learned a lot.” Give specifics: “We learned about several programs for increasing student achievement that we could implement here.”

Source: NSBA and TSBA You Don’t Have to Retreat from Retreats Some school boards face immediate accusations of violating the Sunshine Law the minute the words “board retreat” come up in a discussion. Others are more fortunate in that they appear to have a good working relationship with the local media and make certain the media is invited to its retreat. For some reporters that is enough. Even if the retreat is held out of town, the media is satisfied that its participation will suffice for public participation.

However, other reporters don’t see it as simple as that.

If a board retreat is scheduled out of town, some media interpret this as violating the Sunshine Law because even though media reps might attend, the average citizen would find it difficult to travel 100-plus miles to the board retreat.

The best advice here is to know your media reps and anticipate their reactions to a board retreat, whether in or out of town. Just as “local standards” are used in deciding whether certain books and videotapes are offensive to local citizens, use your best judgment in determining if an out-of-town retreat would be “offensive” to the local media.

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Putting on a Positive Spin The best time to build a media relationship is when their is no major story or controversy brewing. Be proactive and don’t wait for bad news to begin developing relationships with the media. If a negative story or rumor is released by the news media, what steps would you take to turn the negative into a positive?

Review the article below and discuss how you would respond to ensure the school system maintained public support.

Investigation finds Elizabeth school board pressures workers to fill campaign coffers Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011, 11:00 AM

By Ted Sherman/The Star-Ledger

ELIZABETH — Patti Gallante, a teacher now retired from the Elizabeth public school system, said only one thing about her job ever scared her: the school board.

Through e-mails and political mailings to her home, Gallante said she would constantly get solicitations from members of the city’s board of education, asking for money. There were dinners, cocktail events, testimonials and tables of tickets to be bought and sold. It was a nonstop stream of beseechings.

To Gallante — worried, as many teachers were, about promotions and prime school assignments — the implied threat was clear. “You buy the $125 ticket because you are scared,” she said.

The Elizabeth Board of Education, with more than 23,000 students and a $402 million budget largely subsidized by Trenton and another $20.5 million in federal aid, is one of the New Jersey’s largest and, to some, a top urban school district.

But a four-month investigation by The Star-Ledger, drawing on interviews, lawsuits and internal documents, shows it can also be a relentless political machine fueled by nepotism, patronage, money and favors, using its nearly 4,000 employees as a ready-made fundraising base. Internal documents show friends and relatives of board members scattered through the payroll.

Teachers and other employees, who kick in tens of thousands of dollars in donations, say they feel pressured by supervisors and board members

to buy tickets to fundraisers. They say they are reminded that attending campaign events is in their best career interest. Testimonial dinners are held to honor the superintendent and president of the board of education — not to raise money for scholarships or education, but to funnel more into campaign coffers.

Campaign finance records also show lucrative contracts go to vendors who support the board at election time. Questions about the board’s activities are aimed for the most part at its leadership, with few members singled out individually.

All nine members of the board were contacted for comment for this story. The two who responded denied there was any political agenda.

“I have no idea what a political machine does,” said recently named school board president Marie L. Munn. “We hope to educate our children and give them the best education possible.”

According to Munn, there is no pressure for anyone to contribute. “That’s absolutely not true,” she said. “It’s not true. I don’t even know who contributes.”

Among the paper’s findings: • At least 20 family members of current and former board members work for the Elizabeth school system, according to payroll records and financial disclosure forms — so many that the

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board in the past has lacked a quorum to vote on teachers’ contracts because of the extensive conflicts of interest, resolutions show. They include brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, mothersin-law, cousins, wives, children and the spouses of children — who together are paid more than $1 million in salaries.

• Former board president Rafael Fajardo has at least six family members on the payroll. Among them is a sister the board sought state approval to pay more than $50,000 a year to serve as a truancy officer for preschoolers, who are not required to attend school.

• More than a dozen lawsuits against the board — some alleging nepotism, wrongful termination, discrimination and politically motivated employment practices — have quietly been settled by lawyers for the school system. The board initially refused to release the settlements, claiming they were confidential. Threatened with litigation by the newspaper through the Open Public Records Act, it finally acknowledged the settlements were public, but set a $2,500 fee to provide the documents. Redacted of names and details, one showed a settlement of $500,000. Another was for $205,000.

• The fundraising goes well beyond school board elections. District employees — in interviews and in lawsuits — say they are also targeted for campaign donations to city council and legislative campaigns. Some get solicitations sent directly to their school e-mail accounts, documents show.

• Campaign reports often are not filed on time, leading to compliance complaints from state regulators. One year, a quarterly report was filed 379 days late. Nearly a month after the most re-

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cent school board election, those just re-elected have yet to file any expenditure reports with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, as required by law.

Most recently, some employees were asked in emails by board member Paul Perreira and his wife to donate $240 in “membership dues” to support a group called For the People of Union County.

Set up last year, the organization produces a weekly newspaper often used to attack political opponents. Perreira did not respond to requests for comment.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Building Your Elevator Speech As public school advocates, every school board member should have a prepared “elevator speech” in his or her pocket that can be given in the time it takes to ride an elevator. The elevator speech is comprised of a two-three minute story about the importance of public schools in your local community, supported by a couple of key facts.

Constituent: “I know you from somewhere. Are you on the school board?”

Board Member: “Yes I am! I’m a proud mmber of the ABC County Board of Education.”

Constituent: “I wouldn’t want your job. Public schools are...”

Board Member: “Actually, I have the best job in the world. At ABC County Schools, we recognize every child is going to need an advanced education beyond high school in order to compete, so we’re making sure our kids experience a college-bound culture at school and at home.”

Constituent: “How do you do that?”

Board Member: “By talking about college and what it takes to get into good schools today every chance we get, from early childhood to high school graduation. We find that when kids know we expect more out of them, they tend to deliver. The same is true for parents, teachers, and principals. That’s why 95 percent of our kids graduate from high school and get accepted into the colleges they choose more often thn kids from other schools. And we have the data to prove it.

Constituent: “Wow! Sounds impressive. But aren’t parents today part of the problem?”

Board Member: “Not in our district. Out parents care deeply about their children’s success, and they help us make important decisions about our schools. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Constituent: “Really? But I thought you had a lot of poor families in your community.”

Board Member: “We do. But they understand that education will make a difference for their children or grandchildren, nieces and nephews. They still want and deserve the best, and we give it to them. In fact, our parent workshops are so good we’ve had 20 parents decide to go back to school or college to finish up their degrees. It’s really very exciting to be a part of public schools today.”

Constituent: “But I thought your schools have a lot of problems with violence and drugs.”

Board Member: “Who told you that? You can’t believe everything you see on the news or hear from others. If you’d like to come visit one of our schools and find out what’s really going on, give me a call or email me. I’ll set it up for you. In the meantime, here are some facts about our schools. Maybe you can help me set the record straight about how well our public schools are working in our community. (Hands card with contact information and positioning message, website and social media outlets on one side, “wow” facts about the district and QR Code/URL that links to the districts website or other materials on the other side.) Do you have a card? I can get ou on our key communicator list if you would like.”

Constituent: “What’s a key communicator?”

Board Member:“It’s someone who gets e-mail updates about our schools and is willing to share that information with someone they know. Key communicators also commit to contacting us anytime they hear a rumor, so we can help correct the facts.”

Constituent: “Well, I don’t think I’m ready for the key communicator program, although it sounds like a great idea. You can put me on your distribution list though. I’ve enjoyed our conversation and good luck to you!”

Board Member: “Thank you . And remember, our public schools work, from cradle to college or career.”

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General Tips for Newspaper Interviews and Electronic Media Appearing before a camera or speaking into the airwaves can be a frightening experience. When preparing to be a guest on a television or radio program, consider the following tips: 1. Try to become familiar with the program prior to the scheduled appearance.

2. Have a few key points which you plan to make. Rehearse your message.

3. Don’t rely on the interview’s questions to cover key points. Practice bridging questions to subjects or aspects of subjects it’s important to discuss. (“The real issue is…”)

4. Never answer a question with just a “yes” or “no.” Expand on answers to make a point.

5. Deliver messages convincingly. Keep messages simple and make sure body language is consistent with the core message.

6. Don’t get mad. The audience sees someone who gets mad as someone who has no selfcontrol. This ultimately undermines credibility.

7. Participate in discussions. When participating in a panel or group discussion, it’s important to be heard. Don’t get left out.

8. Speak conversationally.

9. Speak into the microphone.

10. Ignore studio technicians and other outside interference. Concentrate on the interviewer.

11. Turn a negative question into a positive response by making a point for the school district.

12. Do not repeat negative or “buzz” words. That only places more emphasis on them in the audiences’ mind.

13. Watch non-verbal communication. Only 7% of a speaker’s message is communicated by spoken word. The rest is dependent on the quality of the delivery – body language and tone of voice. (Don’t fidget or fold your arms) 14. Keep answers brief and make key points quickly.

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The Social Media Conversation A large amount of evidence and studies find that the spread of social media can provide businesses instant, low-cost access to millions of consumers.

So why is social media important? Social media defines the activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the sharing of words, images, video and audio. In other words, social media is a conversation that takes place online. It’s a conversation that many people are joining everyday and even every second! If your district does not have a social media presence, then you are missing an opportunity to communicate your vision.

Social media is people talking with people, which is nothing new. People are connecting with each other and creating communities on their own.

People are sharing their passions, their outrage, their products and their messages. The fact is that new technologies have given people the power to tune out messaging and marketing and tune to relevance and dialogue.

Social media can help organizations connect with existing communities and create new ones. You are no longer in the business of creating value. You are in the business of creating importance. People don’t get their coffee from Starbucks because of “value”. People get their coffee from Starbucks because getting their coffee from Starbucks is important to them - pride, image, exclusivity, passion, uniqueness of quality and sharing a common passion. The example of Starbucks can easily translate to the value your community’s stakeholders find in your school system.

Social media can seem difficult because there are so many social media options available. Sometimes you may feel that there are so many channels, so many people, and so many conver sations, but so little time. You might ask yourself, “How do I decide what channels to use, what people to engage, and what conversations to join?” The answer to those questions will come from the development of a strategy.

As for any media outlet you must also ask yourself what resources you have, what expertise do you

have, what topics should you target, what results do you want and what actions do you want your social media audience to take. Look at the media channels you currently use and ask yourself these questions: • • • • • • • • •

What tone do these channels convey?

Who are my intended targets?

Am I reaching my intended targets?

Do these channels reflect our Board’s mission?

What overall message does our school system brand communicate?

What’s missing?

Where do these channels fall short?

Are there people we should target but aren’t?

Online, are we passive participants or actively engaged?

Asking questions reminds you who you are and who you want to be. It also indicates how social media can be used to complement your overall mission. The conversation has already started.

Research before joining in.

School Boards & Social Media: Do’s & Don’ts As elected officials school board members tend to have more freedom in terms of social network-ing. With this freedom also comes responsibility. Remember, the public officials golden rule: Don’t blog, tweet, or post anything your wouldn’t want splashed across the front page of the daily newspa-per.

Analyze your image.

When you have a social media account you should always be aware of what your social media profiles say about you and your district.

Profile photos, photos, wall posts, activities, interests, political leanings and religious views could be publicly viewable and fair game for the media. You want to communicate your vision and goals for your district so take the time to ensure that your strategy is accurately reflected in your social media outlets.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership Consider your content.

Posts are widely accessible, easily shared and long lasting. Something posted half-hazardly or by mistake will most likely remain on the internet for a very long time. Ensure that what is posted is a positive reflection of the district. You must also know your audience when you are considering the content you want posted. Ask yourself “who will be reading this?” If the audience is parents, then approach your message from a parental point of view.

Perception is Always reality.

As you may already know, there can be a difference between what is reported and the reality of any given situation. There are numerous cases where a board member or administrator has said they were taken out of context, or what they said was not portrayed in the correct light. This is why any story communicated through social media must accurately reflect the district’s position or vision. Doing so will help you avoid a headache in the long run.

Represent your district proudly.

Use social media to highlight the positive things happening in your district. Showcase community involvement in your schools and promote district events. Save board business for school board meetings. You do not want to have a debate on Twitter or Facebook. Also, consider the effects of advocating for polar-izing issues online. While your district may support a certain position, some things are better communi-cated in person.

• Social media is a commitment. If you don’t want to keep sites updated, it’s better not to start them in the first place. Helpful content management programs, such as Hoot Suite, that can update all social media sites simultaneously help.

• Snarky doesn’t play well if you’re not a teenager, keep your comments professional.

• Connect your site to the official district website, social media outlets, etc.

• Be transparent - let people know who you are and what you stand for. Don’t hide behind the anonymity afforded by social media.

• Take the high road. You’ll take some unfair hits - that comes with the territory. Don’t get into fights with parents, students, teachers, and other bloggers. You will lose.

Let people know what the rules of the game are for your sites. As the “editor,” you have the right to remove profane comments and manage the privacy/ security settings.

A Note About Online Communication In meeting the challenges confronting public schools today, the governance role is as crucial as it is overlooked and misunderstood. The need for school board members to be communicators and advocates has never been greater. But the reality in many communities - especially in larger media markets - is that reporters and vot-ers tend to ignore school board and school board elections unless some controversy is brewing. Fortunately, the Internet has opened inexpensive and convenient opportunities for board member to help overcome this reality.

Here are some quick tips provided by the National School Boards Association: • Board ethics and conflict of interest policies apply to social media outlets. Don’t use social media to leak closed session materials and/or information that is protected by law.

Most school district websites include a section devoted to the school board, typically featuring information on board functions and meetings, along with member bios, committee assignments, and the like. Some district websites include minutes and board policies as well. Increasingly, too, individual school board members are joining the national trend of setting up personal websites and blogs. A website

• Keep the tone conversational and informal, but use proper grammar and show the same sensitivity regarding word choice you would in other venues. If this is difficult for you, have someone follow behind you as a proofreader before you hit send.

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or blog can be a powerful campaign tool, providing others with good information on board candidates that might otherwise be difficult to find. Even better, a website or blog can help board members keep their community informed about its schools, the board member’s own perspectives, and national and state developments. It can even provide a forum for readers to post their own comments.

When an individual board member maintains a personal website or blog, however, it’s important to make it very clear that the site is not an official site of the district of the school board as a whole. The board member also must be careful to adhere to state law and board policies regarding ethics and confidentiality and exercise discretion regarding matters that are, or have the potential to be, subjects of litigation. The same good judgment that board members use in their other public communication is just as important in this forum as well.

Reference NSBA Becoming a Better Board Member, Third Edition

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Scan the QR Code below to access the Social Media Revolution 2014 Video Clip:

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Strategies

Using Media to Build Public Support List below at least one idea for each media channel that you can use as a tool to publicize positive information about your schools to the public.

• System Website

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Blog Page

• YouTube

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Section 5

Generating Parental Support

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Generating Parental Support Parents as Partners As much as children need their parents’ love and support, our schools can use their nurturing as well.

Parental involvement in children’s education allows kids to perform better in school and navigate more easily through some of the challenges growing up, such as bullying.

Parents should feel connected to their child’s school, and it’s the responsibility of everyone in the school system to make sure it happens. The school board may help by voicing its support of a strong parent partnership program and by urging an “open-door” policy at all schools to warmly welcome the on-site involvement of parents.

Family-School Partnerships Research shows that family involvement promotes student success. Students with involved parents are more likely to: • Earn higher grades and pass their classes, • Attend school regularly and have better social skills, and • Go on to postsecondary education.

When families, schools and communities work together: • • • •

Student achievement improves, Teacher morale rises, Communication increases, and Family, school and community connections multiply.

School districts which are searching for ways to improve student achievement need to look closely at how they involve parents in their children’s education and the evidence that parent involvement critical to student success.

Almost 90 percent of the teachers interviewed in a study by the Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children’s Learning said parents and other community members should volunteer to help at school, but 70 percent of the parents said they had never been asked to volunteer. Yet in the same study both parents and teachers said that parent involvement was necessary to the success of children.

National Standards for Family-School Relationships The National PTA’s process for building successful partnerships starts with National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and consists of three steps: 1. Raising awareness about the power of family and community involvement 2. Taking action to cultivate involvement through specific programs and practices.

3. Celebrating success as schools see increased involvement and impact.

The national standards for implementing a familyschool partnership can assist school districts with executing programs and policies that encourage these partnerships. The national standards can help school districts educate their communities about the importance of family and involvement and direct the development of effective partnerships.

There is no alternative to high expectations. If we want children to achieve at even higher levels, we must also expect more from their parents and families. This means we must agree on what the standards for family engagement are and know what meeting those standards looks like.

Using the most recent research and working with national experts, PTA maintains a list of national standards. These standards identify what parents, schools, school boards and communities can do together to support student success.

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Standard 1 Welcoming All Families into the School Community.

Families are active participants in the life of the school, and they need to feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class.

There are two main goals for the standard of welcoming all families into the school community. The first is creating a welcoming climate.

When families walk into the school building, they should feel that it is a place where they “belong.” Are there opportunities for families to develop personal relationships with teachers and other school staff, including the principal? Is the atmosphere family- friendly for everyone? Are there many ways to volunteer and help out, even for parents who may be working two jobs, or don’t speak English, don’t live near the school, or don’t have a car?

The second goal for this standard is building a respectful, inclusive school community. All the school’s policies and programs should reflect, respect, and value the diversity of the families in the community. Do school staff value the contributions of all families and work together with families to identify and address barriers to involvement, such as differences of race, education, and culture? Are events, programs, and activities for families and students low-cost or free? Are they open to the whole family and offered at convenient times and places?

Standard 2 Communicating Effectively. Families, school board members and school staff engage in regular, twoway, meaningful communication about student learning. The glue of any relationship and any organization is communication. Communication is a process through which information is exchanged. Yet many ways that schools give out information, such as handouts, newsletters, handbooks, automatic phone messages, and websites, do not provide an easy and routine way for all families to respond. The most effective way to build a real partnership is to create regular opportunities for open, honest dialogue.

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For the standard of communicating effectively, there is one key goal: sharing information between schools and families. All families should feel that the school keeps them informed on important issues and events and that it is easy to communicate with teachers, the principal, and other school staff. Creating the perception, however unwittingly, that a dominant group of parents is in the know while everyone else is in the dark reduces trust and stifles the free flow of ideas.

Standard 3 Supporting Student Success. Families and school staff shall continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and they have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

For the standard of supporting student success, there are two goals. The first is sharing information about student progress. Families should be kept fully informed of how their children are doing in school, as well as how the entire school is progressing.

The second goal for this standard is supporting learning by engaging families. Families should have opportunities to learn how to be active participants in their children’s learning at home and at school. Are families invited to observe their children’s classrooms? In what ways do school staff develop families’ capacity to strengthen learning at home? How are families connected with opportunities for after-school learning?

Standard 4 Speaking Up for Every Child. Families are continuously empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

The first goal for speaking up for every child is understanding how the school system works.

Parents must know how the local school and

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

district operate and how to raise questions or concerns about school and district programs, policies, and activities.

The second goal for this standard is empowering families to support their own and other children’s success in school. Parents must be prepared to monitor students’ progress and guide them toward their goals so they graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education and a career. Are parents offered workshops and other information sessions to help them learn how to ask the right questions and make the best choices for their children’s education?

Standard 5 Sharing Power. Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs.

For the standard of sharing power there are two goals. The first goal is strengthening the family’s voice in shared decision making. Families must be full partners in making decisions on issues affecting their children, both at school and within the local community.

The second goal for this standard is building families’ social and political connections. Every school should have a strong, broad- based parent organization that offers families and school staff regular opportunities to network and discuss concerns with each other and with school leaders, public officials, and business and community leaders.

with neighborhood associations, government agencies, businesses, and universities to strengthen the school. These collaborations should make resources available to students, school staff, and families and build a familyfriendly community.

The findings provide a framework for strengthening parent/family involvement programs. PTA, working with leading experts on parent involvement and school-community partnerships, has updated its National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs to reflect recent research and improve parent and community involvement practices. The updated National Standards shift the focus from what schools should do to involve parents to what parents, schools, and communities can do together to support student success.

Copyright © 2011, National PTA. All rights reserved.

Parental Involvement Policies Encouraging parental involvement has been a cornerstone of state and federal education policy in recent years. Since this push started, laws and regulations requiring notice and opportunities for participation have multiplied. Federal law requires Boards to have a Parent/Family Involvement Policy (4.502) and state laws require a Family Engagement Policy (4.5021). These policies are available for review on the following pages.

Standard 6— Collaborating with Community. Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.

There is one main goal for Standard 6: Connect the school with community resources: Parent and school leaders should work closely

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Click here to choose a school board.

Monitoring:

Review: Annually, in December

Descriptor Term:

Parental and Family Involvement

Descriptor Code:

Issued Date:

Rescinds:

Issued:

4.502

Click here to enter a date.

1

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

2 3

The board is committed to increasing and ensuring the involvement of parents and other family members in the education of students.

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The board shall implement the following as required by federal or state laws or regulations:1

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The school district shall annually work with parents in evaluating and potentially revising the provisions of this policy in improving the quality of schools. Such an evaluation shall strive to identify any barriers to greater participation by parents (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background).

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The school district shall provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other necessary support to assist individual schools with planning and implementing parental involvement activities.

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The school district shall involve parents with the development of required educational or improvement plans.

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The school district shall coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies with those associated with other federal or state programs.

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The school district shall put into operation activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools.2 Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents.

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The school district shall ensure that activities and strategies are implemented to support this policy and included in the district plan.

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The district improvement plan shall include strategies for parental participation in the district's schools which are designed to improve parent and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, attendance, discipline and higher education opportunities for students.

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•

The district plan shall include procedures to enable parents to learn about the course of study of their children and have access to all learning materials.

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•

The district plan shall identify opportunities for parents to participate in and support classroom instruction in the school. Such opportunities include, but are not limited to, organizing fundraising activities, volunteering as a field trip chaperone, assisting in the library, computer lab, or on the playground, offering after-school clubs, and recycling clothes.

Version Date: April 25, 2017

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Parental and Family Involvement

4.502

1 2

•

If the school district's plan is not satisfactory to parents, the school district shall submit parental comments regarding the plan to the State Department of Education as required.

3

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The school district shall ensure Title I schools are in compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act.

4

The director shall develop and implement any procedures necessary to accomplish the goals of this policy.

5

SCHOOL LEVEL POLICY

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Each school shall submit to the director and board, for review and comment, its Title I school parent involvement policy, which must meet state and federal requirements, including a school-parent compact. This school level policy shall be developed jointly with and distributed to parents of participating students. A copy of these documents shall be retained in the district office and made available on the school's (if applicable) and school system's website.

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SUPPORT FOR PROGRAM

12 13 14

If the Title I allocation is $500,000 or more to the school system, then not less than one per cent (1%) nor more than five percent (5%) of that allocation shall be reserved for the purpose of promoting parent involvement.

Parents of students participating in the Title I programs shall be consulted on the use of these funds.

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FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS1

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Families and community members should be engaged in the education of students based on the following standards:

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Families are welcomed into the school community;

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Families and school staff should engage in regular and meaningful communication about student learning;

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Families and school staff work together to support student learning and development;

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Families are informed and encouraged to be advocates for students;

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Families are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families; and

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Community, civic, and business resources are made available to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning.

_____________________________ Legal References 1.

2.

Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub.L. 114-95, Dec. 10, 2015, 129 Stat. 1802; TCA 49-6-7001; State Board of Education, Tennessee Parent/Family Involvement Policy 4.207; TCA 49-2-305 TCA 49-6-7001

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Extended Family Involvement We must not forget grandparents in this formula for success. They are one particular group of caretakers with much to offer for increased student academic achievement. Schools should encourage the involvement of grandparents and other members of the extended family. Schools with a large number of working parents especially need to recognize the importance of extended family involvement.

“Adoptive” grandparents from local senior centers can also have a positive impact on student achievement. Whether traditional grandparents of “adoptive” grandparents, reach out to them and make them feel welcomed.

Helping Parents Understand Discipline for Their Children Parents insist that teachers and principals should do more to discipline children and keep them out of trouble – until it is their own child who must be punished. Then suddenly their beliefs that schools should be tougher becomes irrelevant.

Zero-tolerance policies are sometimes controversial. All across the state, parents are requesting exceptions for their children, who, they claim, make one big mistake but should not be punished severely for a first offense.

Some students are perceived to be dealt with too harshly, and others are accused of receiving preferential treatment.

Just remember: The better informed your parents are, the better understood your decisions will be.

Some boards make the mistake of distributing their discipline policies in a sea of fine-print, similar in appearance and wording to a legal document.

Instead, use public meetings and media opportunities to reiterate your discipline policy in a few succinct points.

Building Parental Confidence in the Schools Your child comes home today. You ask: “What did you learn in school today?” Not surprisingly the response is usually, “Nothing.” Recognizing that parents are often tired and stressed from their day, we can prepare our students to answer the proverbial question with much more confidence and enthusiasm. This, in turn, might get parents more supportive of what goes on in the schools.

Let’s begin by helping students answer that allimportant question. At the end of the day, or end of each class period for older students, teachers should summarize what was taught and how it is relevant. Students would then be encouraged to share this information with their parents.

Helping Parents to Parent Unicoi County’s Foot Stompin’ Fun program enables families to actively participate in line dancing, nutrition, education, and healthy snacking. Developed through a collaboration of the Family Involvement Program and School Nutrition, the program is open to all students and their families. Events have been held at the middle school and all elementary schools.

Parents, students, and staff are welcomed at the door and quickly find they are in for a Foot Stompin’ good time. The goals of the program are to encourage family and community involvement in school activities; to encourage all ages to be active and healthy; and to involve students and the community in nutrition and wellness activities.

The Supervisor of School Nutrition/Food Service teaches the audience several line dances that have been adapted for all fitness levels and ages.

Pre-schoolers kick up their heels alongside the adults. During intermission attendees are treated to a healthy snack of fresh fruits, walnuts, yogurt and water.

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The quiet time is used to give a simple nutrition lesson. After the snack break, participants get back on their feet to learn one final dance. To wrap up the program, each child is presented with a “goody bag” that contains a variety of nutritional and physical activity items. Parents receive a fast food guide that lists menu items from popular national chains with calorie, fat, and carbohydrate content.

Foot Stompin’ Fun began in the spring of 2006.

With events at each of the four elementary schools, more than 200 attendees participated.

The program continues to attract participants, with Unicoi Elementary having approximately 150 attendees during its March 2009 event.

In addition to Unicoi County Schools’ Family and Community Involvement activities, the Foot Stompin’ Fun program has been presented at may professional development programs. Unicoi Elementary School was recognized as being part of the statewide Get Fit Tenn. initiative, and the Foot Stompin’ Fun program was recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture with a Southeast Region Best Practice Award in 2006 for “promoting a healthy school environment.”

Don’t Push Parents Too Far! Be careful. It’s just as easy to lose parental support as it is to gain it. One false step, one mishandled situation, and you’re back to square one.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Tips for Parents

Help Children Develop a “Can Do” Attitude

A speech outline for a board member speaking to a PTA. The child who has an “I can” attitude will do much better in school than the child who constantly says “I can’t.” That’s where you, an adult who supports the educational process of a child or several children, can help. Here are some ways you can provide positive feedback to your children: H

Instead of asking “What did you do in school today?” be more specific. Ask “What good happened in school today?” Follow up with questions such as “How did that make you feel?” or “Why did you like it?”

H Be a good role model. How you feel about yourself greatly influences how your children feel

about themselves. Demonstrate positive and responsible habits for your children to copy.

H

Look for the good things your children do and let them know you’ve noticed and that you are pleased. Be specific.

H

Create opportunities for your children to succeed by breaking down big projects into easy increments and then cheer them on at the completion of each step.

H

Don’t presume your children know how much you love them. Tell them every day. Hug them, talk to them, and play with them.

H

Watch what you say around your children even if you think they’re not paying attention.

Children can often hear you even when they are paying attention to something else.

H

Let your children know you support and love them even when they don’t win. They need to know you’re there to cheer them on when they try again.

“Tool kit for School-Family-Community Partnerships” published by the Washington State School Directors’ Association, 221 College Street N.E., Olympia, Washington 98516-5313.

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Strategies

Building Parental Support Review the list below and identify three things that your board could do to generate parental involvement.

To gain parental support and involvement in the schools, to have parents serves as ambassadors of the school system and to instill confidence in the education quality their children receive, the school board should implement some of the following: ——

Provide orientation booklet/kit or post online for new students and their parents.

——

Publish school newsletter or e-newsletter with district news including student honors and scholarships.

——

Publish school calendar with important school/district dates.

——

Publish a student handbook and/or make available online with curriculum and behavior guides for students and parents.

——

Provide school bus schedules, school zone maps and maps of safe walking routes to schools for students.

——

Encourage the use of parent advisory committees.

——

Encourage schools to have a website with current school events, deadlines and facts.

——

Provide evening office hours periodically for parents who can’t call the school during the day.

——

Send congratulatory letters to parents high school graduates and honor roll students.

——

Include recognition of outstanding students at board meetings and send special invitations to their parents.

——

Offer evening computer classes for parent/child instruction.

——

Encourage principals to hold a monthly coffee or lunch for groups of parents to talk with them informally about school programs and to tour school facilities.

——

Host seminars/workshops for parents (college financial aid, pre-school preparation, special education, family dynamics, high school transition, parenting, college/career day).

——

Sponsor speakers for PTA meetings.

——

Host Grandparents’ Day.

——

Reach out to parents of Pre-K students through letters or e-mails to get them involved with the district.

——

Videotape school programs and make them available through the district website. Have copies available (at a reasonable price) to working parents who have difficulty attending special programs.

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Section 6

Generating Public Support

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Generating Public Support Advocacy and Your Community In addition to establishing an overall vision and becoming versed on the latest research topic, your board should begin sharing its ideas with members in the community. Community engagement is an essential step to help generate public support for your initiative and for gathering constructive feedback that will help to inform your plans.

Involving others in the discussion also demonstrates your responsiveness to the broader community, not just the school district, and can help to identify potential barriers or opposition that might exist. Inviting outside groups to the table early on can help engender stronger bonds and partnerships than if approached later.

Most school board and school district staff members agree that public opinion can make or break schools and school districts. We know we have to communicate with our taxpayers on a year-round basis to gain their understanding and support.

We live today in a 24/7 world of work, with many other priorities competing with an active civic life for our shrinking spare time. In many localities the amount of active engagement in the community at large - especially in local government activities and the political process - is diminishing.

What can school boards do about it?

In an age of communications saturation our constituents are bombarded each day with highlysophisticated, well-planned messages. We (school districts) are not keeping up with the highly sophisticated marketing techniques that are now used to reach people, so our messages are often ignored, or worse yet, alienating the people we are trying to reach.

The way people receive information and react to information is changing. The “old ways” of putting

out newsletters and issuing press releases have little chance of getting the results we want. We can easily be deceived into thinking everyone read a particular story about schools because the people we see every day – those who are interested in schools – are the ones who read the story.

To govern effectively, you must first know community’s competing community values come into play in board decision-making. must know what your community wants for schools and for the community.

your that You your

One effective way to get this information is through community engagement. To understand public engagement, it is often helpful to start with what it is not. It is not a newsletter, a survey or an effort to get community “buy-in” to a decision already made.

Community engagement is a long-term effort to generate community dialogue around broad issues that affect a school district and the community it serves. Engaging community members in face-toface discussions about things important to them provides insight into what they value and how that affects what you are doing as a school district. It also can begin to create a shared sense of direction and a willingness to share responsibility.

Here are some tips for successfully engaging your community: Begin with the right issue.

You don’t have to engage the community on every decision the board makes, but you should engage them in the big issues that have broad impact. The board should rely on data and staff expertise as part of their decision-making process when engaging community members in dialogue about such things as hiring a new superintendent/ director of schools or why families are leaving the school district.

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Frame the issue in community terms.

It is important that boards and educators think “outside the box” in community engagement. If you want the public to participate in a discussion about the issue, it must be framed in terms that will be attractive and meaningful enough to get them to come to the meeting.

Keep conversation going.

There are a variety of ways to structure a public engagement program and no one way is right or wrong. However it is important that engagement efforts be ongoing. Asking community members to discuss issues only when you want something will make them distrustful. The ideal would be to have several groups of people discussing several different issues.

Don’t forget staff and students.

They are part of your school district community, and more important, your district family. Be sure that they are included in your engagement process. Keep staff informed about what you are hearing from the community. Providing them a better understanding of community values will only help their work.

Planning When considering a community engagement effort consider: 1. Does the full board feel it is important to engage the community? Why? 2. What will the board give up to make time for engagement?

3. How will the board use the results?

The key to effective engagement efforts is to have a well-planned system that invites people to participate with the board in discussing issues.

When it works best, it encourages individuals to arrive at their own solutions to a common concern.

The public schools are attractive vehicles for keeping the public engaged in government and focused on the public interest. The reason is simple: the schools involve people’s children.

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Since schools are important to so many parents, taxpayers and businesspeople, and because they have the capacity to convene the public, schools can play a major role in bringing individuals and community groups together to address crucial educational issues. In doing so, schools can bring citizens together to work for the common good, breathing new life into the processes of generating public support.

Copyright © 2009, Center for Public Education. All rights reserved.

Public Involvement in Education The schools frequently provide adults with their first major opportunity to be involved with the community. In their roles as parents, taxpayers, and businesspeople, adults can get involved in decisions about what values to teach, what courses to offer, where to locate a new school, or whether to close an existing one.

Vibrant public engagement is also vital to the success of public education - and the public’s ongoing support of it. The advice and volunteerism from the public can enrich the academic quality of our public schools and strengthen the schools’ ability to prepare students to participate in American society. Through their involvement, the public can gain a better understanding of public education and its unique role in the community.

Beyond representing the community as elected officials, member of local school boards can actually increase community participation by inviting citizens to become more involved in the schools and empowering the public to participate in the decision-making process by attending board meetings or public forums or participating in district events and individual school activities.

Such involvement and experiences in education can lead to participation in other venues and provide a powerful model from the next generation, as children, watch and learn from community member’s civic involvement. What the schools do to include the public and how they do it will shape public education’s contribution to advancing community life.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

The school board’s capacity to engage in the community extends beyond the formal actions the board may take. Local school board members engage the community as individuals every day in their personal lives, serving as a unique set of eyes and ears attuned to the schools and the public alike.

They talk with parents about their children, meet with reporters, address local clubs, and bring together citizen groups on a wide range of issues concerning the schools and their impact on the community. In effect, school board members connect what the school system is doing with what the community expects for young people in general and for individual children in particular.

How well a school system engages the public and how the public believes its involvement will be received depend on the school board’s policies and the priority it places on community engagement. It also depends on the overall climate of welcome and accessibility that the school board establishes and on its day-to-day engagement with constituents.

Copyright © 2009, Center for Public Education. All rights reserved.

Community Engagement Programs Use your school facilities to speak to the community.

In many communities, schools have the best facilities for classes, meetings and other activities. In small or rural communities, the schools may have the only such facilities in the area. Yet in many districts these rooms and meeting halls may go unused when school is not in session.

The schools belong to the community; why not let the community use them? Developing true community schools requires a commitment and “can-do” attitude on the part of school boards and administrators who are open to finding ways to make new ideas and programs work.

Some school districts have found innovative ways to open their schools to the community. They have

developed community-oriented programs outside the traditional K-12 system that are consistent with their educational mission. Many of the programs require financial support from the district, but the results can be worth the expense. .

Such programs can help build a stronger sense of ownership in the schools and a wider base of support for raising taxes to fix up schools or build new ones. Sponsor a series of community education nights featuring useful information from which both parents and non-parents can gain. Of course, your board should have a well-written policy on use of school facilities, so there is little left to the asking.

Local community engagement program With the development of the community organization, Greene Scene in 2007, Greeneville City Schools is showing how school districts can collaborate and encourage community involvement. The Greene Scene is a student, staff, and community group that meets once a week after school throughout the year. Members provide school-wide recycling of both paper and cardboard, maintain school gardens and a miniorchard, and perform regular grounds clean-up and beautification. The group also partners with Rural Resources, a local sustainable agriculture non-profit organization.

The Greene Scene has received grant funding from the GCS Education Foundation and the Project CENTS program through the TDOE. The group has built an outdoor classroom that includes six garden beds, a composting center, instructional space, and a student-built labyrinth.

The organization has held environmental pep rally’s, developed a summer staff development for teachers to work and learn about environmental education integration, executed a community fundraiser by selling reusable shopping bags, posted information on the web and designed posters about recycling and had community members teach lessons about environmental issues.

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Other ideas for opening schools to the community: 1. Develop a community education program which offers evening and/or weekend classes in the schools. Look for people in your community who are experts in their fields to teach the classes either as volunteers or for pay. School staff members are often eager to earn extra money by teaching community courses. Charge fees to help make the programs self-sufficient.

2. Design and develop classes/programs that respond to the interests and needs of people in your community. For instance, if your community has a lot of shift workers, offer a latenight or early-morning program or a midnight basketball league.

3. Develop programs that open specialized facilities to the public. For instance, the band room might be used by a community band led by the school’s band instructor, or the choir room by a community choir.

Consider offering a weight-training program for the public in your high school weight room.

4. If your schools have the appropriate facilities, allow teams to make use of them during afterschool hours and on weekends. Develop a brochure or webpage with schedules and usage details on the district facilities – fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, gymnasiums, etc. – for community use.

5. Make the public aware that parking lots and fields adjacent to schools or administration buildings can be used for street fairs, flower shows, charity fundraisers or community festivals.

6. Develop partnerships with area universities, community colleges and technical institutes to offer college-level courses at your schools.

Colleges facing space shortages may jump at the opportunity to conduct extended-campus programs using your facilities.

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7. Talk to local hospitals about offering health education courses (weight control, cancer support groups, etc.) in your schools.

8. Promote the fact that your schools are open to the public and can be used for meetings by community groups and other organizations. Produce a brochure that outlines what is available and gives details on how to go about reserving a meeting room, gym or athletic field and the charges involved. Invite groups to come and use your schools.

Using School Message Boards to Build Public Support The message reads: TCAP testing this week.

Factual? Yes. Boring? Yes! Use community reader boards to brag about academic achievements such as rising test scores, national merit scholars, good behavior and academic competitions. How about: Everyone passes Mrs. Stuart’s science lab final! It grabs your attention and brings a smile to your face. On the next page is an exercise to teach you how to “massage” your message into something attention-getting and entertaining.

Establishing Public Ownership of the Schools School districts are not so different than publiclyheld corporations, which are required by law to issue annual reports to their stockholders.

Our “stockholders” are our taxpayers, and they, too, have a right to know how their investment is working for them. An annual report can meet their informational needs and provide a document you’ll find useful throughout the year.

Annual Reports Annual reports can take on a variety of forms, from a special section in your community newspaper to a special section in the school calendar.

Once published, you can distribute your annual report to local realtors, banks and the chamber of commerce.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Following is a general guideline for the contents of an annual report:

munity problem and not a local school “situation.”

Seek community advice and help in handling these tough situations.

1. Explain how the school district is governed.

To help get your message out to the public, identify the “influentials” in your community and initiate contacts with them. Remember various groups have their own “influentials.” Don’t overlook senior citizens, parents, the business community, youth sports organizations or cultural organizations.

2. Deal with problem areas openly and freely.

Meet problem issues head-on and explain steps being taken to remedy them.

3. Explain things in concrete terms. If you hope to make a specific point, say so.

4. In addition to statistical information, provide an overview of community involvement, community relations efforts, policy adoptions, honors and awards and major issues.

Year-Round and Extended Day Programs Most year-round programs we have in Tennessee are offered at “choice” schools, meaning parents choose to send their children to that school, usually providing the child’s transportation. These “choices” have proven to be quite popular with parents.

5. Feature your students.

6. Be accurate. Check and double-check facts, figures and spelling.

For the fast-growing school systems that fill up classrooms quicker than they can build them, year-round schooling makes better use of existing facilities and lessens the need for as many new classrooms. It exemplifies operating efficiency, which sends a positive message to the business community and taxpayers.

What the Public Needs to Know About its Schools First and foremost, the public needs to be assured that it is getting its money’s worth out of the schools. Take every opportunity to tell people how their money is spent in public schools. It’s even more impressive if you can explain costs in simple terms. Talk about it in terms of what the program costs for one child for one day. Show what those dollars do for one child or what would happen to that child if the dollars for the program were not available.

What Well-Maintained Facilities Say to the Public Shiny, swept floors say, “I care.” Trash-laden, dull hallways say, “I don’t.”

The school system report card is a good vehicle by which to report on the progress of your school system. Don’t shy away from these results if they’re less than satisfactory. Use them as a springboard for seeking stronger public support to achieve greater results.

Sure, a brand new, brightly-lit school building can really impress visitors, but so can a 1940s structure with polished woodwork and sparkling glass trophy cases.

It’s a simple lesson we learned in our childhood.

Take care of your things. The shinier your bicycle, the more your friends wanted to ride it. Few of your college buddies wanted to climb over the trash heaps in the backseat of your car. They wanted to ride with the friend who kept his or her car clean – both in and out.

Talk about dropouts, how these students often become a burden to society and the need for more programs to keep them in school.

Be truthful in reporting violence in schools. But report it in such a way that it becomes a com-

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The same holds true for our schools. It’s all about pride in what we have and respect for what takes place in our buildings. You can feel it – and certainly see it – the minute you enter a school building.

Giving Realtors the “Real” Story One of the biggest challenges to public schools is the perception by newcomers that the only choice for schools is a private one. Unfortunately, this pervasive attitude can result from realtors who have their children in private schools, or no school-age children. There’s little doubt that schools help sell houses.

One of the first questions asked by potential homebuyers with school-age children is, “What about the local schools?” The realtor’s response can either be a window of opportunity or a nail in the coffin for local public schools. If public schools don’t get a good recommendation it’s usually because the realtor doesn’t know firsthand what goes on in the neighborhood school. It’s your job to see that they do.

Because schools help sell houses, it’s to your advantage to take some time to be sure your realtors are as well-informed about your schools as possible.

Ask your community’s realtors what kinds of information they need about the schools in the community and how you can help them do their job. Find out what they are hearing about schools. Are there schools in the area that appear to be particularly attractive and unattractive to potential buyers? If so, why?

TIPS: • If you are forming committees to study school zone line changes, school closing or facilities needs, try to include a realtor.

• Invite realtors to tour schools in the neighborhood, visit classrooms and meet staff and parents.

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School/Community Partnerships The average school volunteer is no longer a stay-at-home “mom.” To improve educational opportunities for students, schools and communities have expanded their volunteer programs to include, for example, retired scientists, high school seniors, local business people, stay-athome fathers or college students. They have also turned to a second resource, partnerships. Partnerships can involve clubs and organizations, governmental or private agencies, businesses and social service groups.

School districts have added “partnerships” to advocate school and community programs.

Businesses can offer release-time for employees to tutor students, surplus equipment, career and management counseling, field trips and jobshadowing experiences, etc. Foundations have a purpose in raising funds to support educational programs and provide scholarship opportunities.

Clubs and non-profit organizations can provide tutors and educational materials. Agencies may offer joint programming between schools and other public facilities or services, such as a recreation department, college, county or city. Social or professional groups and individuals may offer services free-of-charge to students and staff, such as sports physicals, counseling, etc.

Where and how do partnerships begin?

One of the basic, and usually first, positive requests that comes from schools is for companies to release employees during work hours to tutor students. Such requests often develop into long-standing partnerships. Successful partnerships should include the three “C”s: 1) Cooperation; 2) Coordination; and 3) Collaboration, plus an essential fourth “C”, Communication. One final “C” for school/community partnership success – Creativity.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Building Partnerships

concert, to attend a public hearing for an update on the school system’s building program? Ideally they would be as interested in these matters as you are – but you’re elected or appointed to be interested. They’re not. Maybe the answer lies in how you go about getting their input.

Partnerships between schools and parents… between schools and businesses…and between schools and community agencies are becoming increasingly important to the success of our education system. There is increasing recognition that schools cannot be successful if they work in isolation.

Of course, nothing beats the value of face-toface discussion. Just taking the effort to attend a public hearing indicates one’s interest in an issue.

But what about the hundreds of others who really care, but can’t easily attend the hearing in person?

The chances for success of any partnership are greater if the following conditions exist: 1. Partners agree about the nature of the problems and share a common vision for the future;

Have you considered E-mail? This allows your constituents to send their opinion right to your computer screen. Or what about a call-in line? Or sponsoring a town meeting at a local TV station where viewers can call in with comments?

2. Businesses and schools, community agencies and schools, or parents and schools already have a history of working together;

Each of these situations allows the public to be heard without physically having to leave their homes at a certain time, thus allowing them to continue their busy lives while still commenting on school matters of concern.

3. Partners use an organized structure to coordinate the efforts of the partnership and to address system-wide issues; 4. Partnerships have the involvement of top leaders from any group or business involved and from the school district;

School boards should plan opportunities for public comment. But this does not necessarily mean opening doors in the evening hours. It can also mean turning on the computer or sitting by a phone. Either way, the message is heard.

5. Partners focus on short-term goals but commit to sustained, long-term relationships; and 6. Goals are clearly defined and are measurable.

What If You Held A Public Hearing and Nobody Came?

It happens. Countless news clips from across the state recount school board-sponsored public hearings where fewer than a dozen people attend. You throw up your hands in frustration exclaiming, “We’ve done all that we can do. We hold a public hearing, giving the public an opportunity to be heard, and yet nobody shows up.”

But has your board really done all that it can do?

Is it reasonable to ask hard-working parents who have meals and homework to oversee, or emptynest couples who’d rather be at the symphony

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What Would Your Community Say About Your School Board?

Circle the number preceding each item which you believe improves public support for the school board. Circle the number that best represents your opinion of how the community views the board’s performance in each statement. Circle 4 if you think the community would strongly agree, 3 agree, 2 disagree, and 1 strongly disagree.

1.

Makes decisions that are in the best interest of the entire school system.

1 2 3 4

2.

Is genuinely interested in improving the educational program.

1 2 3 4

3.

Seeks advice from all elements of the community regardless of race, socio-economic background or political leanings.

1 2 3 4

4.

Makes itself accessible to anyone who wishes to express a concern.

1 2 3 4

5.

Insists on educational programs that provide equal opportunity for all students in the system.

1 2 3 4

6.

Provides safe, clean, and attractive facilities for students.

1 2 3 4

7.

Is aggressive in seeking funds for schools.

1 2 3 4

8.

Manages the funds available to the system in the most effective manner.

1 2 3 4

9.

Employs the best director of schools available to the school system.

1 2 3 4

10. Cultivates healthy working relationships with the employees of the system.

1 2 3 4

11. Recognizes and celebrates outstanding student performance.

1 2 3 4

12. Does not tolerate mediocrity nor incompetence.

1 2 3 4

13. Works harmoniously as a group.

1 2 3 4

14. Conducts meetings in a business-like fashion.

1 2 3 4

15. All members are informed and prepared to discuss issues presented

at board meetings.

1 2 3 4

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Strategies

Effective School Board Traits NSBA’s Center for Public Education has compiled and identified common traits of effective school boards that positively impact student achievement and public support. Place a check next to the items that your school board currently practices: —— Create a shared vision of high standards with teachers, parents, students, business leaders, and community members.

—— Set tightly focused goals and rigorously monitor the district’s progress toward meeting these goals.

—— Use data to monitor and evaluate progress, ensure resources are allocated where they can make the most difference, and constantly strive to improve instruction and learning for every child.

—— Focus on policy, not administration.

—— Have trusting, collaborative relationships with the superintendent and fellow board members.

Some questions to ask: 1. Does your board exhibit these traits?

2. If yes, how many traits does your board exhibit?

3. If not, what can you do to ensure that you become more effective?

4. Is your board communicating to the public how your work is leading to increased student achievement?

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How to Conquer the Grapevine Communication is easy, right? Well, maybe. Here is a brief quiz designed to make you more sensitive to some of the difficulties we all encounter in communicating. Circle your response to each of the questions.

1. The advantage of the mass media is that they reach a large number of people directly.

Agree Disagree 2. Effective listening involves being quiet and attentive while the other person speaks.

Agree Disagree 3. An organization can never have enough communication.

Agree Disagree 4. The most frequent and important way of communicating in an organization is through written materials.

Agree Disagree 5. If a situation is complex and the outcome is uncertain, it is better to communicate through such formal techniques as letters, newsletters, brochures and other written documents.

Agree Disagree 6. In every community there are complex networks of persons connected by personal, professional and work contacts.

Agree Disagree

8. The more an organization communicates its needs and the more that people understand those needs the more the public will support the organization.

Agree Disagree 9. People will believe your message if it is factually accurate and honest.

Agree Disagree 10. Individuals who receive a message with gaps or incomplete information tend to “fill in” the missing information.

Agree Disagree 11. The best way to find out if others like or dislike somebody or something is to listen to what they say and how they say it.

Agree Disagree 12. Before making a decision, the most important thing is to determine the “right” answer.

Agree Disagree 13. Loners – people who are not members of any group – are difficult to persuade.

Agree Disagree

7. The image an organization has in the community is determined mainly by its external public relations efforts.

Agree Disagree

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Answers: 1. Disagree – Stories in the mass media reach people who are interested in the subject being discussed. These people then pass on and interpret the story to the people with whom they associate. The mass media reach the masses in two steps – not directly.

2. Disagree – Passive listening is not effective listening. A skilled listener paraphrases and gives feedback.

3. Disagree – Organizations exist to reduce communication needs and channel communication that does exist. Improperly planned communication can hurt an organization.

4. Disagree – Face to face communication is most frequent and most important. Things are talked about before they finally are written.

5. Disagree – It’s almost always better to communicate informally (face to face, by telephone, etc.). And the more complex an issue, the more important informal communication becomes.

Formal techniques should be used to reinforce what is communicated informally.

6. Agree – Reach 10 people and you’ll reach 100. Imagine the importance of a sound internal communication program!

7. Disagree – An organization’s image is primarily determined by its staff – what they say, think, feel and do 24 hours a day. That’s why first-rate communication programs start inside, and why it’s important for staff members to know their “PR roles.”

8. Disagree – People can understand an organization’s needs and still not support it. People may oppose what the organization stands for or may simply not care. A wise organization communicates in terms of the public’s needs, not its own needs.

9. Disagree – The truth has a way of emerging eventually. However, immediate believability depends upon how people feel about the source of the message. It’s important that schools have credible communicators speaking for them.

10. Agree – School communicators should see that the grapevine is given complete information.

Missing information will be filled in by guess work, and that’s where the harmful distortions are started.

11. Disagree – People don’t always say what they think. Facial expression is usually a better indicator.

12. Disagree – The right answers to the wrong questions harm more than help. The most important thing is to ask the right questions – define the problem.

13. Disagree – Members of a group develop common attitudes and lean on one another for support. They are harder to persuade than loners who can be more easily made to doubt their original beliefs.

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Strategies

Building Public Support for Public Schools List below at least one idea for building public support for local schools which you plan to carry out.

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15 Things School board Members Can Do To Boost Public Confidence in Public Schools As a school board member, you are highly visible. Your actions are constantly compared to what you say.

People believe what they see more than what they hear. People look to you for leadership and direction.

Following are some ideas on what you can do to generate the public’s support. Place a check next to the items that you currently practice: ——

Show the public what good governance looks like.

——

Model the behavior you want students and staff to emulate, especially during times of conflict.

——

Know your facts, and be proactive in sharing them.

——

Develop your elevator speech about your school system, why you serve, and why others should care about your local public schools.

——

Tell 10 success stories for every criticism you hear or share.

——

Bring someone new with you every time you attend a school program or district event.

——

Recruit new families for public schools, and stay in touch with the current and prospective.

——

Reach out to Realtors, grandparents, human resource officers, and others who influence where people live and where families send their children to school.

——

Hit the breakfast, lunch and dinner speaking circuit in your community, and remind people that public schools are the only came in town that serves all children.

——

Build relationships with opinion leaders in your community, and have them on speed dial and in your email distribution list.

——

Add to your district’s database of key audience members every time you meet someone new by sharing copies of the business cards you collect with the public information or superintendent’s office.

——

Make sure your district is represented on other key community boards, groups, commissions, and committees.

——

Contact your local, state, and federal representatives regularly about the importance of public schools, to share good news, or to invite them to school and district events and activities.

——

Work with your local economic development teams to make sure public schools are represented fairly and on par with private school or charter options.

——

Don’t guess. It you don’t know something, or haven’t heard about something, don’t express shock and dismay, or assume the worst is true.

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Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

Section 7

Advocacy Through TSBA

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Advocacy Through TSBA Developing Relationships with Members of other Boards of Education Open Meetings Laws As elected officials, local school board members must adhere to Tennessee’s Open Meetings Laws.

The law states, “The General Assembly hereby declares it to be the policy of this state that the formation of public policy and decisions is public business and shall not be conducted in secret.” The law goes on to state, “All meetings of any governing body are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times, except as provided by the Constitution of Tennessee.”

This mandate requires open meetings anytime your board comes together to make a decision or even discuss an item in order to form an opinion on future decisions. It greatly hinders the ability of board members to vet an issue or brainstorm on a particular topic. All of your consideration and discussions with members of your board must occur openly with sufficient notice to the public.

Members of Other School Boards The Open Meetings laws simply apply to the interactions of members of the same local school board. Members of different boards may meet and discuss any item they so choose. This dialogue may prove very beneficial for the purposes of determining the validity or value of a potential policy or procedure.

While no two school districts are the same, they face many of the same problems and consider many of the same policies.

For example, in 2010, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law enabling school boards to develop a policy to randomly drug test students participating in extracurricular activities.

Many local boards have implemented such policies while others are looking into the issue.

Let’s suppose your board is considering this policy.

How beneficial would it be to you and your board if you knew how the policy was working in other districts? How did parents react? How effective were the programs?

While you cannot deliberate in private with your local board members on these questions, you are free to deliberate with members of other boards.

Your questions, concerns, or skepticism may quickly be addressed through these conversations. Also, you will have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes or unintended consequences of other boards.

Networking TSBA provides several opportunities to network with other board members throughout the year.

Day-On-The-Hill, Convention, and workshops like this one are excellent venues to reach out to members of other school boards and begin building relationships.

However, do not underestimate the importance of networking at the local level. Many counties have several school systems within its borders. These board members should absolutely have relationships and interact on a regular basis.

If you only have one system in your county, most likely you have several counties around you with several school systems. Often times, the particular issues or policies that boards face are regional.

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Influencing Legislators We’ve all heard, “There’s power in numbers.” This expression is absolutely true, and legislators know it. They understand and depend on the power of numbers and its importance to winning elections.

Legislators also know that as local school board members you have hundreds or thousands of constituents that look to you for guidance on education.

Keeping that in mind, imagine coordinating a meeting with your local State Senator along with every school board in the district to discuss a proposed piece of legislation. The 24th Senatorial District contains twelve school boards and ninetyone school board members. If these boards stand united on a particular issue, how compelling is that position going to appear to the legislator?

Make sure you know the legislators, the legislative boundaries, and the school boards that comprise your area.

Developing Priorities through Resolutions and Position Statements TSBA’s legislative priorities and efforts are guided by the Resolutions and Position Statements adopted by its membership. Many local board members are unfamiliar with this process which leads to a great deal of questions or confusion as to TSBA’s legislative actions.

Local boards need to know the process and ensure that they are actively participating. Each summer, local boards should schedule this item on an agenda.

This meeting will provide the opportunity to discuss the legislative goals and priorities of the local board of education.

Then, prior TSBA’s Annual Convention, local boards should meet to discuss the proposed Resolution and changes to the Position Statements that will be considered at Delegate Assembly.

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Local positions may or may not align with these proposals, and local boards must send representatives to Nashville who are prepared.

For more information on this process, please see excerpts from the TSBA Constitution and Bylaws and TSBA Policies below. Feel free to call the TSBA Director of Government Relations with additional inquiries.

TSBA Constitution and Bylaws Article XI Resolutions and Position Statements Section 1. Any member of the Association or the Board of Directors may propose resolutions or position statements pertinent to the purposes and objectives of the association by submitting the same in writing to the Executive Director at least 45 days prior to the meeting of the Delegate Assembly, unless the Delegate Assembly by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting determines otherwise.

Section 2. Written notice of the proposed resolutions and position statements shall be given to all member boards at least 20 days before the meeting of the Delegate Assembly.

Section 3. Resolutions and position statements may be adopted by a majority of those delegates present and voting at the Delegate Assembly.

TSBA Policy #1410 Position Statements and Resolutions Position statements shall remain in effect until otherwise amended or deleted.

Resolutions shall remain in effect for one year.

Advocacy: The Art of Community Leadership

TSBA’s Legislative Cycle June-September

January

School boards submit resolutions and changes or additions to TSBA’s position statements to be considered by the TSBA Board of Directors, and the Delegate Assembly. The Tennessee Legislative Action Committee (TLAC) assists TSBA with contacting board members to request submissions.

The legislative session begins and TSBA secures legislators to sponsor bills.

September The TSBA Board of Directors meets to take action on submitted resolutions and proposed changes to the position statements.

November The TSBA Board meets during the annual statewide convention to take action on any new resolutions or proposed changes to the position statements. Then, the Delegate Assembly meets during the convention to take final action on the proposed resolutions and position statements, which will be used to formulate TSBA’s agenda for the upcoming legislative session.

February The TSBA Board meets to take positions on education legislation introduced by the General Assembly. The annual TSBA “Day-on-the-Hill” event takes place, bringing together school board members, school officials and legislators to discuss education issues.

January-May TSBA’s legislative staff monitors education legislation and communicates the positions of the association to members of the General Assembly.

TLAC members aid TSBA with providing instant alerts and disseminating Calls to Action to the board members of their respective districts.

December TSBA’s legislative staff drafts legislation to accomplish the goals of the association.

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A Year of Legislative Advocacy

A

s school board members, you play a vital role in the legislative process. Legislative advocacy, however, is not simply a phone call or email during session. Rather, it must entail strategic, focused, and ongoing efforts to maximize the impact of your involvement. The following calendar is a template that TSBA encourages all school boards to review, discuss, and adopt. We encourage you to adjust the dates and actions to reflect your board’s schedule and goals and incorporate some or all of the items into your annual agenda.

Year round advocacy is needed as we all work together for the students and public schools of Tennessee, and having an established plan is the best way to keep those efforts on track.

January/February • • • • • • •

Follow Legislation as Filed with TSBA’s Legislative Tracker Contact TSBA with Questions or for Assistance Watch “State of the State” and Examine Proposed Budget Attend TSBA’s Day on the Hill Meet with Legislators in Nashville Distribute Materials Relevant to Filed Legislation Track Legislative Actions and Votes of Your Legislators

March/April • Track Legislative Actions and Votes of Your Legislators • Contact Legislators to Reinforce Positions and Discuss Votes • Use Local Networks to Generate Strength in Numbers to Influence Votes

May • • • • •

Host End of Session Meeting with Legislators in the District Hold Legislators Accountable for Votes Consider Joint Meetings with Other Boards Consider Joint Meetings with Funding Bodies Invite Chambers of Commerce, PTA/PTOs, local education associations, funding bodies, the media

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June/July • • • •

Invite Members of Funding Bodies to Tour Schools to See Successes and Needs Invite Legislators to Tour Schools to See Successes and Needs In an Election Year, Host Candidate Forums for Contested Primary Legislative Races Invite Chambers of Commerce, PTA/PTOs, local education associations, funding bodies, the media

August • VOTE

September/October • In an Election Year, Host Candidate Forums for Contested General Legislative Races • Invite Chambers of Commerce, PTA/PTOs, local education associations, funding bodies, the media • Elect a TLN Representative • Attend TSBA Conquering the Hill Workshop

November/December • • • • • •

VOTE Invite Newly Elected Legislators to Meet with the Board Meet with Legislators in the District to Discuss Priorities Prior to Session Consider Joint Meetings with Other Boards Consider Joint Meetings with Funding Bodies Invite Chambers of Commerce, PTA/PTOs, local education associations, funding bodies, the media

January-December • Contact Legislators Periodically to Develop Relationships and Earn Trust • Stay in Touch with Local Stakeholders to Develop Relationships and Form Coalitions

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Utilizing TSBA’s Services Representation on Capitol Hill Throughout the legislative session, TSBA’s legislative staff monitors legislative activity that affects education and maintains direct communication with legislators, state agencies and state departments in the education arena. Meetings are held each week with the Chairpersons of the House and Senate Education Committees to discuss the week’s calendars and to provide insight on issues important to school boards. The legislative staff carefully analyzes education legislation and works to ensure that legislation supporting public education becomes law and harmful legislation is amended or defeated. In addition to meeting with legislators, this process includes testifying at committee meetings, providing position statements to members, and drafting amendments to proposed bills.

Resources TSBA provides school boards with a number of resources during the legislative session to keep you updated on current legislative activities.

TLN Notes is published weekly during the legislative session to inform board members of recent legislative action and to provide information on upcoming committee and floor action.

TLN Notes provides advocacy direction to board members by supplying talking points on bills and issues that board members can use when speaking with their legislators.

TSBA’s legislative website allows you to take an even more active role in the advocacy process. In addition to reading TLN Notes, you can view entire bills and amendments and find out the cost of legislative proposals. You can also scan committee calendars and find out what bills will be debated during the week. With a few simple strokes of a keypad, you can research legislation and advocate your position to members of the General Assembly.

After each legislative session, The Legislative Recap contains information on every bill pertaining to education that passed the General Assembly, including a brief bill description.

TSBA also provides immediate updates and alerts through Twitter. These posts can be tracked through Twitter.com, and members can sign up to receive them via text messaging on their cell phones. School board members can become a follower and receive these updates almost instantly. If a major education bill is about to be discussed or if an item from our legislative agenda is acted upon, those members will be the first to know.

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TSBA holds an annual Legislative Conference in Gatlinburg in conjunction with Summer Law. This seminar offers members an in depth discussion of the past session, and it features a Q & A segment with a legislator. The conference is free to attend, and it provides an excellent opportunity to discuss education legislation with other members.

Of course, TSBA’s Legislative Department is always available to answer questions or provide you with legislative documents or materials. The ultimate goal is for you to have the latest information when you contact your legislators, and if you have questions, there are a number of ways TSBA can provide you with the answers.

Meetings Each year in February, TSBA presents “Day-on-the-Hill,” one of the most popular and successful legislative events of the year. This annual meeting provides more than 400 school board members and school officials with the time and information needed to meet with their legislators to discuss current education legislation and issues.

In addition to “Day-on-the-Hill,” TSBA’s legislative staff provides updates and presentations throughout the year at various TSBA meetings, including the Summer Law Institutes, Fall District Meetings, and the annual TSBA Convention.

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Strategies Developing Relationships with Other School Boards 1. How Do You Interact with Other Board Members?

2. What Can You Do to Reach Out to Other Board Members to Better Advocate for Education?

3. How does your board develop priorities?

4. Does your board annually discuss position statements and/or resolutions?

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This is a publication of the Tennessee School Boards Association 525 Brick Church Park Drive Nashville, TN 37207 www.tsba.net