Transcript FCCLA Advocacy Presentation

Back Home Advocacy
Brendan Desetti
Legislative Liaison
Association for Career and Technical Education
Advocacy & Lobbying
• Advocacy:
– The act or process of supporting a cause or
proposal.
• Lobbying:
– To conduct activities aimed at influencing public
officials and especially members of a legislative
body on legislation
Importance of
“Back Home” Advocacy
• Builds a relationship with your policymaker & staff
– Easier to obtain meetings in the future
– Easier to ask for a favor or support of a cause
• Allows policymaker to see the connection
between legislation and the classroom
– Policy becomes less about money and more about the
children
• Can bring positive media attention to CTE
– Can bring in public support, which is extremely
important to elected officials
Importance of Advocacy
The majority of education
funding comes from the
state and local level.
State and local
governments make the day
to day decisions for districts
and schools.
Congress has “power of the
purse,” providing needed
funds to states and locals
through federal programs
like Perkins.
Notable Federal
CTE Legislation
Major Acts Due for Reauthorization
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Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Workforce Investment Act
Higher Education Act
Current Legislation in 113th Congress
– Counseling for Career Choice (Senator Begich)
– Strengthening Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong
Skills Act (Rep. Foxx)
Where Can “Back Home”
Advocacy Make A Difference?
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Budget (All levels of gov’t)
Appropriations (All levels of gov’t)
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Federal)
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
(Federal)
Workforce Investment Act (Federal)
Perkins state and local plan development (State)
Types of CTE programs offered (State and Local)
State specific legislation
Messages for Congress
• Tell Members of Congress how critical Perkins,
education and job training programs are for
your community!
• Be sure to stress that any cut is unacceptable!
• Use data and success stories to highlight your
point.
• Explain that without federal funding these
programs are not possible!
Types of
“Back Home Advocacy”
• Phone calls and emails to DC or Statehouse office.
• Writing op-eds or securing editorials in your local or
major state newspaper.
• Meetings at a policymaker’s district office.
• Attending town hall meetings or other events held by
your legislators.
• Inviting policymakers to visit your school and
program.
Communicating with
Policymakers
Letters
– Personal letters state your views on how proposed
legislation will affect your profession, schools, or
community
– Letters must go through a homeland
security screening process, which slows
delivery considerably
Communicating with
Policymakers
Email
– When time matters, email can serve the same
purpose as letters.
– Email can easily be directed to specific staff
members.
– Always use a personal email address.
Communicating with
Policymakers
Telephone
– You will always get through to someone, but that
person usually sits at the front desk.
– Leaving a message is effective, but specifics and
stories can be lost in translation.
– A steady stream of phone calls from constituents
can quickly persuade members to support your
issue.
Communicating with
Policymakers
Face-to-face meeting
– Members are normally in their DC office TuesdayThursday, and in a district office Friday-Monday.
– Attend a legislative forum held by your member.
• Members tend to hold weekly “coffee hours”
open to all constituents.
– Invite a member to see your program.
Local Media Outreach
• Review media advocacy information that
ACTE has published online.
• Send ACTE press releases to local reporters.
• Write a letter to the editor about your
program and it’s impact on the community
• Invite press to your program in conjunction
with Legislators
• Set yourself up as the CTE expert you are!
Lobbying Tips
1. Be informed.
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Know the issues – visit acteonline.org, read “CTE Policy
Watch Blog.”
Know the legislator – check out his/her voting record
and background. (limited for new members)
2. Be prepared.
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Have data and specifics – How will legislation impact
your school and your district?
Know your position and the rationale for that position.
(acteonline.org, “CTE Policy Watch Blog.”)
Lobbying Tips
3. Be friendly.
– Don’t let persuasion turn into a threat.
– Don’t fight negativity with negativity.
– If you can find something the legislator did well,
compliment that action.
4. Be open.
– Be prepared to listen and to speak.
– Structure the meeting so that you have an
opportunity to do both.
Lobbying Tips
5. Be calm.
– Maintain a professional demeanor.
– Don’t get flustered – know your issue and bring
the discussion back to your point.
6. Give examples.
– Most Members of Congress are not educators by
profession, so the more examples you can give
of the impact of legislation on students and
schools within your own district, the more
persuasive your arguments will be.
Lobbying Tips
7. Don’t argue.
– If the legislator disagrees with you, don’t argue.
You want to present your case, not necessarily
win it.
8. Don’t apologize.
– Never apologize for communicating your
positions. You are a constituent, and it is your
legislator’s and his or her staff’s job to listen to
you.
Lobbying Tips
9. Don’t get sidetracked.
– Don’t let the legislator or staff sidetrack you on
other issues. Stick to the issue and bring it back!
– Don’t get defensive or get dragged into making
seat-of-the-pants selections among education
priorities.
10. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know.
– If a legislator tries to change the subject to issues
in which you don’t have a solid grounding, don’t
bite.
– If you’re not sure of an answer, say, “I’ll check and
get back to you.”
Lobbying Tips
11. Find common ground.
– Even if a legislator does not support your position,
he/she may still believe in the value of public
education.
– Even if he/she doesn’t believe in that, every
member has the responsibility of attending to the
concerns of all his/her constituents!
Lobbying Tips
12. Don’t give up.
– Continue to keep your legislator informed about
the impact of an issue, even after it has passed.
– If they voted to support a program that works,
let them know how it works.
– If they opposed a program that was successful,
let them know it works.
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Perkins 2006 votes: 1.usa.gov/XwGkDb
– If they opposed or supported a program that
wasn’t enacted, let them know the need still
exists.
Always Have An Ask
If you are advocating for issue support, ask for his or
her support.
– “I hope we can count on the Congressman’s
support for CTE issues.”
If you are lobbying for a specific bill, ask for a yes or no
vote.
– “We encourage the Senator to vote yes on
S. 3479.”
If you don’t ask, they don’t know
Student Advocates
• Student advocates are great spokespersons for
gaining policymakers’ support for CTE.
• Policymakers want to hear from students to see how
education investments are paying off.
• High school students are also future voters.
Student Advocacy
• Students should be able to articulate a personal story
to policymakers and staff.
• Prepare your students with data to go along with
their story.
• In a group setting, select one main speaker to deliver
the story and message – other students should
contribute in support of that message
Post Visit
• Send a thank you note or email.
– Thank for sitting down with you.
– Remind him or her of importance of your issue.
– Thank for the member’s support or give ask again.
• Follow up with and thank any staff person you had
contact with in the process of setting up or during the
meeting.
• Continue to have a dialogue with the office after you
leave.
• Having a good relationship with staff means easier
access and more influence.
Contact Info
Association for Career and Technical Education
1410 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(800) 826-9972
www.acteonline.org
Brendan Desetti: [email protected]