For school business officials who have never contacted their local representative or collaborated with a superintendent in this manner, the task may seem a bit overwhelming. With all the challenges school leaders face, developing, and refining your advocacy skills is not something that is easy to accomplish on your own. That said, one of the top priorities for OASBO going forward is to focus on developing our members and their advocacy skills so that they feel comfortable reaching out and connecting with local representatives, testifying on issues at the Statehouse, and collaborating with other school leaders across the state.
As a first step in this process, OASBO and BASA partnered on the Advocacy Brown Bag Lunch Series to provide practical tips, resources, and other information to assist in the development of members’ advocacy skills. If you missed one of the sessions offered in this initial series, you can access the information and recordings on the Advocacy Hub on collaborate. This is a free member benefit. Sessions offered so far include:
With over 600 public school districts across the state, we can have a positive, lasting impact if we are united and prepared. We are lucky to have so many talented school business officials who have contributed to the shaping of school policy by working with legislators. Our goal is to educate and equip all members with the necessary tools so that they are empowered to do the same. There is tremendous power in numbers and speaking with a collective voice, and we hope you will join us!