Taking Action Through the Legislative Process

DCCPTA Fall Leadership ConferenceSeptember 27, 2014

Advocacy and the PTA

• Advocacy is to support and speak up for children• In schools• In communities• Before government bodies and other organizations that make decisions

affecting children

• Anyone can advocate and everyone should.

Advocacy and the PTA

• Advocacy takes time and effort• Advocacy may not be successful overnight• Don’t get discouraged – everything you do matters

• Advocacy should not just happen during the legislative session, but year round• Often there is a greater impact to meet your legislators in their home district

office

• Advocacy doesn’t just happen in Tallahassee• School board, School Administration, District Personnel, Decision Makers

Advocacy and the PTA

• http://www.coj.net/departments/duval-legislative-delegation.aspx• Delegation Members Jacksonville Information• Bill information• Tallahassee Tours and Information• FAQs, etc.

Advocacy and the PTA

• http://dcps.duvalschools.org//Domain/4440• List of school board members, their schools, and contact information• Board Meeting Calendar• Upcoming Meeting Calendar• Agendas and Meeting Notices• Legislative Agenda

How Do I Advocate?

• Attend the DCCPTA Leadership Training on Advocacy!!• Decide on the decision maker• If your decision maker is an elected representative (school board or state

legislator) the process you use for advocating is also known as lobbying.• Lobbying is not a dirty word• Lobbying is taking your case directly to an elected official• Lobbying is an important form of advocacy called “grassroots advocacy”

How Do I Advocate?

• Be Truthful – do not jeopardize your credibility• Do not embellish the materials you present or exaggerate any facts you may have

• Understanding the Rules• Methods of procedure adopted by each body• Tell you how things are done• If you know the rules, you will function with more confidence and work more

comfortably• Know the Network

• Become familiar the roles and responsibilities of the leaders• Become familiar with roles and responsibilities of the key staff• Become familiar with the individual members and their interests/ voting records

How Do I Advocate?

• Be Polite• Do not be too aggressive, too forward or too pushy• Do be confident and knowledgeable• Remember that doors can be opened to you as easily as they can be closed

Meeting with a Decision Maker

• Personal visits are often the most effective• Allows you to read the reaction to you request and allows you to respond immediately• Allows you to get acquainted, start to build a relationship, and may be helpful in the future.• If you can’t meet in person, emails and phone calls can be effective as well

• Make an appointment in advance• Attempt to make your visit timely

• Prior to a vote• Introduce yourself – include PTA

• Remember that you can only speak on behalf of PTA on items we have resolutions on• Remain Focused – your time will be limited

• Give a reason for your visit• Remind person of current status of topic – what votes have taken place, etc.

Meeting with a Decision Maker

• Explain your Support or Opposition• Used both anecdotal information and data• Convey your knowledge and level of commitment• Relate personal experiences if possible• If you a visiting with someone, decide in advance who will say what

• Allow Time for Questions• If you don’t know the answer, that is ok. Let them know you will follow up.

• Ask the decision maker their stance on the issue• Offer additional information if needed

Meeting with a Decision Maker

• Conclude and extend your appreciation• Always end of friendly terms• This issue’s opponents may be the next issue’s supporters

• Follow up with a Thanks You Letter

Other Advocacy Ideas

• Host a Meet and Greet – • Legislative Representatives• School Board Members• Remember PTA is non-partisan and can not show partiality to any one candidate

• Hold a Candidates Forum• Invite PTA and community member to participate by preparing questions in advance• Reach out to local media as a possible forum host• Tape the forum and post it on your website• If you don’t want to host, take a PTA field trip to another scheduled forum • Example – JPEF and PTA

Other Advocacy Ideas

• Create a Questionnaire• Send a list of questions (usually no more than 10) to all nominees running for an elected

office• Questions should be those of special interest to your PTA – future of public education,

funding, parental involvement, etc.• Include a deadline for their written responses• Post responses (or lack of) on your PTA website. You may also re-post other

questionnaires from other non-partisan organizations• Example – JPEF and PTA

• Invite your legislators to visit your school and experience a day in the life.

Local Programs

• Sandalwood High School• Invited Ashley Smith-Juarez to February Student meeting• Students had prepared questions

• Standardized Testing• School lunches• Lack of electives• Graduation requirements

• Two student suggestions were taken by Mrs. Smith –Juarez to Dr. Vitti

Local Programs

• Sandalwood High School• Invited Chartwells to school to address student lunch concerns

• Checked oven temperatures and retrained food preparers• Held follow up meeting with Chartwells

• Food Service Manager, Marketing Director, Dietician, and other team members• Students and Chartwells generated creative solutions• PTSA and Junior Class President joined to host a table introducing new foods to the students

and allowing them to vote on what they liked• Students wrote down the Chartwells Director’s email address to contact him with future

concerns

• Post legislative bills and hot topics on highly visible bulletin board• Have applied to be a 3rd party Voter Registration site

Local Programs

• San Pablo Elementary• Awarded the Elementary Advocacy Award for the Florida PTA• Cost of program - $0• Issues of concerns by parents – lack of recess, excessive amount of testing,

over-crowding• PTA and SAC (inclusive of school administrations) invited Fel Lee and Kelly

Coker-Daniels to a joint meeting. Parents were educated and embowered to ask questions• What can we do to increase the amount of recess, hopefully to daily?• What can be done about the amount of testing?• What can we do about overcrowding at the school which is currently 136%

utilization?

Local Programs

• San Pablo Elementary• Follow up was promised from both the school board and district and PTA

communicated minutes/follow up items.• Results:

• District gave the school flexibility to adjust the schedule to allow a minimum of 15 minutes of daily recess

• District pulled back on testing for the early elementary grades (not a direct result of this meeting, but as a result of district wide parent involvement)

• San Pablo Elementary was awarded 2 portable buildings to be installed for the 2014-2015 school year

• Program was an example of collaboration, parent education and advocacy.

Resources

• www.dccpta.org• www.floridapta.org

• Advocacy Tab• Legislative Priorities• Cap Wiz

• www.pta.org • www.flsenate.gov• www.myfloridahouse.gov• www.duvalschools.org• mmdaniel1972@yahoo.com or 904-314-4514

Questions?