The OSBA School Board Members of Color Caucus and the COSA Equity Board Administrators of Color Network spent the morning of Tuesday, March 11, preparing to meet with Oregon legislators for a joint Advocacy Day. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)
We are stronger when we stand with allies.
The OSBA School Board Members of Color Caucus and the COSA Equity Board Administrators of Color Network teamed up for the first time for an “Education Leaders of Color Advocacy Day” on Tuesday, March 11.
They met with Gov. Tina Kotek at the OSBA offices and asked hard questions about school funding and her accountability proposals. In the afternoon, they split up and held 36 meetings with legislators and their staffs.
It was a powerful day of personal advocacy.
The OSBA caucus aims to promote a quality education for all students with an emphasis on the unique needs of students of color. It provides opportunities for school board members of color to increase their leadership and advocacy capacity.
The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators network provides similar opportunities for administrators of color.
The two groups came together at the OSBA offices with the OSBA and COSA advocacy teams to hear about current legislation and to learn advocacy tips and strategies.
The small-group meetings with policy-makers offered these education advocates a chance to tell individual stories of their districts’ needs and to make specific requests related to bills the Legislature is looking at now.
The bills they discussed included:
- House Bills 2953 and 2448, which would change the cap on special education funding and increase the funding for high cost disabilities. Both bills had a public hearing Thursday, March 13, in the House Revenue Committee.
- House Bill 2009 and Senate Bill 141, the governor’s accountability bills. The bills had public hearings this week in the House and Senate education committees, but advocates were able to talk more directly to legislators than a hearing allows.
In preparing for the meetings, we reminded our members that many of the legislators have no recent experiences with our schools. The school environment has changed radically in just the past five years, to say nothing of how much it has changed since most legislators or their children went to school.
We also wanted them to tell legislators positive stories. Although our schools have struggles, they also have an endless supply of success stories. We want to lift up just how much we can do when we have resources, support and mission stability.
OSBA will have another Advocacy Day on April 24. More information and invites will be sent out soon.
Your passionate voices are important for our children.
– Adrienne Anderson,
OSBA Government Relations Counsel
