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MEET California State PTA:

• PTA members in over 3,300 schools across the state
• 160 volunteer advocates meeting with their legislators this week as part of our conference!

Choose 2 or 3 of these that are important to your community:

INTRODUCTION

• PTA believes that all children deserve a quality education regardless of the community in which they live, the color of their skin, their language, their gender identity, or their immigration status.

POVERTY, INCOME AND RACIAL EQUITY

• PTA is seeking legislation to address poverty, and the income and racial inequities that affect millions of California’s families.

HEALTH & WELFARE

• PTA supports school and community programs that protect the health and welfare of children and families, and support items in the state budget including money for:
  • Community schools
  • School based health services
  • Counselors
  • School nutrition

EDUCATION

• California’s school finance system must provide stable, adequate and equitable funding to meet the
  diverse needs of all our students, including before and after-school programs, summer school and
  distance learning.
• We support the recruitment and development of an educator workforce that is reflective of the students
  at each school with qualified and effective teachers delivering a full curriculum that includes the arts,
  P.E., and civics.
• All students deserve an education that prepares them for successful participation in society and entry
  into college and the work force.
• Coursework must address racism and bias to counteract institutional and structural biases that often
  drive inequitable outcomes for students.

SCHOOL REOPENING

• Schools should not open in person unless it is safe for students, staff and their families.
• School districts must provide opportunities for input and feedback from parents before and during
  school reopening planning and implementation.
• Parent and families should be provided with choice in determining whether their child returns to the
  classroom full or part time.

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1. Establish your agenda and goals.

• Know what subject you are going to address. Don’t overload with issues – stick to no more than two or three.
• Decide what you would like to get out of the visit, ie. a commitment to vote for your issue, leadership on the issue, or you may decide the visit is simply informational.
• Allow time for small talk at the outset, but not too much. Remember, it’s your visit.

2. Listen well.

• Much of lobbying is listening, looking for indications of the elected official’s views, and finding opportunities to provide good information.
• Listening can allow you the opportunity to find areas of common ground on an issue.
• If you are meeting with a “silent type,” draw her/him out by asking questions.
• If you are confronted with a “long-winded type.’ Look for openings to bring her/him back to the point.

3. Be prepared, but don’t feel that you need to be an expert.

• Most elected officials are generalists, like many of us. Do your homework, but don’t feel that you need to know every little detail of an issue. Air personal feelings and experiences where appropriate. Relate the concerns of your friends and members of the community.
• Know when to admit “I don’t know,” and offer to follow up with the information.
• Be open to counter-arguments, but don’t get stuck on them. Don’t be argumentative or confrontational.

4. Don’t stay too long.

• Try to get closure on your issue. If you hear what you had hoped for, express your thanks and leave. If you reach an impasse, thank the legislator, even if disappointed, and say so. End the meeting and continue the discussion at another time.

5. Remember you are there to build a relationship.

• If the elected official is good on an issue you’ve been involved in or has supported your position in the past, be sure to acknowledge your appreciation during the course of the visit.
• If the opposite is true, think of the phrase, “No permanent friends, no permanent enemies.” Someday, on some issue of importance to you, they may come through. In the meantime, your visit may prevent the official from being an active opponent of your issue.

6. Follow-up is important.

• Be sure to send a thank-you note after the visit. If commitments were made in the meeting, repeat your understanding of them. If staff members were present, write to them too. They can often be important allies.