I want to take this opportunity to share with you the end of year message that AWSA Executive Director Jim Lynch forwarded to the AWSA membership.  It focuses on Wisconsin’s current political climate and AWSA’s new “scientific method” video which focuses on the impact of voucher expansion on Wisconsin public schools.  Good stuff, Jim!

Dear AWSA Member,

I am writing you to address Wisconsin’s current political climate and what we can do to positively impact this environment, both today and in the future.

Today: The Legislature is preparing to act on the Joint Finance Committee’s education package as part of the State Budget Bill. If you have not already done so, please contact your representative and senator with regard to the five key issues outlined by the School Administrators Alliance Legislative Alert.

In addition, please share this video with a friend, family member or community member that you know who values education and invite them to contact their representative/senator.  The video highlights that taking money from public schools to expand statewide vouchers does not add up for kids.

Tomorrow: I believe that the trend of Legislation that is detrimental to public education is going to be reversed in the coming years.

This may seem to be a naïve statement coming at the tail end of a budget process in which state elected officials have proposed a series of provisions that would undermine public education.  However, this trend is going to change if educators engage community leaders about the impact of state policy on their local schools.  When I see the work of engaged parents in Wauwatosa, Sun Prairie or Appleton, I see a future where this level of engagement is the norm.  When it becomes the norm, the pressure to support evidence-based state educational policy will be too strong for any Legislator to ignore.

Next year, AWSA and the SAA will begin our second-year of a long-term strategy to foster local advocacy in every school district. I encourage you to be an active member of your district’s leadership team in carrying out this important work.  William Shakespeare wrote that it is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves. Reversing the trend of state policy that undermines educational opportunities will not be done without engaging our communities and that work rests in our hands.

Thank you for advocating on behalf of your students!

Sincerely,

Jim