Legislative Action Days were held April 17-18 in Sacramento. Around 250 school leaders from throughout California participated in more than 90 meetings, the majority of which were held in person for the first time since 2019.

Legislative Action Day was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and limitations on large gatherings of people. In 2021, meetings with legislators and staff were held virtually via Zoom. ln 2022, Legislative Action Days were again held virtually, due to COVID concerns as well as consideration for the demands facing school administrators.

A lot has changed since the last in-person Legislative Action Day. Due to construction at the Capitol building, legislators’ offices have been relocated to the Capitol Annex “Swing Space” one block away. There are also many newly elected lawmakers at the Capitol, giving ACSA members the opportunity to educate them and their staff on school funding.

“There’s a lot of new members … that don’t know why the Local Control Funding Formula is so important to us,” ACSA Legislative Advocate Megan Baier said. “I would encourage all of you to take a second and explain what that is to the people that you’re meeting with.”

There were also many ACSA members who were new to advocacy. Some Legislative Action Days participants had never participated in the event in person, while others were participating in their very first advocacy efforts.

Isacc Villanueva-Langdon, a principal in Fresno USD and first-time participant in LAD, said he’s studying school finance and law in his doctoral program and wanted to learn more about advocacy.

“As I’m learning, I’m helping legislative members learn about the reality of what’s going on in schools,” he said. “Whether it be about mental health or school accountability, there’s a lot of real-life stories that need to be told for people to understand how these high-level decisions are really impacting school sites.”

A membership chair with the Fresno Consolidated Charter, Villanueva-Langdon said participating in LAD was a chance to see ACSA in action.

Here is some of what we heard during 2023’s Legislative Action Days:

“If you don’t speak up, who will?” When asked why she participates in Legislative Action Days, ACSA member Penny Fraumeni said it’s part of the responsibility of being a school administrator. A former Region 15 president and State Board Member, she estimates she’s been participating in LAD for 25-30 years. “I think we’ve made a big impact. I come because it’s important. It’s important to be here. I always say shame on you if you don’t speak up for the kids. Our voices are for the children in our schools.”

“Together, we have a collective strength to ensure that California’s education system is the best that it can be.” ACSA Vice President for Legislative Action Gina Potter addressed participants Monday, reflecting on how advocacy efforts like LAD have saved education funding during pivotal moments like the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic. “This week, we have a lot of work to do in the state Capitol ... but I assure you that the impact that we can have will truly make a difference in the lives of the students that we serve.”

“Remember that they work for you.” State Sen. Josh Newman gave this advice to participants. During their meetings with legislators, Newman advised school leaders to get to the subject, and not waste time with small talk. “It really is incumbent on you when you get time with them to make clear what’s important, especially to your schools, your parents, your students.”

“You are the best lobbyists ... out there.” ACSA Senior Director of Governmental Relations Iván Carrillo thanked ACSA members for making Legislative Action Days a priority despite the many demands at their schools and districts. During an Issues Briefing with ACSA Governmental Relations, Advocates Megan Baier, Dorothy Johnson, Diana Vu and Serette Kaminski provided important context on ACSA’s legislative “asks” this year, and reminded participants that their stories will have the greatest impact on lawmakers.

“Competition is stiff with McDonald’s hiring at $15 an hour.” Principal Josh O’Geen from Region 7 telling a staff member in Assemblymember Heath Flora’s office about the difficulties hiring staff, especially paraeducators and bus drivers. As a result, districts in their region have had to cancel bus routes and special education classrooms have operated without aides. Region 7 VPLA Jared Hungerford explained how one-time funding sources do little to help with school salaries. “As the CBOs say, you don’t use one-time funds on anything that eats,” he said. “We need consistent funding year over year.”

“We have a lot of new members, a lot of enthusiasm and a big focus on equity.” Erin Gabel, principal consultant of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, shared how new committee members are influencing the governing body’s direction. “There are lots of aspirations and great intentions,” she said during a discussion that covered the budget process and the priorities of their committee chairs.

“My job is to get you the resources to support you to support our kids.” Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi pledged to continue fighting for school funding after being presented with one of the two ACSA Friend of Education Awards being given in 2023. Muratsuchi was introduced by Carrillo, who praised the assemblymember and new Chair of the Assembly Education Committee for protecting school funding during the pandemic. Muratsuchi said there’s nothing more valuable to lawmakers than to hear directly from educators who are on the “front lines” facing issues such as staffing shortages, youth mental health and learning recovery.

“We appreciated that he was always asking, ‘What are your folks going to feel about this?’” ACSA Executive Director Edgar Zazueta introduced ACSA’s other 2023 Friend of Education Award recipient Brooks Allen, senior education policy advisor for Gov. Gavin Newsom and executive director of the California State Board of Education. Zazueta praised Allen as one of the behind-the-scenes policymakers who sought ACSA’s perspective during the pandemic. Allen thanked ACSA for the honor and shared his family’s connection to education. ‘We’re all in this because we care deeply about children,” he said, acknowledging the difficulties educators face. “You’re literally dealing with the smallest things and then the largest things. Why we do that is fundamentally because of that belief in public schools.”

“Our districts should not be attacked for trying to do the right thing by our students.” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond gave a keynote address Tuesday that acknowledged threats he and other school leaders have faced over Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ+ student protections. He called on educators to continue protecting students while navigating conversations about parental choice. Despite the intensity of politics right now, Thurmond said he still believes in the promise of education, which helped him overcome poverty. “I still have hope for what is possible despite the challenges,” he said.

“We got some party people in the house? Kings fans? Warriors fans?” ACSA President Erin Simon greeted participants Tuesday, the morning after game 2 in the NBA playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors was played in Sacramento. Simon reflected on the importance of Legislative Action Days, and how this ACSA event is different from all the others. “This event is about cultivating relationships with our policymakers — the individuals that make decisions that impact our work,” she said. “So we hope before they put pen to paper, they’re listening to the needs that we see for students.”