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NASSP Federal Grassroots Network

2018 NASSP Advocacy Conference

NASSP’s 2018 Advocacy Conference and Capitol Hill Day took place March 20–21, and it was a huge success! Partnering with NAESP on a joint Hill Day, the two groups of principals conducted more than 100 meetings with their senators and representatives—despite an unseasonable snowstorm—and advocated for federal education funding on Title II, Part A; enhanced funding and support for school safety and violence prevention programs; and opposing school voucher proposals. At the conference itself, school leaders strategized around grassroots organizing tactics to continue leading the way for education advocacy in states. They also received a first look at some of the new and upcoming resources in NASSP’s recently launched Policy & Advocacy Center. We hope to host even more principals, school leaders, and advocates at the 2019 Advocacy Conference and Hill Day, which will take place March 18–20.

This Month’s Top Advocacy Issues

FY 2018 Omnibus a Major Victory for Education Advocates

On March 23, the House and Senate passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus bill, which will fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2018. The omnibus provides new funding levels for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and its programs. Total ED spending covering K–12 issues increased by $2.6 billion over the previously enacted levels in FY 2017, bringing it to $70.9 billion. The bill included positive funding changes to a number of important education programs, including Title II. A top priority for NASSP, Title II is used to recruit, train, and retain educators. NASSP has focused the majority of its advocacy efforts on this program in recent years, partnering with numerous other national education organizations and activating its grassroots network in each state. Funding for Title II was level funded at $2.1 billion, which is a major victory considering President Trump has called for the elimination of the program in his past two budget requests. Each year that Title II remains level funded ensures educators’ access to professional development opportunities that allow them to better themselves for their students.

To see how other important education programs fared, please read this post in the School of Thought blog.

Twitter Talk

 
 
 
 

For more advocacy tweets, join us on social media by following NASSP and the advocacy staff on Twitter:

 
 
 
 

 

 

Take Action

NASSP is joining a coalition of national education organizations to participate in the National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools on April 20. You can join the national effort by planning an event or action in your school or community. Upload your event and find more information here.

 

In this Month’s
Principal Leadership

Principal Leadership magazine cover

This month’s Principal Leadership features an article by Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson who represents Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. In it, Rep. Thompson advocates for career and technical education (CTE) programs in schools and legislation that will increase grant funding for states to pursue more CTE programs.

All FGN members are invited to write a guest article for Principal Leadership or blog post for School of Thought. Just email Senior Manager State Engagement and Outreach Greg Waples with your idea.

 

Collaborations

NASSP is partnering with a coalition of national education organizations including NEA, AFT, NAESP, AASA, and others on the April 20 National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools. That week, the NASSP Policy & Advocacy Center will also host a school safety briefing event on Capitol Hill where school leaders who have experienced shootings will discuss policy solutions for violence prevention. The event will be streamed on Facebook Live.

2018 NASSP National Principal of the Year Akil Ross testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce Democrats on school safety and climate issues.


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