Establishing Relationships
If you have yet to meet your local legislator, don’t worry: They really do want to meet you. Your vote does matter to them. That said, the more familiar you become to your legislator, the more likely they will respond to you as the Legislature progresses or as issues that matter to you become front and center. Some tips how to establish relationships with your legislator:
- Reach out to legislators early — before the session or before an issue becomes big — to talk about the state of your schools.
- Don’t assume legislators are education policy.
- Communicate regularly during session – ask your legislators which methods of communication they prefer: e-mails, phone calls, meetings in person, school visits during legislative breaks, etc.
- Communicate with your legislators throughout the year. Invite them into your schools to observe innovative programs and activities.
Maintaining Relationships with Legislators
- Do a relationship inventory to determine (especially newly elected ones) and who can help make solid connections.
- Keep social media positive. Always.
- Give legislators a “heads up” on positive (or negative) news before it is released publicly. Whenever possible, legislators should hear significant district news from you first before they see it in the media.
- Say THANK YOU in a note, in a Post, on your school Facebook page or in a letter to the editor.
