Policy Makers Connection

May 15th, meeting with 39th District Legislative Representative Dan Kristiansen at Monte Cristo Elementary

On May 15, 2007 National Board teachers, Debra Howell, Debbie Hanby, and Kirk Parker met with 39th District Legislative Representative Dan Kristiansen at Monte Cristo Elementary. Debra invited the representative to come and observe the 4-5-6 multiage classes in the building for the first 2 hours. Then Rep. Kristiansen met with NBTCs and other educators regarding some of our concerns in education. He asked some great questions and we all felt that it was a worthwhile morning. He emphasized that he would be contacting the three of us as the “go-to” people since we not only teach but live in his legislative district. Many additional staff members that wandered through the staff room added additional “comments” and worthwhile discussion.

Overall, the March 15th visit was very worthwhile. There were eight NBCT's from our 28th district, and we "divided and conquered" to visit all three of our legislators. Each visit lasted for about 15-25 minutes. All legislators were in favor of NBCT salary enhancements.

Representative Tami Green was very enthusiastic about the concept. She asked lots of questions, but seemed to already appreciate the effectiveness of the NBPT's certification process. Hers was a very pleasant visit, and she seemed appreciative of the idea of using us as a
resource to future decisions.

Senator Carroll seemed not as familiar with the basics of the program, and did not ask us any questions. He cautioned us that the actual passage of the legislation could become "dicey" in the final days, and suggested that we supply legislators with more research-based proof of the program's effectiveness. I was unclear on his actual stance on the legislation, so I called his office the next day, and found out that he did, indeed, vote in favor of the Senate bill.

The final meeting was with Representative Troy Kelly. He seemed unfamiliar with the NBPTS program specifically. He seemed open to learning more about it, and asked quite a few questions, such as "Who serves on this board?" He supported the concept in general.

A few tips that might help other NBCT's visiting Olympia would be:

1. Keep the number of NBCT's down to around four. When there are too many folks in the office at once, the conversation is a bit stilted.

2. Announce whatever "talking protocol" you are going to use as soon as you greet the legislator. We simply "waved" around the group, and had each NBCT use her letter as talking points. This tactic worked well, except for when we visited Senator Mike Carrell. We failed to announce
that we had a planned protocol, so instead he did the majority of the talking.

3. Call the representative office at least a week ahead of time and request that the staff photographer be there to take a group photo. Not only will you get a photo of higher quality than if you just took a snapshot, but the legislator will probably then display the photo in his/her office. Also, you could use this photo for newsletters, etc., back in your own district.

4. Bring business cards, and make sure that, at the end of the meeting, the representative understands that you expect him/her to use you as a resource for NB information. Let him/her know this "first contact" is really just that--a first contact--and that you plan on phoning to keep
abreast of the current NBCT legislation via phone or email.

5. Clearly state that this visit is part of a state-wide organized effort to impact legislation. Mention the number of NBCT's, both in the district and in the state, so that he/she realizes that (1) you are
actually speaking for a larger group and (2) the "results" of the meeting will be communicated to this larger group. There is power in numbers.

Jan Lonsway
Supervisor of Professional Development
Teaching and Learning Department
Clover Park School District

We did it! First Stage! Two of us were able to go to Olympia and we carried four testimonials with us.

We met with Derek Kilmer who was very receptive. all his family are teachers, so he's a huge supporter. His two fights are constantly for full funding for K-12 ed. and NBPTS! He encouraged us to see Pat Lantz,
who is also a big supporter, and Lary Seaquist who is so new he doesn't yet know about the impact of NBPTS. I have a friend who's on the senate staff for Kilmer and Seaquist, so he helped me get appointments on the 15th when we go back again with Clover Park to the 28th District meetings - Mike Carrell (R). So two of us will hit three people that day. (4:30-5:15) I'm hoping I will have enticed one or two more 26th people to join us. Derek Kilmer is on the Ways and Means committee and says that in the past his role was to beg. Now that we have a bigger Democratic majority, he's more optimistic.

You were all correct - We had about 15 minutes with him, but it was quality. He appreciated my attempt at giving him monetary breakdowns of the savings in having NBCTs in the classrooms. I warned him that my math was purely "basic", but it gave him some ammunition as he's talking to people.

It was a very satisfying afternoon.


Ann O'Connell
Instructional Facilitator
Idlewild Elementary School