VSBA Governmental Relations Network More Important Than Ever

John Nelson, Executive Director

 

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The 2009 session of the Vermont General Assembly will convene next month to face almost unprecedented challenges.  As legislators begin debating how to address the state’s economic needs, you will be facing your own local budget-building challenges in an era of declining enrollment and Act 82’s 2-vote mandate. At the same time, we will be asked to consider proposals to “transform” education, implement Pre-K programs and streamline administrative operations.

 

This legislative session is likely to give serious consideration to proposals that could have long lasting effects on our public education system.

 

Among the topics that could be on the legislative agenda during the coming biennium are the following:

• should education property tax rates be reduced to reflect the Education Fund’s projected $20 million “surplus;”

• should the legislature enact certain requirements for all school districts to follow in the name of “education transformation;”

• should the state mandate the consolidation of school districts, reducing the current number of districts and boards to as few as 20;

• should supervisory union budgets be subject to voter approval;

• should the moratorium on state support for school construction projects be continued; and

• should Act 82’s two-vote requirements be repealed, or should they be expanded to include more school districts than those currently spending above the state per pupil average?

 

Whether or not you support mandated school district consolidation, supervisory union budget votes, construction aid cutbacks or “think twice” budget votes, I think you will agree that these are all subjects that simply can not be considered without the active involvement of school boards.  The question we face is how to ensure that school boards are heard (and their views respected) by state policy makers in both the executive and legislative branches of state government.

 

For the past five years, we have used our Governmental Relations Network—or “GRN”-- as our primary means of communicating with board members during legislative sessions.  Members of the GRN receive regular legislative bulletins and updates during the session, and are occasionally asked to make contacts with their local legislators on specific legislative issues.  We have found the GRN to be effective.  For the most part, GRN members have told us that they appreciate the information they get from us, and they find that it helps them to be prepared for discussions with their legislative representatives.

 

For the first four years of the GRNs existence, we asked each board to appoint one member as its GRN representative.  While this process yielded a core of 60 or so GRN participants, it fell short of meeting our need to have a designated contact on EACH board in the state.  Last year we therefore decided to change the way we identify GRN members.  We still ask each board to identify one or more its members as a GRN representative.  Until we hear from boards with the names and email addresses of their designees, however, we assume that the board chair will be the board’s GRN representative.  This allows us to communicate with all of the school boards in the state as soon as the legislature returns to Montpelier in January. We now also add to our GRN list the name of any board member who asks to be listed, whether or not he or she has been designated by his or her board as its “official” representative.

 

I can assure you that we will not fill GRN members’ email boxes with unnecessary messages.  Depending on how the legislative session progresses, a GRN member might receive one email message a week, usually with updates on the issues being discussed in legislative committees and with information about upcoming hearings or related events.  We only ask that GRN members keep their boards informed about the information they receive from us and that they let us know how they and their boards feel about various issues.

 

I know that you have a very difficult job as a board member without the additional burden of involving yourself in state policy making.  If I did not feel that this is absolutely necessary, I would not be writing this.  I can assure you that the VSBA Board of Directors and the VSBA staff will work tirelessly in the coming months to represent the interests of public education in Montpelier.  I know that we can be successful, but experience has shown that real success will depend on you and your fellow board members as well as those of us who work in Montpelier.

 

Registration for GRN membership is easy.  Just go to this link on our website to let us know if you want to be on our GRN list: http://www.vtvsba.org/legis/grn.html.  If you can not access our webpage, simply call our office and ask us to add names to the GRN list. If you have questions about the GRN or any of VSBA’s advocacy activities, feel free to contact me.