ADVOCACY
RESOURCES

Advocacy is:

shaping public policy through outreach, relationships, research and grassroots support.

In order to be an effective legislator, elected officials rely on constituent input. Ongoing communication is key for public representatives to know and understand how voters feel about particular issues.

Find and contact your legislators

As a school board member, your responsibility in communicating with members of the legislature is important, but so is communicating with your community.

This toolkit seeks not only to provide tips on effective advocacy at the state capitol building but also in your hometowns with community members, business owners, city council, faith leaders and community volunteers.

OSSBA 2021 TARGET LEGISLATIVE GOALS

State

Build on the progress of investing in our public schools through a long-term funding plan to bring state per-student expenditures to the regional average, equipping schools with the tools and resources to improve student achievement and produce college and career-ready students.
Create a long-term funding plan for career and technology centers to ensure expanded educational opportunities for every student.
Support equitable reporting and accountability mechanisms for all educational institutions that receive taxpayer dollars and/or benefit directly or indirectly from tax incentives.
Work with the state Department of Education to ensure the accountability system includes multiple researched-based indicators of student growth and school effectiveness.
Create and fund the Oklahoma Aerospace Technology Center to create employment opportunities for Oklahoma students and meet the workforce needs of the aerospace and defense industries.

For the People Working Groups

Study and make recommendations for funding virtual education for all schools.
Examine ways to reduce the teacher shortage crisis, including but not limited to the pathways to teacher certification.
Study and recommend capital improvement funding mechanisms to ensure equitable facilities and infrastructure for all Oklahoma students.

Federal

Ensure the United States Department of Education rules and regulations retain flexibility and local control provided for under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Protect federal funding for education.
Advocate for funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at 40% of special education costs.

The OSSBA Legislative Goals make the OSSBA’s Legislative Agenda for the upcoming year and also set the OSSBA policy. These goals and statements are voted on during our annual summer conference at Delegate Assembly by school board members. These particular goals and statements were adopted on August 24, 2019. These goals are formed using submissions made by school board members to the Government Relations Committee of the OSSBA, who then present them at Delegate Assembly for adoption. These statements and goals serve as a reference for you as a school board member to know what OSSBA stands for, as well as serves as a roadmap for your OSSBA staff in their work every day for school boards at the OSSBA.