2016 Legislative Advocacy Program of the Year Award
December 5, 2016
The legislative advocacy efforts of the Fort Mill School District and School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties school boards during the 2016 legislative session have been deemed the best in the state by the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA).
The two school boards were presented with the SCSBA Legislative Advocacy Program of the Year award Saturday, December 3 during the annual Legislative Advocacy Conference in Hilton Head Island.
The award honors school boards that have developed and implemented effective legislative advocacy programs in their districts. It was created in 2005 to focus on the association’s mission to be the leading voice for quality public schools in South Carolina.
“Among the many roles and responsibilities of school board members, serving as the voice for public schools and promoting good legislative policy must be at the top,” said SCSBA Executive Director Scott T. Price. “It is up to each of us to take an active and leading role in advocating for public education with our congressional and state lawmakers. These two school boards took this advocacy charge seriously this year by developing and implementing effective legislative advocacy programs.”
School boards applying for the award must show leadership in supporting and executing best advocacy program practices that impact the legislative process to improve public education. Other award criteria include:
- a board policy supporting advocacy though board activities
- a description of the board’s legislative advocacy plan to include:
- procedures for identifying legislative goals based on SCSBA’s legislative priorities and resolutions
- roles and responsibilities for the board’s legislative contact (BLC)
- engaging key contacts around education legislative issues and advocacy
- message development and delivery with key contacts
The Fort Mill School District Board of Trustees worked tirelessly this year to advocate for a bill to amend the statewide school start date law and give local boards more flexibility in setting their school year calendar. The Fort Mill school board worked with members of their local legislative delegation and successfully lobbied to get a bill filed (Senate bill 1014) that would have changed the current start date of no earlier than the third Monday in August to no earlier than the second Monday in August. The board attended Senate Education Subcommittee meetings and a full committee meeting to speak about the bill and its importance to students. The board provided extensive materials supporting the bill’s passage to lawmakers and SCSBA to aid in lobbying efforts.
Although the start date change did not pass, the Fort Mill school board and school district are determined to continue their advocacy efforts. As long time advocates for giving local school boards greater flexibility in setting the school year calendar, their efforts did result in a real step forward in this long-standing discussion. As a result of the school start date discussions, the Fort Mill School Board believes the start date bill sparked further discussions about consistency in testing, which is a benefit to all South Carolina students.
SCSBA Executive Director Scott T. Price presents the 2016 Legislative Advocacy Program of the Year Award to the Fort Mill School District Board of Trustees.
The School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties Board of Trustees also has a tradition of strong advocacy. This year, they took on the “Education Funding Reform” and “Full Funding of Education” issues and worked with liaisons and advocates to relay these concern to legislators. The board, with the assistance of the district’s superintendent and chief financial officer, developed a detailed presentation regarding school funding. The presentation, which was given to community organizations, business leaders and elected officials, outlined the impending financial crisis and its potential impact on District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties.
In addition, the board and superintendent invited school districts with similar funding issues to a working lunch where they discussed the funding shifts and the negative fiscal impacts on districts. The board arranged and conducted meetings with the state superintendent of education and key legislators individually and in small groups that included hosting a legislative breakfast meeting.
Although the final state budget did not address all of the relief requested by the district, it did result in an improved financial picture for the district and public education in general. For the first time in many years, the district was able to provide a cost of living increase for employees. The District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties school board is committed to continuing advocacy efforts on the topic of education funding reform.
SCSBA Executive Director Scott T. Price presents the 2016 Legislative Advocacy Program of the Year Award to the School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties Board of Trustees and Superintendent.
SCSBA is a non-profit organization serving as a source of information and a statewide voice for school boards governing the state’s 81 school districts.
