Socio-Political Concerns
The ASSET bill (Senate Bill 126) has passed the Colorado Senate! Monday, April 25 at 1:30 it will be heard in the House Education Committee. This is the bill which would allow undocumented high school graduates to receive in state (unsubsidized) tuition. Thus, it would allow many of our high school graduates (1/3 in CB and GWS) to go to college. Because the Education Committee and the House have a Republican majority, your voice is absolutely critical and our timing urgent. 1) We need you to call each of the members of the House Education committee and ask them to support Colorado ASSET moving to the floor for a full house vote. Below are the committee members and their phone numbers. You will likely speak to an aide or leave a voicemail. Please be respectful and keep your comments brief so that other people can have a chance to leave a message as well. You can simply say, "I am calling to ask Rep. _______ to support Colorado students and schools by voting SB 126 out of committee and sending it to the House floor." 2) Day of action - On Monday, we need every student and supporter to come to the Capitol. We will meet in the cafeteria in the basement at 1:00 pm. We will be giving students blank white t-shirts to write their future ambitions on such as "Future Doctor" to wear around the Capitol hallways to show their support for Colorado ASSET. Please RSVP to elise@heaacolorado.com if you can attend and how many students will be with you. We will be sending more details out about the day of action at the Capitol when we get closer and have a better number of how many people will be attending. Rep. Tom Massey-Chair 303-866-2747 Rep. Don Beezley-Vice-Chair 303-866-4667 Rep. Millie Hamner 303-866-2952 Rep. Chris Holbert 303-866-2933 Rep. Andy Kerr 303-866-2923 Rep. Janak Joshi 303-866-2937 Rep. Carole Murray 303-866-2948 Rep. Cherylin Peniston 303-866-2843 Rep. Robert Ramirez 303-866-2950 Rep. Sue Schafer 303-866-5522 Rep. Judy Solano 303-866-2918 Rep. Ken Summers 303-866-2927 Rep. Nancy Todd 303-866-2919 Updates The Glenwood Springs PI and the Boulder Daily Camera endorsed ASSET. Supporters include the Co Women's Bar Association, Co Social Legislation Committee and Women's Lobby of Co.
COTESOL participates in TESOL Advocacy Day 2010
On June 23, 2010, COTESOL’s sociopolitical liaison, Liz Henry, joined 32 other TESOL members representing 25 U.S. based affiliates in Washington, DC for TESOL Advocacy Day 2010. This event featured a day of issue briefings and workshops, capped by visits to Congressional offices on Capitol Hill. The goals of Advocacy Day were not only to lobby on key issues for TESOL, but also to provide an interactive learning experience for affiliate representatives on elements of advocacy. By the end of the day, TESOL members had visited the offices of more than 75 representatives and senators.
Responding to recent Congressional action, TESOL Advocacy Day 2010 was focused on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently revised as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). To maximize the impact of TESOL Advocacy Day, key members of Congress serving on the education and appropriations committees in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were identified for meetings. This year, Liz met with Jared Polis and staff from the offices of Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall to discuss TESOL’s recommendations for ESEA reauthorization and the impact of the current law upon English language learners in Colorado.
TESOL Advocacy Day commenced with a welcome from TESOL President Brock Brady, who was also joined by Past President Mark Algren. The morning workshop was led by John Segota, Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations, and was comprised of two briefings. The first panel featured congressional staff from the Senate discussing the “view from the Capitol Hill” on ESEA reauthorization and the key issues under debate. The second briefing featured Richard Smith, Acting Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of English Language Acquisition at the US Department of Education discussing the Obama Administration’s proposal for reauthorizing ESEA. It was extremely helpful to have the perspectives of those working directly with representatives who will draft the legislation, as well as the Department of Education.
Following these briefings, an interactive workshop was held on how to have an effective meeting with one’s congressional representative. This workshop was led by Ellen Fern and Audrey Bush of Washington Partners, LLC, TESOL’s legislative consultants. Participants were provided key information to prepare for their meetings and given the opportunity to role play. The purpose of the briefings and the workshop was to help the participants practice and prepare for their meeting on Capitol Hill that afternoon.
The workshop informed participants on what to expect when visiting Capitol Hill. It was an important part of the day since many had never visited representatives’ offices before. The presenters shared to anticipate meetings that last only 15 minutes and that they may even take place in the hallway. Role playing and helping participants understand the reality of busy politicos helped ease the anxiety of presenting such important information on behalf of our membership.
In my own experience, the Colorado representatives and their aides were very approachable. I found it very easy to contact their offices and share the information. I had met with two of the staffers at last year’s Advocacy Day and that made an even stronger impression. The offices are becoming more and more familiar with the work COTESOL is doing for English Learners in Colorado. It was also great to connect with other affiliates throughout the day. Overall, all of the participants agreed this event was a very positive experience for them and for TESOL.
Additional information about TESOL Advocacy Day will be available on the TESOL web site at http://www.tesol.org. If you are interested in learning more about your Congressional representatives, and the legislative issues TESOL is tracking, go the TESOL U.S. Advocacy Action Center at http://capwiz.com/tesol.