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District Legislative Team (DLT)

Chairperson (2007-2008): Jodi Heinz

	What is the DLT?
	Why is DLT Important?
	Membership
	Meetings
	DLT newsletter - Radar Screen DLT 1-2-3
	Your Legislators
	Resources & Actions

What is the DLT?

The District Legislative Team is committee of the PTA Council. It aims to 

• better inform our membership at all schools about legislative affairs related to education and child advocacy issues and, 
• foster a membership that is vocal about our concerns. 

Why is the DLT important?

• To address concerns from parents (such as, how property taxes are spent, how board policies affect the classroom or the extracurricular activities etc.) & put advocacy plans in action.
• To allow parents to join together and effectively get their message to the right people:  Our membership understands that the Board of Education is bound by law to implement legislation from the state and federal level. Examples include the requirement to obtain county commissioner approval on the transfer of funds to allow for an additional section of a grade level to keep class sizes down (S1701 legislation). Also, the NJ Legislature passed requirements for school districts to only sell food in the schools that conform with their nutritional regulations. 

Involved and knowledgeable PTA member parents want their voice heard beyond the parking lot and into the offices of both local administration as ell as state and federal elected officials! Representatives of the DLT have worked to have letters written from all PTA’s on relevant issues. We also track how our elected officials vote.

Our team participates in the activities of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, the grassroots lobbying organization that the Scotch Plains Fanwood School district is a member of. Representatives from the DLT have spoken at Garden State events for a better school funding formula, they have spoken to legislators about our memberships concerns about legislation like “S1701”. DLT members have attended rally events around the state work to have the our voices heard about property tax and quality education and fair appropriations for special education.

DLT meetings have included guests presenters, like Linda Nelson, President of the Board of Education. We are also open to ideas for other guest speakers. DLT members are also encouraged to attend NJPTA legislative events. At NJPTA legislative events, DLT members have heard presentations from key legislators and NJ School Board Association representatives.

The DLT is also a great place for parents who might be future Board of Education members to learn some of the critical issues.

Meetings are open to all PTA members and, in general, are held the 4^th Monday of each month at the Scotch Plains Fanwood School Board offices, Evergreen and Cedar Place. 

2007-2008 Meeting Dates

Membership

The Team is made up of at least one (if not more) representatives from each school in our district. With the formation of the DLT the role of the representatives from the schools has been made easier.

• Each representative is asked to attend 2 Board of Education meetings a year and write a one paragraph summary for the team.
• Many representatives take on one more task, such as, following local issues, newsletter editor, monitor of state funding issues or monitor of federal legislation. Brief reports are given at the meetings and then used to develop the newsletter and PTA reports.

DLT Roster (2007-2008)

The person or team who handles this job does not need to be a lawyer or education expert. What is important is that the person(s) feel committed to excellence in our schools and recognize that the well being of children improves our communities and society.  While this job is not a hands- on activity, like the wonderful enrichment programs that many of us on the PTA enjoy so much, it has important consequences and huge possibilities for the schools whose PTA membership has an active PTA Legislative committee. In other districts around our state PTAs have become informed and lobbied for such things as required meningitis vaccines and school bus seat belts. Active representatives and liaisons can forge relationships that make the issues important to your PTA, important to your school district and to your elected officials. They can also work with those same groups to accomplish mutual goals, such as, improving voter turnout and motivating community members to be active in the legislative process. Much of the work of monitoring issues and related advocacy work can be done on your schedule, meeting attendance can be shared among team members, making this an attractive way to contribute to our children’s schools

• Be a registered voter who votes!
• Attend SPF Board of Education Meetings. 
• Read the Board Bulletin at the district website for a summary of Board of Education actions published each month following the Board's regular public meeting.
• Read Plains-Fanwood Times or Record Press. 
• a Attend PTA District Legislative Meetings. 

• Be a registered voter who votes!
• Very Helpful websites: www.gscschool.org; www.njsba.org, www.njlwv.org
• Scan headlines in Star Ledger Daily. 
• Subscribe and read NJPTA Monthly Newsletter and Legislative Bulletin
• Attend NJPTA Conferences or workshops.  
• Check NJ Department of Education Website Press Releases.
• Make contact with local legislators in conjunction with legislative committee.

Involvement on a Federal Level 

• Be a registered voter who votes!
• Sign up for the free National PTA This Week in Washington email newsletter.
• Use the National PTA office in Washington - very helpful lobbyists are available, phone 202-289-6790. 
• Keep abreast of news on the National PTA website.
• Other web sites to visit  to track legislation or get info on legislators are United States Senate  or United States House of Representatives.  You can sign up to be be e-notified if action on a bill you are following has been taken, you can also view committee hearing calendars.
• Scan newspaper headlines daily. 

State

> Scotch Plains & Fanwood is in the 22^nd Legislative district for the state. Our Legislators are: 

Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI  (Democrat)

1514 E, St. Georges Ave, 2nd Floor

Linden, NJ 07036 

(908)-587-0404

 

Assemblyman JERRY GREEN  (Democrat)

17 Watchung Ave.

Plainfield, NJ 07060 

(908)-561-5757

 

Assemblywoman LINDA STENDER (Democrat)

1801 East Second St., 2nd Floor

Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 

(908)-668-1900

 

Federal 

Senate

Corzine, Jon - (D - NJ)	Class I
502 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
Web Form: corzine.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Lautenberg, Frank - (D - NJ)	Class II
324 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3224
Web Form: lautenberg.senate.gov/webform.html

 

House of Representatives

Congressman Robert Ferguson (R)

214 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-3007

Phone: (202) 225-5361

 

Call for Action: School Funding Formula

School funding reform is in danger of being relegated to Trenton's "back burner".

Right now it is estimated that about three quarters of a million New Jersey students are deemed ineligible for basic educational aid.   Many others live in districts thatdo not receive enough aid to provide the "thorough and efficient" education required by law.  Special education costs are now at $4.7B this year (New York Times, 4/07), while state aid for that category has remained flat since FY02 at a little over $900M. State support had dropped to an all-time low of less than 20% of these necessary costs. Overburdened local taxpayers like in our towns must make up the difference when education aid falls short.   Though the State has provided some property tax relief for fiscal year 2007-2008, the vast majority of communities will only receive long term relief when a new, more equitable funding formula becomes a reality.
 
In November every member of the Legislature is up for re-election.   If we are serious about funding reform, we must call, write or e-mail our legislators and the legislative leadership now and tell them the following:

• Every New Jersey student is entitled to a basic level of State Educational Aid
• That state aid to fund mandated programs for children with defined special needs must be adequate and that each child with such needs must receive the full amount of that funding—no matter where he or she resides
• New Jersey's students need an equitable, workable funding formula by January 1, 2008
• The new formula must be funded by a sustainable revenue source

Click here for a sample letter  (PDF format     MS Word document format)

After November, our legislators will have much less incentive to create these very necessary changes.  
 
The time is now for school funding reform.

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