Registration Opens for National School Boards Association’s Annual Advocacy Institute

From Jan. 27 to 29, 2019, New Jersey school board members will have the chance to travel to Capitol Hill and speak with their representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. The 2019 Advocacy Institute, taking place in Washington, D.C., gives board members the opportunity to learn about the most critical issues affecting public education, sharpen their advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with representatives.

Issues to be addressed include:

• The Individuals with Disabilties In Education Act (IDEA)
• Title II – Teacher Quality
• Perkins Career and Technical Education Implementation
• Net Neutrality
• School Infrastructure
• FY2020-21 Federal Budget and Appropriations
• 2020 Census

“The impact of federal policy on special education, school district accountability and funding cannot be overestimated,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. “The information and networking provided by the Advocacy Institute can serve as an essential part of our efforts to advance student achievement.

“Each year, the program’s ‘Day on Capitol Hill’ has enabled board members to establish a dialogue with their Congressional representatives and key staff, while providing their perspective on the issues facing the public schools.”

The fee for registration for the Advocacy Institute Conference is $695. Purchase orders must be paid by Jan. 11, 2019.

Speakers for the conference include:

• Jon Meacham – Pulitzer Prize winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Destiny and Power, American Lion, and Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. Meacham, a presidential historian, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and contributor to TIME and The New York Times Book Review, is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A regular guest on Morning Joe, he is a skilled raconteur with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion, and current affairs. Meacham brings historical context to the issues and events influencing our daily lives.
• Christopher Graves – president and founder, Ogilvy Center for Behavioral Science. Graves was named president of the Ogilvy Center in 2017 after serving 12 years as global chairman and chief executive officer. He also served as a member of the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Board. He joined Ogilvy after two decades in media and news, including 18 years with Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. He headed all news and programming for the TV networks CNBC Asia and CNBC Europe.

For New Jersey board members, this is an opportunity to meet a select group of new congressional representatives, as well as returning representatives in the Senate and the House.

Learn more about the conference and register or contact Sharon Seyler, legislative advocate for federal issues in public education, via email or by calling (609) 278-5282. Sharon will be presenting on a panel with other expert advocates from the NSBA Conference of State Association Legislative Staff (CSALS) to examine the impact of the 2018 elections for public schools  throughout the nation. The session will take place on Sunday, January 27 at 9:45 a.m.

The New Jersey Congressional Delegation (116th Congress, January 2019)

U.S. Senate

Bob Menendez and Cory Booker  

N.J. Members of the House of Representatives