By John Forester | March 13, 2015
http://wsaa.org/saainfo/?p=3893

I want to thank each and every one of the SAA members that have contacted their legislators in support of the SAA’s positions on the Governor’s education budget proposals.  So many districts have done such an outstanding job of crafting and implementing a communication plan for influencing your parents, your staff, your community, your media and your legislators. Your efforts are paying dividends.  Increasing numbers of Republican legislators continue to voice their concerns about the Governor’s revenue cap freeze as well as his $150 per pupil cut in the first year of the biennium.

But, the battle is far from over.  It’s a very long budget process (lasting in to June) and many legislators believe they can simply wait us out and we won’t be able to sustain the fight.

So, again, I want to thank all of you for contacting your legislators.  For those of you that have yet to lobby your legislators, please do so ASAP.  To be successful in this fight, all SAA members must contact their legislators repeatedly throughout the budget process.

As you know, the Joint Finance Committee will hold the first of four public hearings on the proposed budget beginning Wednesday, March 18th. In this stage of the budget fight, you can have an impact in two ways. First, if you are interested in testifying at one of the budget hearings, please let me know so I can help coordinate the arrangements for your testimony.

If you cannot or choose not to testify at the budget hearings, it is vitally important that you collaborate with your district’s administrative team on a strategy to contact the 16 members of the Joint Finance Committee and your own legislators in support of the SAA positions on the budget. You can send a letter (phone calls work too) to JFC members and your legislators using the information in this alert and the talking points. I know that many of you have already contacted your legislators, and I thank you. I also ask that you contact them again.

For your convenience, I have provided contact information for JFC members as well as links to the Senate Directory, Assembly Directory and Who Are My Legislators.

This budget contains many proposals that impact every school district in the state.  But, for now, it is vitally important that we focus on school funding, voucher expansion, charter school expansion and the Local Government Property Insurance Fund.

For SAA Talking Points on School Funding, Voucher Expansion, Charter School Expansion and the Local Government Property Insurance Fund see here.

The stakes are huge in this budget battle. So, let’s fight for everything that is good in public education. Let’s fight for all the reasons we made education our life’s work. But, most importantly, let’s fight for the children we serve today…and for those we will serve tomorrow.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for all your efforts on behalf of Wisconsin school children.