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Over the years we’ve seen one legislative lesson driven home over and over again: when teachers and other school employees engage on an issue, the odds of success increase exponentially.

Teachers are smart, organized, dedicated and passionate; all qualities that are crucial in lobbying for or against legislation. Teachers are also overcommitted – it’s hard enough to find the time to devote to your own job, much less family, friends and other obligations.

Adding “Lobby the Legislature” to your to-do list may seem daunting. But TCTA is providing you with an array of tools to make that task as simple and time-efficient as possible.

  • GAIN TCTA’s Grassroots Action and Information Network is a great place to start for information. From here you can identify your legislator, find his/her contact information, learn more about legislative proposals, check on your legislators’ voting records, and be alerted to current bills that might require action.
  • Capitol Connection TCTA’s Capitol Connection allows TCTA members to call their legislators toll-free. Call 1-888-ASK-TCTA (1-888-275-8282), select option 8 and simply follow the instructions to be connected directly to your House or Senate member’s Capitol office.
  • Bill analyses We analyze and summarize hundreds of education bills each session, providing valuable and concise information on the proposals that could affect you.
  • Daily Update from the Capitol The TCTA website is updated each day during the session, often within minutes of legislative action, to bring you the most current information available.
  • Week in Review We compile and edit the daily Updates from the Capitol into a review of the week’s activities. This review is e-mailed to all TCTA members for whom we have a working e-mail address, and is also featured in a prominent spot on the TCTA website.
  • Assisted e-mailing and phone calls When TCTA issues a call to action, we will include tips and substantive suggestions for composing your e-mail or phone call. Though form letters are popular among those sending them, they are virtually ignored by the legislator; individualized communications are infinitely more effective. But recognizing your limited time, we will often provide specific language that you can adapt to suit your own situation and communication style.
  • Capitol visit Join the TCTA Board of Directors as we descend on the Capitol on March 1, 2007, in conjunction with the TCTA Annual Convention. This fun and productive activity is coordinated through the Convention, but is also open to any members who wish to deliver our message to their own legislators. You’ll be briefed on current events before heading over to the Capitol with scores of other TCTA members on a mission! (See related article)

 

The Classroom Teacher, Winter 2006

Archive of other TCTA Publications

THE CLASSROOM TEACHER (ISSN-0279-2494) is the official publication of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA), providing news and opinions in the interest of education excellence. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the publisher’s permission. The views and opinions contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright © 2006. Publication schedule is quarterly. Annual membership dues for TCTA are $110, $5 of which is allocated to a one-year subscription to THE CLASSROOM TEACHER. Subscriptions for nonmembers are available for $10 per year.