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Indiana Non-Public Education Association. Legislative Liaisons Orientation & Training December 4, 2013. INPEA. Who we are Who we serve Our focus. Why Legislative Liaisons?. Building a grassroots i nfrastructure Raising our c ollective v oice
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Indiana Non-Public Education Association Legislative Liaisons Orientation & Training December 4, 2013
INPEA • Who we are • Who we serve • Our focus
Why Legislative Liaisons? • Building a grassroots infrastructure • Raising our collective voice • Engaging and mobilizing private school communities for private school issues • Supporting new legislative initiatives and protecting past successes
Engaging in Public Policy • Advancing our Mission • Protecting our Independence • Advocating for School Choice • Engaging in State Legislation and Regulation Processes • Supporting legislation that benefits private school students • Opposing legislation/regulation that could be harmful to our schools and students • Providing a face and voice for Non-public schools and issues in Indiana
LL: Roles and Responsibilities • Work with School Administration on Public Policy Issues • Educate & Engage your local school community in public policy issues affecting private schools • Communicate INPEA public policy issues/alerts to your school community (parents & faculty & staff)
LL: Roles and Responsibilities • Help educate your parent community about particular public policy issues(e.g. parent meetings, school newsletters) • When necessary and possible encourage involvement in statehouse rallies or legislative committee hearings • Share the private school perspective on issues with your elected representatives or public school representatives (write/call/attend hearings) and encourage others to do the same. • Set school goals for public policy engagement • Develop a communication plan for public policy issues/alerts
School Head Legislative Liaisons
Legislative Victories • Choice Scholarship Program • Voucher Program: • Expansions (Improvements) • Sibling access • F school access • Special education access • Program Growth • 2011-2012: 3919students& 16 million dollars • 2012-2013: 9300 students & 38 million dollars • 2013-2014: 19809 students & 78 million dollars (est) • Scholarship Tax Credit Improvements • HUGE – No prior year public requirement
The Choice Scholarship Program 2013 number provided by DOE as number of applications received
School Choice Messaging Pointers • School Choice is not about private schools; it’s about families and children and giving them opportunities to be successful. • School Choice will not destroy public schools. In states with active school choice programs, public schools have improved. • Private Schools that participate in school choice programs will not lose their autonomy. • School Choice Programs can save the State money. INPEA & School Choice Indiana can be of assistance when dealing with media.
2013 Legislative Priorities 2014 is not a Budget Year • Protect against increasing regulation! • Protect and Expand the Voucher & Scholarship Tax Credit Legislation • Protect our recent advances! • Add a Kindergarten entry point in the voucher program • Encourage support of early childhood education funding (e.g. preschool) in ways that include private providers
2013 – 2014 INPEA Initiatives • Protect against increasing regulation/reporting • Support Choice Schools to ensure quality with an increasingly diverse student demographic • Support Choice Schools with implementing special education initiatives • National School Choice Week (Jan. 26 -Feb. 1) • School Choice Day at the Legislature: Feb. 12 • Improve Non-Public School Grassroots Efforts • Improve Legislative Liaison Program • Encourage schools to set engagement goals • Be prepared to protect and engage!
Important clarifications • Legislation vs. Regulation/Rule vs. Administration • Legislation occurs in the General Assembly • Rule for education law is developed by either the State Board of Education or Department of Education • Administration is the responsibility of the designated state agency (in many cases IDOE for education issues but not always)
Immediate Homework • Develop (if needed) a legislative communication plan with your school head for the 2014 General Assembly Session. • How to get alerts to the school community • Plan ways to educate parents about the importance of engaging in public policy as well as about specific issues • Assessing level of parent engagement • Work with school head to set school goals for legislative engagement (e.g. participation in events/activities, number of legislator contacts)
Partner Organizations • School Choice Indiana (HEGN) • Indiana Catholic Conference • Friedman Foundation • American Federation for Children • Great Schools • And others
2014 HEGN Field Managers Regions and Contact Info • Jon Callaway • Northern Indiana • 708-670-5543 • Jon@SchoolChoiceIndiana.org • Kent Martin • Central Indiana • 317-498-1469 • Kent@SchoolChoiceIndiana.org • Sarah Milligan • Southern Indiana • 812-272-7216 • Sarah@SchoolChoiceIndiana.org
Web sites • INPEA www.inpea.org • INPEA Legislative Action http://capwiz.com/inpea/home/ legaction@inpea.org • School Choice Indiana www.schoolchoiceindiana.org • Friedman Foundation www.edchoice.org • School Voucher Information www.myschoolvoucher.com www.doe.in.gov/schoolchoice • Indiana General Assembly • http://www.in.gov/legislative/index.html
Indiana Faces of Choice This year in Indiana there will be well over 20,000 faces of Choice!
INPEAIndiana Non-Public Education Association John Elcesser Executive Director 1400 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46202 317-236-7329 jelcesser@inpea.org