1. Finding Your Voice:
Advocating for children in public schools

2. Finding Your Voice: Advocating for Children in Public Schools
Jason Burdine, Board President
Kristin Tassin, Board Member
Jim Rice, Board Member
KRISTIN
Introduce the presenters
Our superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre could not be here as he was asked to accept a national award for our District at the American Association of School Administrators conference in New Orleans.

3. Who we are.
Why we serve.
KRISTIN - Heartfelt intro – who we are and why advocacy for the Board of Trustees is so important- slide

4. Why is the advocacy by School Board members so important?
We are the primary advocates for public education
Our primary function is governance
We are guardians of the public trust
We are advocates for educational excellence for the community’s youth and we must put those interests first (Texas Ed Code Chap. 11)
Kristin - why advocacy for the Board of Trustees is so important- slide
Board Members act as advocates for public education.
The primary function of the school board and its members governing the school district.
School Board members are guardians of the public trust and, through the policies they make, are ultimately responsible for the success or failure of local public education.
The School Board serves as the advocate for educational excellence for the
community’s children and youth and puts those interests first. (TEC Chapter 11)

5. Why is the advocacy of School Board members so important?
Entails difficult choices, self-sacrifice and exposure to criticism
Crucial responsibility and closeness to voters
Purest example of democracy
Responsibility includes advocacy to other local elected officials and state/federal lawmakers
Kristin continues -
This responsibility often entails difficult choices, self-sacrifice and exposure to public criticism.
However, it also brings a great deal of personal satisfaction in sharing the academic successes and holistic accomplishments of students with their parents and community members.
This crucial responsibility and closeness of the trustees to voters make the local school board the purest example of democracy our society presents.
This responsibility includes being an advocate for our students to other local elected officials, and to state and federal legislators.

6. How can you be the most effective in Finding your Voice?
Be proactive
Be committed
Build relationships
Be good storytellers
Be bold, persistent, courageous and passionate
KRISTIN - To be most effective in Finding Your Voice as a School Board, we will discuss the importance of being:
Be proactive.
Be committed over an extended period of time.
Build relationships with students, staff, parents, business and community leaders, and the 66%+ who do not have children attending public schools
Be good storytellers about the great things happening in public schools and about the things that are challenging
Be bold, persistent, courageous and passionate about the success of each student in your school district

7. How do you as a Board develop Legislative Priorities?
Our Fort Bend ISD story:
The way we were …
The way we are now …
Jim talks about our FBISD story …
The way we were….
Where Fort Bend ISD has been as a Board – in silos with out a legislative committee
Discuss the way the District operated in silos and didn’t find a voice or connect in meaningful ways with legislators and District constituents – students, staff, parents, business and community leaders, and the 66%+ who do not have children attending public schools
The way we are now …
We are actively involved in sharing our priorities and practical solutions with legislators and District constituents - students, staff, parents, business and community leaders, and the 66%+ who do not have children attending public schools
We are always trying to education our community and build bridges – involve principals in all Fort Bend County school districts, parent and community volunteers who care about our schools, teachers, students

8. How does our Board develop Legislative Priorities?
Adopted five resolutions in 2017
Current - Legislative committee – liaison (Kristin/Nancy to provide admin support)
Purpose - Help develop priorities for board approval
Centered on students with practical solutions
Ongoing information for board members re session, hearings, bills
Finalizing resolutions for 2019 Legislative Session

9. Where to share our legislative priorities and practical solutions
Locally
Business Community
Fort Bend Chamber Education Division
Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council
Local elected officials and Community
Fort Bend County Elected Officials Legislative Retreat
City and School District Joint Public Meetings
Business Community (JIM)
Monthly meetings with the Fort Bend Chamber Education Division – Board Member Jim Rice is the Vice Chair of the Chamber’s Education Division
Meetings with the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council
Local elected officials & Community (KRISTIN)
Fort Bend County Legislative Retreat
City Joint Meetings

10. Where to share our legislative priorities and practical solutions
Regionally
Go Public Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast Association of School Boards
Greater Houston Partnership
Statewide
Austin visits to state legislators
Texas Association of School Boards – actively involved
Collaborate with the Equity Center, Fast Growth Schools Coalition, Texas School Alliance, Texas Association of School Administrators, others
Regional
Go Public Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast Association of School Boards
Greater Houston Partnership
State
Austin visits to state legislators
Texas Association of School Boards – actively involved
Work with Superintendent and District leaders who work at the state level with the Equity Center, Fast Growth Schools Coalition, Texas School Alliance, Texas Association of School Administrators, others

11. Where to share our legislative priorities and practical solutions
Federal
Washington trips and local visits to congressman and senators
American School Boards Association
Federal (GRAYLE)
Washington trips and local visits to congressman and senators
American School Boards Association

12. Power of the OpEd in the public square
Power of the OpEd in the public square (KRISTIN)
Open Letter to Dan Patrick A-F – Doesn’t make the grade School Finance – Houston Chronicle School Choice: Education Proposal Skepticism – Houston Chronicle

13. Developing the Plan to Tell the Story about our Legislative Agenda

14. The Communications and Social Media Strategy
Set the basics – goals and objectives
Collect Insights – audience and platform
Make choices – define the journey
Develop the story – develop content
Plan Ahead – align with overall communications strategy
Communicate – Tell the Story
Measure Results - Validate and readjust as needed
#SupportTXPublicED

15. What are the issues?
“It is very important that the community hears the voice of this Board loud and clear, which is unanimous in the adoption of all five of these resolutions. ”
Kristin Tassin, Board President

16. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Superintendent Communications – frequent messages and blogs to staff, parents and community
Board President Interview about Legislative Priorities in media
Magazines mailed to all FBISD taxpayers sharing legislative priorities information
Board Listening Tours – four outreach meetings held throughout of District
Presentations and face-to-face meetings at Board Meetings, Chamber events, meetings with state legislators, joint meetings with cities to discuss priorities
Social Media - (included videos, hash tags and tags for legislators)
Thank legislators that support public education
Post messages in support or opposition for bills
Share positive stories on Facebook and Twitter
Telling the story - Some of the strategies and tactics used in our Communication Plan.
Developing Collateral materials to help tell the story about legislative priorities with practical solutions and that talk about the impact to students
Superintendent Communications – frequent messages and blogs to staff, parents and community
Zone Electronic Communications – good news stories about schools with fresh content for all 11 high school feeder patterns
Magazines mailed to all FBISD taxpayers, including the 66% who do not have students attending our schools
Board Listening Tours – outreach meetings held four in different parts of District
Presentations and meetings held at Board Meetings, Chamber events, meetings with state legislators, joint meetings with cities,
Social Media (include has tags and tags for legislators)
Thank legislators that support public education
Post messages in support or opposition for bills that impact public schools and legislative priorities
Very important to use hashtags to tag state representatives and senators
Share and retweet positive stories

17. How did it work?
“She's a poised, thoughtful woman whose interest in education issues was triggered by her experience as the mother of three daughters in Fort Bend County public schools.”
Houston Chronicle columnist Mike Snyder about his interview with Kristin Tassin.

18. Thinking Bigger: Speaking with one voice
Texas State Representative Dan Huberty, House Public Education Chair, asked that groups supporting public education put aside differences and speak with one voice to advocate for legislation supporting public schools in the 85th Legislative Session
Texas State Representative Dan Huberty, House Public Education Chair, said the House is working on a balanced, fair plan to support all public school districts. He asked that groups supporting public education put aside differences and speak with one voice to advocate for legislation supporting public schools in the 85th Legislative Session.
Representative Dan Huberty - House Public Education Chair

19. Thinking Bigger: Building a coalition
Kristin
The Big Picture – being a visionary and building a coalition
The collective message
The collateral materials – ask them to pull out their handouts – brochure and push card
Also, the website, Facebook, Twitter
And … video
Take a look …

20. Thinking Bigger: Building a coalition
Kristin Like I said recently at the TASB/TASA Legislative Seminar …
We have solutions that will improve public education.
We are the ones in our schools and classrooms. Listening to teachers. Listening to parents. Watching our students to understand the issues they face. Coming up with answers, despite the stranglehold of the system.
We are the ones who know where the money is best spent, how much is needed and why. We are the ones innovating, coming up with plans to provide pre-K education despite the funding barriers; working to create incentives to draw people to education to fill the shortages of teachers in our schools; working with the private sector to offer STEM and CTE opportunities for our students who would not otherwise have them; to develop assessments that are more meaningful and inform instruction.
We are doing the work every day. So, why is it that our lawmakers are not working with us to develop solutions? Why aren’t they paying attention to what we are doing that’s working and replicating those solutions for all of Texas? Why is it that they are not even asking us?
Perhaps it’s because it does not align with their personal agendas. Perhaps it is because our state leaders are the ones, not us, who have forgotten it’s about the kids and not about the adults. I don’t know the answer but I do know that I am not going to stop talking. I am not going to stop fighting for what I know is right for students. I am not going to sit down, stand by and no, Lt Gov I am not going to stay home. We don’t get paid a dollar for this job, we work on passion, which is much more valuable and much more effective.
I closed my letter to the Lt. Gov. by saying “I will see you in Austin. Let’s join together as one voice and go fight for our kids. God bless.

21. Advocacy In Action
How can you advocate for public education?
In your group, discuss some practical ways you can advocate for public education.