On
Monday February 2nd the 78th
Nevada Legislature will convene, and our elected officials will begin the arduous
process of lawmaking. Many of our elected officials ran on pro-education
platforms and promised to improve Nevada’s education system. Nevada’s Governor,
Brian Sandoval, pledged to make
education one of his top priorities this session and plans to move Nevada from
the bottom of the state education rankings by implementing such reforms as “read
by three” expansion of zoom schools, school
choice to include “opportunity scholarships” and the growth of charter schools
among others. No one doubts that our Governor and lawmakers are dedicated to improving
education outcomes in the silver state, our economic future depends on it. The
way in which to effect educational change, however, is the subject of spirited debate
between free market corporate reformers and those who support traditional
education policies. Regardless of one’s political ideology, it is imperative
that teachers are informed of the issues. We cannot passively sit on the
sidelines and have things happen to us, we must demand a seat at the table and
share our knowledge and experience with those who will be making important
decisions about our educational future.
The
recent midterm election significantly changed the political make-up of the
state. The “red wave” saw Republicans swept into every state Constitutional
office as well as gain majorities in the senate and the assembly for the first
time since 1929. In the Nevada legislature, there are 21 state senators led by
Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson (R) and Senate Minority Leader Aaron
Ford (D) and 42 assemblypersons led by Speaker John Hambrick (R) and Assembly
Minority Leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D), the legislature is sometimes referred
to as the “gang of 63.” As teachers we will want to develop good working
relationships not only with senate and assembly leadership of both parties, but
with education committees in both houses, the senate Committee on Education is
led by Becky Harris (R), and is co-chaired by Scott Hammond (R). The assembly Education
Committee Chairwoman is Melissa Woodbury (R).
Nevada
has a “citizen legislature” because it meets every odd numbered year for only 120
days beginning in February. Legislators in both the assembly and the senate are
limited to serving a maximum of 12 years (3 terms in the senate and 6 in the
assembly). Due to their short tenure, representatives will want to make a name
for themselves very quickly, especially those who aspire to higher political
office and leadership within their caucus. In addition, the “red wave” saw Republicans
pick up a total of 17 seats in both houses, this means that many of our
representatives are freshman with relatively little political experience. In
addition, due to the short session there will not be a lot of time for
legislators to learn about the issues, this is where we can help. Accomplished
teachers understand the realities and day-to-day challenges of working in our
public schools and therefore can help legislators understand the “real world”
impact education policy will have on our state.
As I
mentioned before accomplished teachers must have a seat at the table, but we must
initiate the conversation. The first step is to know who your representatives
are. You can use this interactive map to find out http://mapserve1.leg.state.nv.us/whoru/ Once you have identified your representatives
you can you can then use the state legislative website to track legislation
that is important to you, the Nevada Electronic Legislative Information System
can be found here https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/78th2015 I
You can
become an advocate for our profession by learning about the issues that impact
our field. Legislators need your professional judgment and insight on a variety
of issues like charter schools, vouchers, merit pay, class size reduction, read
by three, zoom schools, Nevada Performance Framework, Common Core, all day
kindergarten, TFA, among others. 10 things to consider when lobbying your
legislator (NEA)
1.
POLITICS IS CONSUMER-DRIVEN
Help
your legislator understand why your position is important to his or her
constituents. Fight where the legislator lives through grassroots organizations
at home.
2. DO
YOUR HOMEWORK
Know
your stuff. Understand your issue, the bill you support or oppose, and the
legislative process before you approach your legislator. Know who the players
are, who decides what, and which issues are hot at the moment.
3.
INFORMATION IS POWER
The
secret is the distribution of information to legislators and their
constituents. Be prepared to give the legislator information he or she can use,
including what you are hearing from other legislators and from people back
home.
4. A
LITTLE PROFESSIONALISM GOES A LONG WAY
Be
credible, honest and trustworthy. Never threaten, lie or conceal facts. Stay
calm — if you lose your cool, you lose the case.
5. BE
POSITIVE
Always
make your case without being critical of others' personalities or motives.
6. THERE
ARE NO PERMANENT FRIENDS AND NO PERMANENT ENEMIES
Don't
take your traditional friends for granted. Never write off a legislator just because
of party affiliation. Don't make enemies of legislators — you may need them as
friends in the future.
7. BUILD
A BOND, NOT A GAP
Research
things you might have in common with the legislator. Use shared values to
create easy, friendly, frequent communication with legislators.
8. BE A
PARTNER
Build
coalitions and look for allies among other organizations. Be accessible to
legislators and other lobbyists if they have questions or need follow-up
information. Become known as a reliable resource.
9. ROME
WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY
Aim for
consensus rather than for a "victory." Be willing to settle for
making progress toward your goal, getting the bill passed, and fine-tuning it
in future sessions.
10. STAY
COMMITTED
Remember
— you are the expert!! You have a compelling, energizing reason to keep
fighting until you get what you need.
One of
the best sources of education news, in my opinion, is Education Week http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html I also like http://www.realcleareducation.com/ for the education news of the day. New York
Times education http://www.nytimes.com/pages/education/index.html
Huffington Post Education http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/education-news/
Nationa Public Radio (NPR) Education http://www.npr.org/sections/education/
There
are a number of education think tanks and policy institutes that publish studies
and white papers regarding various education policy to include the Thomas B
Fordham Institute http://edexcellence.net/ The Hoover Institution http://www.hoover.org/ National Network of State Teachers of the
Year (NNSTOY) http://www.nnstoy.org/
Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) http://www.teachingquality.org/ Students First https://www.studentsfirst.org/ The
New Teacher Project (TNTP) http://tntp.org/ Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) http://npri.org/ Nevada Succeeds http://www.nevadasucceeds.org/ The
Guin Center for Policy Priorities http://guinncenter.org/
National Center for education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/
National Education Policy Center http://nepc.colorado.edu/ Education Sector
http://www.educationsector.org/ the sources provided are not exhaustive they
can help to get you started in understanding the educational issues of the day.
Accomplished
teachers knowledgeable about the issues can play an important role this coming
legislative session. Our experience and passion can help legislators make the
right decisions when it comes to moving the state forward.
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