The No Lawmaker Left Behind Campaign

 

The idea is simple:  Visit every legislator in every district of California and deliver the message that Adult Education matters. 

 

Every Legislator has two offices - a home district office and an office in the Capitol in Sacramento.  You can visit them in their district office.  

 

UPDATE January 2015

 

Governor Brown's Budget Proposal for 2015-16 is a victory in many ways.  This Save Your Adult School post, "The Governor's Budget Plan for Adult Ed 2015-16:  Joys, Tears, and the Unknown" provides an excellent analysis of it.

 

This Adult Education Matters post, "First Step in the Dance:  Brown's Budget Proposal," outlines what happens next.

 

In a nutshell, after studying the proposal and deciding what we like, don't like, and don't understand about it, we go to our Legislators.

 

They will not be seeking us out.  We need to seek them out.  That's how the system works.  We elect them to represent us.   Thousands of us.  And when we want them to do something on our behalf, we need to go to them and explain what and why.

Some legislators are newly elected and may not know much about Adult Education, K12 Adult Schools, the Regional Consortia system, how Flex devastated Adult Education and Adult Schools, and how the Mission of Adult Education was narrowed through budgetary policy.

 

It is important that we connect with every legislator to make sure they understand 

 

*  the importance of K12 Adult Schools and Adult Education

* the importance of a funding structure that is strong, fair, equitable, and includes sticks and carrots to promote good behaivor.

 

*  state funding for Parent Education, Older Adults, Financial Literacy and Home Economics will end in 2015.   

(The transition year funding outlined in the Governor's Budget Proposal could possibly fund these programs.  It's unclear.)

 

You can read more about the need for secure funding for K12 Adult schools here and the value of a broad mission here.

 

What you focus on in your talk with your legislator is up to you.  Your experience, needs, and wisdom matter.  Share what you know and what you want with the legislator or their aide.  Find out what they know and need to know in order to make good decisions.  If possible, provide them with helpful information.  Some will already be supportive but need information to convince their colleagues.   Some may not be supportive and need evidence in order understand the value of Adult Education and necessity to support it financially.

 

Here's some how-to to help you:

 

Click here to see a map of Adult Schools and the legislators who represent them.  (Map is in process - schools being added daily.)

 

Click here to find your legislators.  Look over their websites and read their bios before visiting them.

 

You can drop in the Legislator's District Office or you can call beforehand and make appointment.  When you call:

 

     1. Introduce yourself as someone who lives, works, or goes to school in that district.
     2. Speak clearly and not too fast.
     3. Say that you would like to speak with the lawmaker, or somebody in his/her office, about adult education.

You can say something like, "Hi, my name is _________, and I would like to speak with (lawmaker's title & name, e.g. Senator Lee or Assemblymember Lee) about Adult Education."

 

Before your visit, you can read or print out the NLLB one-sheet   (THIS SHEET NEEDS TO BE AND WILL BE UPDATED)  to bring with you and give to the legislator or their aide or you can bring your own material to share with them. 

 

You may want to mention the Restore Protected Funding petition or Rebuild Adult Education petition at your visit because every legislator who has been in office received every signature on those petitions as they came in. 

 

Going in a group - students, alumni, teachers, community members - is powerful and helpful.  Each person can speak about what they know best. 

 

If you are comfortable doing so, please take a photo at your visit and send it to Alliance4CAS@gmail.com so we can share it on social media.

 

After your visit, you can fill out this survey.  We will post infomation about how many legislators were visited, etc.

 

Democracy only works when we work it.  And this is how it works:

 

We elect people to represent us.  These people make laws and approve budgets.  To do a good job, they need to know what we want, need, and know.   We can tell them this by calling them on the phone, sending them letters or emails, or in person through a visit.  The last way is the most powerful because we are people and face to face contact is the most powerful way people can communicate.

 

Each of us has a lot of power.  Together, we are even more powerful.  Together, we can save and strengthen Adult Schools so that they can save and strengthen Californians.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adult Ed Teacher and NLLB Founder John Mears, Adult Ed Alumni William Alejandro Carmona and Artemis Deravanesian, and Andre Hollings, a field representative for California Assembly member Scott Wilk.