Advocacy Angle: The Blue Badge Speech
By Zach Messersmith
By the time you are reading this, I will no longer be an employee of the Illinois Association of School Boards. I spent nearly 11 years working in the Government Relations department advocating, negotiating, problem-solving, and representing the members of IASB. While my current time at IASB has ended, the lessons I learned from the Association remain with me.
One of the first things I received as an employee of the Illinois Association of School Boards was also one of the most valuable. It wasn’t an explanation of benefits or a Human Resources manual, although those would come later. It was the “Blue Badge Speech.”
The Blue Badge Speech was given to me by Associate Executive Director for Board Development Dean Langdon, who recently retired from IASB. While I do not remember the Blue Badge Speech verbatim, I do remember the intent. The idea behind the speech was that when you put on the IASB employee name badge it means that you are trustworthy, that you give your all, and that you will serve those around you. The power in the Blue Badge Speech comes from the values we see reflected in our membership.
A few years ago, I came to a shocking revelation. Dean Langdon did not remember giving me the speech. I was certain it was something momentous and consequential, a speech everyone received upon putting on the blue badge for the first time. I even gave a few new hires a Blue Badge Speech because its lessons were so impactful on me. In hindsight, the power of the speech came from the sincerity of the delivery and not because it was a requirement.
With the updated Association logo that was released in July came many revamped and redesigned items. IASB staff members have new letterheads, new business cards, and of course new badges. While those new name tags are no longer as blue, what the badge stands for remains unchanged.
Trustworthiness is key to being impactful in the Capitol. Everyone under the dome would tell you some version of “your word is your bond” or “your word is all you have.” While I agree with those sentiments, there are people in the Capitol with large political war-chests that have a little more flexibility on trustworthiness than IASB does. Being trustworthy also means you must know what you are talking about. We have all lamented the size of the Illinois School Code and the number of bills introduced. I have done so in past issues of the Journal.
However, the practical impact of the number of new bills and laws is that IASB staff must have a wide variety of knowledge on issues related to school districts. Government Relations staff must possess a working knowledge of various areas, including education, employment, environmental concerns, transportation, insurance, and more. With the number of areas covered, relationships with individuals in those fields become vitally important as well. If your board of education has participated in a “Trust Edge” workshop provided by IASB, you understand the principle that “everything of value is built on trust.”
In the Capitol, IASB has not always had the most money or the influence that goes along with that political support, but we have never been short on trustworthiness. To maintain this knowledge and the trustworthiness that goes along with it, it is vital that IASB continues to engage membership throughout the year by meeting with districts and divisions and providing vital support to the Resolution process.
Giving your all means there are no “normal” hours or “typical” days. Giving your all does not mean you have no boundaries or are unwilling to share the workload, but what it does mean is that you are willing to answer the call when the time comes. One example of this that stands out to me is from January this year. The Illinois General Assembly was meeting in a lame-duck session. At about 10 p.m. an amendment was filed to mandate sex ed in grades K-12. IASB members have clearly expressed their views on mandated curriculum through the Resolutions Process. While the bill was moved out of committee that night, IASB staff was there representing our members’ interests. We were also there working on behalf of the membership in the following days — and the bill was never called for a vote. IASB staff must be ready to answer the call at any time because that is what IASB members do. Being a school board member is not a 9 to 5 service and representing school board members is not one either. Achieving success in the State House or the schoolhouse requires putting in the work.
Lastly, putting on the Blue Badge means you serve those around you. We know the hard work and dedication our members demonstrate for their students and their communities. At IASB, we strive to reflect that in the work we do on behalf of you, our members. School board members are vital public servants that deserve quality representation in the Capitol. Whether it is working to reform school funding or preserve local control, IASB has the most success when it works with interested partners to improve public education for all. A single school board member cannot make changes on their own and IASB must collaborate to achieve success in the Capitol.
While the chapter of my career at IASB is ending, the lessons from the Blue Badge Speech will go with me. School board members by and large are wonderful people who are serving for the right reasons. It has been a pleasure to wear the Blue Badge and represent you.