Brendan Desetti Legislative Liaison Association for Career and Technical Education Back Home Advocacy

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 – 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? 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 s 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 – When time matters, can serve the same purpose as letters. – can easily be directed to specific staff members. – Always use a personal 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 Tuesday- Thursday, 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. – 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. – 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. Perkins 2006 votes: 1.usa.gov/XwGkDb1.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 ” 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 . – 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 (800) Brendan Desetti: