Initiatives and Education: Power to the People?

Ed100 Lesson 7.6: "The ultimate wildcard in California education policy is…"

Facilities: What does a School Look Like?

Ed100 Lesson 5.9: Very few schools have this, but they should.

Who Pays: Where California’s Public School Funds Actually Come From

Ed100 Lesson 8.3: Actually, most of the education budget comes from…

Parcel Taxes: Only in California

Ed100 Lesson 8.10: So You Want to Pass a Parcel Tax? Here's What You Need To Know.

Elections matter for schools

Our school has been shaped by elections, from statewide initiatives to local bond measures. The effects aren't always obvious.

I'm writing to share lessons with you from Ed100.org that explain the various ways elections have affected schools over time, and might affect them again.

The California State PTA is working with Ed100.org to help create better-informed school communities. The lessons linked below each take about five minutes to read, and they are available in both English and Spanish. By learning together, we will have more fun, learn more, and have a much bigger chance of turning insights into actions for our school. When you go to Ed100.org, please sign in and remember to select our school in your profile. This will help us keep track of our progress... and might help us win some money in one of Ed100.org's drawings, too!

Please join our school's Ed100 team on ___date at ___time in ___location. We will be discussing the lessons below:

• Lesson 7.6: Initiatives: Power to the People?
  Spanish Iniciativas y la educación: ¿poder popular?
• Lesson 5.9: Facilities: What Does a School Look Like?
  Spanish Instalaciones: ¿Cómo se ve una escuela?
• Lesson 8.3: Who Pays: Where California's Public School Funds Come From
  Spanish Quién paga: De dónde provienen los fondos para las escuelas públicas de California
• Lesson 8.10: Parcel Taxes: Only in California...
  Spanish Impuestos prediales: Solo en California…

Looking forward to great conversations!

Facebook

Announcement

At our upcoming meeting we’ll discuss election issues and how they can affect schools. Ed100.org’s Parent Leader Guide is helping us think it out.
Read the lessons and come share your thoughts!

Meeting

Join us at our ____ meeting at _____ for a discussion using Ed100 about how elections can affect our school. Looking forward to great conversations!

Twitter

Announcement

Understand what the #Election2016 means for our school with @Ed100_ at our _/_ mtg at ____. Join us!

Meeting

Join us #/# at __pm to learn more about how #Election2016 can affect our school. We will use lessons from @ed100_

Discussion Prompts

• What did you learn from the pre-reading materials from Ed100?

• Voting is about much more than choosing a president. What education-related items are on your ballot this year? State? Local?

• Part of the purpose of public education is to prepare students for their role as participants in a democratic system. Does your school encourage students to be involved in the election process?

• How does your school help support democracy?

Ideas for Action

• Run a GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaign to encourage people in your school community to register and make them aware of local poll locations and times.

• Encourage your students to get involved in election activities in your community. (See links in the Resources section below.)

• Hold a "ballot study" meeting to dig into the issues together.

Resources

From the California Secretary of State:

• If you are at least 16, you can be a poll worker, earn money and participate in the process.

• Students of any age can participate in the Student Mock Election.

From the National PTA and California State PTA:

• Voter Registration & Engagement Timeline (National PTA)

• Non-Profits and Ballot Measures (National PTA)

• Organizing a Candidates' Forum (CAPTA)

From other sources:

• League of Women Voters: In-depth, nonpartisan, nonprofit information about your ballot including local issues.

• iCivics: Election-related resources and games for kids.