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Igniting Parent Advocacy
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 27, 2015
I am so very proud of all the grassroots advocacy we are seeing by SAA members all over the state. In fact, several veteran school administrators have commented to me that they have never seen so many school administrators so active in advocacy efforts through board resolutions, letters to legislators, legislative forums and media events.
But, I have to say that I am most impressed by the efforts to engage parents and community members regarding the damage the governor’s proposed state budget will inflict on Wisconsin public schools and public school children.
We have posted parent/community letters from dozens of school districts on our blog. School districts have done a great job using these letters, social media and public forums to inform their public and encourage concerned parents and citizens to contact their legislators about their concerns.
Yes, we have done a great job informing parents and community members of the impact of the proposed state budget. But now, our challenge is to find the most effective and appropriate way to transform their knowledge and concern into action. My Capitol sources tell me it is vitally important for lawmakers to hear from parents on the budget issues affecting their children.
Allow me to highlight the example of Save Our Schools (SOS) Wauwatosa.
As you know, Wauwatosa Superintendent Phil Ertl has been speaking out strongly about the proposed budget’s impact on Wauwatosa schools. A couple weeks ago, Phil and the Wauwatosa School Board called together a parent group for the purpose of advocating on behalf of the children in the district. In general, the group that assembled had not done anything political before. Some members lean to the left politically, others to the right. But, they are absolutely united against budget provisions that will damage educational opportunities for their children.
In one week, the group created a website, a Facebook page, designed and printed signs and testified before the Joint Finance Committee. Members are also handing out literature before and after school to get more people involved. Here is a news article on Save Our Schools (SOS) Wauwatosa.
Wow!! Talk about being “on fire.”
I’m sure many of you have great stories to share about the efforts of parents/community members in your community. Send us your stories and we will post them. Let’s share and learn together about how we can most effectively engage our parents in this fight.
Remember, we have no time to lose. Our window of greatest potential impact is the next 6-8 weeks while the Joint Finance Committee deliberates on the budget.
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