More than 200 school business officials (SBOs) and superintendents came to Washington, D.C., July 12–14 for the 2016 Legislative Advocacy Conference, co-hosted by ASBO International (ASBO) and AASA–The School Superintendents Association. School leaders from all over the United States convened to learn about federal education policy and how to effectively advocate for their students.
The conference kicked off Tuesday afternoon with opening remarks from AASA’s executive director, Dan Domenech, and their new president, Alton Frailey, who was officially sworn in at the conference’s presidential installation on Wednesday. The opening session was followed by a panel on K–12 school leadership, “Developing Excellent School Principals to Advance Teaching and Learning: Considerations for State Policy.” Education leaders and policy analysts alike discussed the roles that state governance, policy, and support can play in helping develop quality school principals and teachers to enhance teaching and learning. The panel reflected several findings in a new Wallace Foundation report on school leadership, which reviews ESSA Title II funding opportunities; differentiates teacher versus principal development; provides policy examples to cultivate excellent leaders; and shares best practices for recruiting, licensing, and evaluating school leaders.
Conference attendees also learned about the newest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and an in-progress bill to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career & Technical Education Act (CTE). In the ESEA panel, state-level policy influencers weighed in on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), providing a wide range of perspectives on the law’s implementation while citing specific examples of how state accountability plans are rolling out in Maryland and Virginia. The CTE panel featured Capitol Hill staffers who shared their thoughts on the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which would update the current Perkins CTE law. Panelists shared their goals, challenges, and visions for rewriting the law and indicated there was a possibility a final bill may be ready by the end of the year.
ASBO and AASA staff wrapped up Tuesday evening with a policy and advocacy brief on ESSA, CTE, school nutrition, education funding, and other K–12 issues for attendees to bear in mind during their Hill visits the following day. ASBO International Executive Director John Musso provided several tips about proper advocacy etiquette when meeting with elected officials. Musso urged guests to remember that “advocacy is an ongoing process.” While Hill visits can help one start a relationship with elected officials, the conversation must keep going beyond the conference. He also reminded guests that if they “only get to meet with a staff member instead of a Representative or Senator, don’t be discouraged. Staff are often the best individuals to meet with, as they do most of the heavy lifting.” Many first-time advocates fail to realize that Hill staff and interns actually have the deepest knowledge of issues and can therefore be the most valuable to network with. Musso also encouraged school leaders to “humanize” their issues to connect with officials. Personal stories and examples likely are what representatives will remember the most.
With ASBO and AASA’s talking points in hand, members ventured onto Capitol Hill Wednesday morning after a Congressional breakfast with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Rep. John Kline (R-MN), and other federal officials. Alexander and Kline spoke about ESSA implementation and CTE reauthorization, thanking school leaders for their advocacy efforts to renew these laws, while Department of Education (ED) staff encouraged educators to provide feedback throughout ESSA’s implementation process. ED officials noted that there are several draft regulations about ESSA state accountability and assessments open for comment, and encouraged educators to weigh in on them as soon as possible.
During their Hill visits, SBOs and superintendents discussed issues affecting their districts with representatives—some scheduled up to 11 meetings with officials. One urgent issue that conference attendees advocated about was school nutrition policy. During the week of the conference, Congress was considering fast-tracking, or “hotlining,” Senate legislation to reauthorize federal child nutrition programs. Both ASBO International and AASA opposed the bill for significantly increasing meal program administrative burdens for states, districts, and schools without offering additional federal aid. Moreover, fast-tracking the bill would allow the controversial proposal to pass without transparent discussion and debate before the Senate floor; everything would have been decided behind closed doors. Consequently, AASA and ASBO International staff encouraged members to urge officials to “block the hotline” and advocate for transparent, democratic debate of the bill instead. Advocacy efforts have proven successful so far, as Congress adjourned for a seven-week recess without hotlining the bill. However, it is likely that officials will reexamine the legislation come September.
On the final day of the conference, ASBO hosted a panel featuring school business practitioners’ insights on K–12 topics entitled, “Legislation, Regulations and District Impact: Funding, ESSA, ACA & More.” ASBO International members Dan Pyan, Christopher Borreca, Linda McGhee, Charles Linderman, and Jennifer Bolton Carls participated as panelists with Executive Director John Musso as moderator. Panelists spoke about the value of superintendents having SBOs “at the table” with regard to K–12 legislative and advocacy issues, implored federal officials to consider the overwhelming burdens districts must face with new healthcare regulations, and shared cost-saving strategies to cope with tighter budgets and fewer resources.
For more coverage of the ASBO panel and the legislative conference, follow @ASBOUSA on Twitter and check out tweets under the event’s hashtag, #AASAAdv. And if you attended the 2016 Legislative Advocacy Conference, please share your experiences with us if you haven’t done so already. We’d love to know how your Hill visits went, what you learned, what you enjoyed most about the event, and any other feedback you have to offer. For those who could not make it to this year’s conference, we hope you’ll join us in 2017!