[CALIBK12] AB333 Action Plan

[Crystal Miranda]

Hi All,
 
The following message was sent from CSLA president Martha Rowland to
all CSLA members last week.  If we do not act successfully very soon, AB
333, our online database bill, will die.  
 
PLEASE read the message, visit http://www.csla.net/leg/ , share the
links with your legislators, encourage all stakeholders to write
letters, come to the CSLA conference and let your voice be heard!
 
Remember, it's now or never!
 
Thanks,
Crystal Miranda
Chair, Legislation Committee
 

BACKGROUND
At the end of the last legislative session, AB 333 was converted to a
2-year bill. Without that change, it would have died. Although it is
still alive it now faces another threat.As a 2-year bill, AB 333 must be
passed on the floor of the Assembly by January 30th or it will die. The
bill's success requires assurance of funding by January. One way to get
that assurance is to persuade Governor Schwarzenegger to include $12
million dollars for the bill in his January proposed budget. That's our
goal. However, since next year's state budget is predicted to be far
worse than this year's, the odds for success are slim, but there is
hope. So we have a plan.
THE PLAN
The Governor listens to key legislators and key constituents.
Therefore, we must first persuade these people to talk to the Governor
and ask him to fund the bill.Here's what CSLA is doing:First, this week
I sent a personal letter to over 900 superintendents of school districts
and county offices of education whose boards have not yet endorsed AB
333. I asked them to seek their board's endorsement of AB 333 and send
their endorsement to all their schools' legislators. (The 50 boards that
already endorsed AB 333 last year do not need to do it again since the
bill is still alive in its original form.) Second, CSLA convened a
meeting of business partners in August to map out strategies for their
participation in supporting AB 333. These partners included high-level
representatives from EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest, and World Book. They offered
cogent advice, access to their databases and even online flash
presentations to help us explain the importance of databases to
legislators. They will also contact other business partners requesting
their support in promoting AB 333 to the Governor. Third, CSLA
representatives are working with key professional associations, e.g.
California Teachers Association (CTA), California Federation of Teachers
(CFT), California School Boards Association (CSBA), Association of
California School Administrators (ACSA), etc. to enlist their
endorsements and active support of AB 333. Finally, following our
Conference in November, I will write a letter to every Assembly Member
and State Senator listing each school district in their legislative
district that has endorsed AB 333. I will also list every school in
their legislative district that will benefit from passage and funding of
AB 333. Finally, I will ask that the legislators personally contact the
Governor and request that he put $12 million in the January proposed
budget for funding of AB 333.For AB 333 to succeed, however, our
legislators and the Governor must hear from a much broader base of
support. So here's what you must do:First, tell your superintendent - by
email, phone, note or personal visit - that CSLA's letter should have
arrived and that our request for your school board's endorsement is
urgent! It's needed as soon as possible! Second, contact your school's
legislators and set up meetings with them on one of the following
Fridays: October 26, November 2, or November 9. The meetings could be at
their offices close to your school or, even better, at your school where
they can see students, teachers and even parents using databases in your
library! Encourage your legislators to support the bill, to co-author
the bill and to ask the Governor to fund the bill in his January
proposed budget. Third, ask your principal, fellow teachers, even
parents and students to join you in this visit and to write letters to
your legislators and to the Governor. Be appropriate and professional in
this regard especially concerning parents and students. Finally, attend
the CSLA Conference in Ontario, November 15-18, where we will report on
our progress, listen to your advice, and plan our next steps.With your
enthusiastic participation AB 333 will succeed! There are only 3 Fridays
for you to meet with your legislators before our conference in Ontario
where we will announce our progress.Go to www.csla.net/leg. Download the
new flyers and the bookmarks. Next go to  www.csla.net/leg/samples.htm.
Look at the awesome flash files that you can use to explain databases to
your legislators. Share the sample databases with your legislators
too.It's now or never. Let's make it NOW!Thank you!Martha
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