Capital Watch
Forging Links with Your Lawmakers
TASB GR Offers Timely Back-to-School Advocacy Tips for Trustees
by Dax Gonzalez
Being a school board mem- ber means being an advocate for your district. Here are a few activities you can do as we kick off another school year:
1. Communicate to your
legislators what cuts in state
education funding will do to
your schools.
Legislators cut public education funding by $5.4 billion
($4 billion from the Foundation School Program and
$1.4 billion from grants) this
session. School districts will be
facing approximately 6 percent
in cuts for the 2011-12 school
year and between 1 percent
and 9 percent in cuts for the
2012-13 school year.
Communicate your
district’s budget situation and
decisions with your legislators.
Tell them how your district is
managing its budget to pre-
serve the quality of education
and services your community
has come to expect and how
cuts will affect your district
in the future if funding is not
increased to keep up with
the growing student popula-
tion. Invite your legislators to
a briefing about the district’s
budget and explain the
following:
• The district’s academic
successes and challenges
• How cuts to public edu-
cation will affect your
district’s goals
• Challenges and addi-
tional costs your district
will face in the coming
years
• Cost efficiencies your
district currently
employs
• Mandates from the
state that prevent your
district from being more
efficient
• How the district’s fund
balance works, why
it exists, and how it
has been used
2. Meet with all can-
didates running for office.
The candidates of today
may be the legislators of
tomorrow, so take some time
to meet all of the candidates
(including incumbents) running for the Texas Legislature
and State Board of Education.
Learn where they stand on
education issues and teach
them about your district and
how they can help improve
the educational experience for
children in your community.
Invite candidates and
incumbents to attend (but
not campaign at) any of your
school board meetings so they
can get a sense of the issues of
greatest interest to your district. Provide an opportunity
for them to meet district personnel in charge of the various
functions in the district.
The candidates of
today may be the
legislators of tomorrow, so take some
time to meet all of
the candidates (
including incumbents)
running for the Texas
Legislature and State
Board of Education.
3. Hold a “ Back to
School” event.
“ Back to School” is a
great time to invite parents,
taxpayers, legislators, candi-
dates, and the media to visit
one or more of your district’s
campuses. Have key district
officials deliver presentations
on different aspects of your
district, such as the district’s
mission, goals, and chal-
lenges, changes in student
and teacher demographics,
accountability ratings, the
district’s budget, etc.
