1. How to Conduct Successful Hill Meetings
August 28, 2019
Webinar:
Phone Audio: Meeting ID:

2. NASSP Advocacy Staff Amanda Karhuse Zach Scott Greg Waples Director of
Senior Advocacy Manager
Greg Waples
Senior Advocacy Manager

3. Capitol Hill Day—Tuesday, October 2

4. Agenda Scheduling Your Meetings Hill Meeting Myths
How to Maximize Your Influence
Additional Advocacy Resources

5. Scheduling Your Meetings
Add all of your Hill meeting times into the shared Google Spreadsheet: bit.ly/2019POY
Greg Waples with any questions or concerns.

6. Scheduling Your Meetings
Link to spreadsheet: bit.ly/2019POY

7. Scheduling Your Meetings
Assume that your meeting will last at least 30 minutes.
You should also estimate at least 15 minutes of travel time between each meeting, especially if you are going from the House side to the Senate side or vice versa.

8. Scheduling Your Meetings
Senate side
Office Buildings
Russell
Dirksen
Hart
visitthecapitol.gov/plan-visit/us-capitol-map
House side
Office Buildings
Rayburn
Longworth
Cannon

9. Hill Meeting Myths Myth #1:
Practitioners’ voices like mine don’t really matter in crafting federal policy.
Myth #2:
Meeting with a staff member is not nearly as important as meeting with my legislator.

10. How To Maximize Your Influence

11. Before Your Meetings Do some “homework”:
Review NASSP materials on the Policy & Advocacy Center webpage:
Prepare examples, personal stories, and data/statistics.
Find background information on the legislators or staffers.
Prioritize your top three issues.

12. Before Your Meetings Additional “homework”:
Find a piece of legislation, a resolution, or something that the legislator has worked on in Committee that relates to the issue you are discussing:
Based on your boss’ passion for ______, I thought this issue would be of particular interest to you.

13. Before Your Meetings Practice your “pitch”:
Draft talking points for each issue.
Don’t assume the staffer knows the issue well.
Prepare your “ask” (e.g. cosponsoring a bill, supporting funding for a particular program).

14. Before Your Meetings
Keep in mind that on some days, staffers take between five and 10 meetings, so think about how to be memorable.
Make sure you are familiar with everything in the NASSP policy folder, as some staffers like to discuss all of the issues with you.

15. During Your Meetings
Arrive a few minutes before your scheduled appointment time.
Introduce yourself to the staff at the front desk and tell them with whom you are meeting.
Give your business card to the staff member with whom you meet.

16. During Your Meetings
Make a connection with the staff member. (Do they have a family member who attended your school, college, etc.?)
Thank them for the meeting, and then go into your first pitch and appeal.
Think about the meeting as a starting place for a lasting relationship with the staff.

17. During Your Meetings
Try to think of specific examples of how the issue you are discussing impacts your life as a school leader (unable to fund specific programs because of budget shortfalls, understaffed, etc.).
Be prepared to answer difficult questions on the issues you are discussing; some staffers may ask very technical questions.
If you don’t know an answer to a question, tell them that you will look into it and get back to them.

18. During Your Meetings
Monitor your time and adjust accordingly to cover all of your issues.
Leave the folder of materials with the staff member.
Thank them for their time and ask if they would like any follow-up information.
Ask to take a picture with the staffer with whom you met.

19. After Your Meetings Immediately after:
Post photos and information about your meeting on Twitter and Facebook using the #POY19 and #ThankAPrincipal hashtags.
As soon as possible (within a few days):
Send a thank-you to staff that reiterates
your key points and “asks.”
Offer to be a resource and tell them to contact you whenever needed.
Invite the staffer and the member of Congress to visit your school!

20. After Your Meetings In the next few days:
Share your experience and photos with your local media (press release) and school community.
Reach out to the district or state office and invite the member of Congress or staff to visit your school.
Complete the NASSP Hill Day Meeting Report.

21. Advocacy Resources Policy & Advocacy Center nassp.org/advocacy
POY Materials
nassp.org/poy-materials
School of Thought Blog
blog.nassp.org
Twitter
#POY19 #ThankAPrincipal
Congress

22. Advocacy Resources
Stay up to date on public education policy and issues impacting school leaders!
Sign up for the Policy & Advocacy Center list: bit.ly/NASSPsignup

23. Contact Information
Amanda Karhuse
Director
of Advocacy
Greg Waples
Senior Advocacy Manager
Zach Scott
Senior Advocacy Manager

24. Comments and Questions
Thank You!
DISCUSSION
Comments and Questions

25. Federal Education Policy and Funding

26. Agenda Current Federal Landscape Key Policy Issues for POY Hill Day
Q&A

27. Key Policy Issues Federal Education Policy Higher Education Act
School Safety and Climate
School Infrastructure
Youth Tobacco Use
Budget and Appropriations

28. Higher Education Act
One of Senate Education Committee Chairman Alexander’s main priorities in the 116th Congress is to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA).
Higher education—particularly the cost of college—was a major campaign issue for presidential and congressional candidates.
Chairman Bobby Scott is open to a full reauthorization. However, many policies will be difficult for parties to agree on:
Title IX
Loan forgiveness
Mention the names of both the Democrat and Republican HEA bills before moving to the next slide. Republican – H.R. 4508, the PROSPER Act. Democrat – Aim Higher Act

29. Talking Points: Higher Ed
NASSP has urged members to include a variety of policies in HEA that benefit principals, teachers, and students, including:
Promoting the use of high-quality principal residency programs
Policies aimed at eliminating teacher and principal shortages
Lowering the cost of student aid programs
Loan forgiveness programs for educators
Adopting high standards for teacher and principal preparation programs that ensure educators are prepared for life in the school

30. Talking Points: Higher Ed
NASSP also urges you to ask your members to support Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act. This bill addresses teacher and principal shortages by:
Increasing access to teacher and school leader residency programs
Expanding the definition of “high-need” districts under ESSA to include those experiencing educator shortages in rural communities
Encouraging school districts to create partnerships with local community colleges and universities to address shortages

31. School Climate & Safety
The Trump administration’s Federal Safety Commission released its report in December 2018.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission released its report in January 2019.
Both of these reports included recommendations to arm educators, harden schools, and impose dangerous guidelines for dealing with students suffering from mental health issues or disabilities.

32. Talking Points: School Climate & Safety
NASSP urges Congress to support preventative measures that support student well-being and school safety. Arming educators and over-hardening our nation’s schools are counterproductive measures.
NASSP supports the Mental Health Services for Students Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the Trauma-Informed Schools Act. These bills:
Aid schools in implementing comprehensive antibullying policies
Provide federal funding for additional mental health supports in schools
Recognize best practices for the delivery of mental health care in schools
Direct attention to the Framework for Safe and Successful Schools for additional school safety policy solutions.

33. School Infrastructure
President Trump supported the idea of a large, national infrastructure package during his campaign.
New chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Bobby Scott (D-VA), has stated that school infrastructure is a key priority for the committee this congress.

34. Talking Points: School Infrastructure
NASSP supports Chairman Scott’s Rebuild America’s Schools Act. This bill:
Creates a $70 billion grant program and $30 billion tax credit bond program for high-poverty schools
Develops a national database on the condition of public school facilities
Expands access to high-speed broadband for public schools

35. Youth Tobacco Use
NASSP is uncompromising in its commitment to the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character and leadership development, and physical well-being of youth. The negative health implications of tobacco and nicotine use are irrefutable, and the increase of electronic cigarette use poses a threat to the health of our nation’s youth.
Educators and lawmakers have a responsibility to promote policies that curb youth tobacco use and properly educate young individuals on the dangers of tobacco use.

36. Talking Points: Youth Tobacco Use
NASSP supports legislation that aims to protect youth and limit their access and exposure to tobacco products, including:
SAFE Kids Act—This bill would place restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco, the most popular product with young individuals
Smoke Free Schools Act —This would ban electronic cigarette use in educational and childcare facilities.
NASSP also supports the Tobacco Free Youth Act, which would raise the nationwide minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices, from 18 to 21.

37. Federal Budget and Appropriations

38. Key Terms Authorization
Creates a specific program through federal law. An authorization bill acts as a prerequisite for an appropriation or other kinds of budget authority.
Appropriations
Provides the actual amount of federal dollars to a specific program. Congress needs to pass appropriations bills each year for the operations and programs run by the federal government.

39. Federal Budget and Appropriations
FY 2020 Appropriations
The FY 2019 budget was finished late this year on February 15. This has affected the FY 2020 appropriations process.
President Trump’s FY 2020 budget request has not been completed, but will most likely include drastic cuts for the Department of Education.
These cuts could negatively impact many programs important to principals, similar to his FY 2019 budget.
Over the summer, Congress reached a budget deal that would increase nondefense discretionary spending by around $24.5 billion. The amount that the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill will receive is still unknown.

40. Talking Points: Appropriations
Ask for full authorized-level funding for ESSA programs:
Title I Grants to LEAs: $15.86 billion in FY 2019
Title II, Part A (State Grants): $2.055 billion in FY 2019; authorized level—$2.295
School Leader Recruitment and Support Program: $0 in FY 2019; authorized level—$15 million
Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN): $190 million in FY 2019; authorized level—$200 million
School Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV, Part A): $1.17 billion in FY 2019; authorized level—$1.65 billion
IDEA State Grants: $12.36 billion in FY 2019
FY18 Authorize Levels
Title I Grants – $15.76 billion
Title II - $2.1 billion
SLRSP - $0
LEARN - $190 million
Title IV – $1.1 billion

41. Advocacy Resources Policy & Advocacy Center: nassp.org/advocacy
POY Materials
nassp.org/poy-materials
School of Thought Blog: blog.nassp.org
Twitter
Congress

42. Contact Information
Amanda Karhuse
Director
of Advocacy
Greg Waples
Senior Advocacy Manager
Zach Scott
Senior Advocacy Manager

43. Comments and Questions
Thank You!
DISCUSSION
Comments and Questions