Continue the Momentum

Thank you to the more than 800 Northern Kentuckians for jump starting change education in Northern Kentucky by attending the Champions for Education Summit. The energy at the summit was powerful and the momentum is continuing through many, many projects, programs, and activities launched by numerous individuals and organizations after the summit.

Vision 2015 and other key partners have developed numerous ways for Champions to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Northern Kentucky students through direct volunteer opportunities, advocacy efforts, and awareness campaigns.

If you are not already signed up as a Champion for Education, Please complete this form and email to Kristen Baker at kbaker@vision2015.org. By completing the form your information will be included in a region wide database of individuals committed to improving education. As opportunities arise that fit your areas of interest you will be contacted and asked to take action.

The 2008 Legislative Session is about to begin! One of the most popular sessions at the Champions for Education Summit addressed how people could get involved in advocating for education in Frankfort. As part of our ongoing commitment to keep Champions for Education informed and engaged in education issues, we’d like to share some resources with you to help you advocate for education issues in the upcoming session.

The 2008 regular session of the General Assembly begins on January 8 and runs for 60 days. This is a biannual budget session, and the General Assembly has the exclusive power to tax and spend the public’s money. The Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, a fact-finding and service body that works on behalf of the Legislature, has a website that provides an introduction to the legislative process as well as information on meeting schedules, filed legislation, ways to contact legislators, and key dates and deadlines. The website provides a broad sense of how the legislative process works in the state of Kentucky: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/. You can also obtain some of this information by using hotline numbers provided by the Commission. To leave a message for a Senator or Representative, call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. To find out when committee meetings are taking place or key deadlines are occurring, call the Calendar (Meetings) Line at 1-800-633-9650.

Vision 2015 and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce regularly take positions on key pieces of education legislation that affect our community. The 2008 Education Policy Positions are below for your review. Positions include increasing support for early education, pre-school, and kindergarten education; revisiting the equity of the SEEK funding program; and increasing funding to Gateway Community and Technical College and facility expansion at both Gateway and Northern Kentucky University. We encourage you to review these positions and visit http://www.ActForNKY.com to learn how to contact your local legislators who represent both where you live and work. If you have questions regarding the Education Policy Positions or how to contact your legislator, please contact Jane Clair at the Chamber of Commerce at 859-578-6399 or jclair@nkychamber.com.

Click to view the 2008 Education Policy Positions document

Letting your legislators know what issues are important to you is a great way to make a difference. Our elected officials are in Frankfort to represent the interests of their constituents, so make your voice heard! Some tips on communicating with legislators:

• Simply send them an email, letter or make a phone call stating who you are, what your issue is, why you care, why your legislator should care, and what you want them to do about it. Postcards are a particularly effective communication tool.
• Refer to specific bills by their name and number for easy reference. This information can be found on the Legislative Resource Commission’s site.
• Emphasize the return on investment related to the bill you are supporting.
• Make sure your communication is timed right, so it reaches them before the bill goes to a vote.
• Consider visiting the Capitol on a day when a bill you care about is being discussed in committee or in the General Assembly.

Many other groups monitor legislation throughout the session. Most offer periodic e-mail communications that provide information on relevant legislation. Here are some additional policy and advocacy resources:

Early Childhood:
Parent Voice is a grassroots advocacy effort to connect parents and early childhood educators to Kentucky’s legislative decision makers.
http://www.parentvoice.org
The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is a statewide education advocacy organization.
www.prichardcommittee.org
Strong Start Kentucky: Investing in Quality Early Care & Education

Child Advocacy:
Kentucky Youth Advocates is the only multi-issue, statewide child advocacy organization in Kentucky.
http://www.kyyouth.org/

Primary and Secondary Education:
The Kentucky Education Association lobbies on behalf of its 30,000 members on issues affecting children and public education.
http://legislative.kea.org/
Kentucky School Boards Association provides advocacy, consultation, information, professional development and district support services for local school board members as well as district and school staff.
http://www.ksba.org/govrelmain.htm

Post-Secondary Education:
Northern Kentucky University Government Relations
http://gcr.nku.edu/page.asp?p=0910800
Gateway Community and Technical College
http://www.kctcs.edu/legislative/

In partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, we will monitor key pieces of legislation throughout the session and will periodically send communications asking for assistance in contacting your legislators related to these issues.

We hope you found this information useful as you consider your role in advocacy. We have an important part to play in ensuring the education issues Northern Kentucky cares about are heard in Frankfort. Please contact Jane Clair or me with any questions. Thank you again for your interest and support!