LM Jan 2025

Message From the Executive Director

Dr. Brent Clark A New Year Means Time to Engage With Local Legislators on Vision 2030

Strong relationships with school boards, staff and community members form the foundation of every successful superintendency — a lesson district leaders learn early in their tenure. When it comes to effective advocacy with the Illinois General Assembly, building and nurturing relationships with lawmakers is also important, both in advancing policies that strengthen our state’s education system and in protecting classrooms from unintended legislative consequences. With the calendar now turned to January 2025, it’s important to once again engage with your local legislators on the policies and priorities laid out in the Policy Framework. The document has been emailed to members and is available to view at IllinoisVision2030.com. Familiarize Yourself With 38 Initiatives Vision 2030 is intended to be a blueprint for public education in Illinois, articulating goals the education community stands for and aspires to realize. The document includes 38 initiatives around future-focused learning, shared accountability and the need for predictable funding. Engaging with local legislators around these 38 initiatives will be vital in achieving legislative success. If you need a few tips for how to effectively engage with lawmakers, you can revisit this document. It’s much easier to advocate now and lay the groundwork than wait for the spring session to be in full swing. Let Us and Local Media Know After Passing Board Resolution The other important advocacy step in 2025 is passing a Board Resolution in support of Vision 2030 and notifying us by completing the short Google Form on the Illinois Vision 2030 website. A counter has been added to the site and, to date, more than 215 Illinois school districts

have adopted resolutions. We will use this total in our conversations with the Illinois General Assembly. In addition, please consider sending a press release to local media after passage of the resolution. We previously heard from legislators during Vision 2020 that the abundance of local news articles put the advocacy initiative on their radar. To help facilitate this process, a template letter has been created. The document is posted in the Vision 2030 Toolkit on the website. The toolkit also includes social media graphics, talking points and a banner you can add to your district website. Building a Groundswell of Support Our goal at this stage of the calendar is to build awareness and momentum around what will be a multi-year process. The legislative teams of the partner associations have met and are putting forward legislative proposals to pursue this session and in future years. As always, we will keep you updated every step of the way through Capitol Watch, the Bill Tracker posted on the website and updates at region meetings. To close, building meaningful change in education requires sustained effort and engagement from everyone in our school communities. By familiarizing yourself with Vision 2030’s initiatives, passing board resolutions, and actively engaging with legislators and local media, you play a vital role in shaping the future of Illinois public education. Let’s make 2025 an impactful year and make strides collectively to build a stronger and more future-focused education system in Illinois.

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LM Jan 2025