New Advocacy Tool Available for School Leaders

Elected school board members serve as an important local resource on educational issues for state and federal lawmakers. Involvement by board members in the legislative process is imperative to shaping sound education policy. To help further the advocacy efforts of Illinois school leaders, IASB has partnered with PolicyEngage to offer communication outreach tools.
 
IASB will alert members when topics that impact Illinois public schools are likely to be discussed by state or federal legislators. The alerts, normally provided in an IASB Legislative Report, will include a “call-to-action” link that automatically connects school officials by email with legislators that will be debating the proposal. Advocates can use the standard message provided in the template or craft their own email to lawmakers.
 
IASB currently has a call-to-action for House Bill 7, a measure that would allow a state commission to force the consolidation of at least 25% of Illinois school districts. 
 
School leaders may also want to get in touch with legislators from their local area. A "legislator lookup" feature on the IASB website provides individuals with contact information of state and federal lawmakers that represent their area.
 
Additional advocacy tools including instructions on how to file a witness slip for state committees and video updates from the IASB Governmental Relations staff are posted on the Association's Advocacy webpage.