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Update for September 3, 2009 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director

If this is the first Parents United Legislative Update you are receiving — welcome! If you have been with us over the last seven years — thank you.

Back to school: early bedtimes, new books, fresh, unspoiled notebooks and, for many of us, levy season! If you are in the throes of a levy, check out the great information we have on our site for parents who are in the same position!

Just as summer flew by, 2009 is racing past with 2010 around the corner. Why might that matter for schools? 2010 is a critical year for our public schools. Minnesota's state constitution clearly delineates "the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools" (Article XIII) and in November of 2010 the governor and every member of the State Senate and House of Representatives must stand for election. Those who will be charged with providing for our children's schools will be campaigning for those offices throughout the next year.

In an era of federal education mandates, combined with state education standards and assessments, more and more of the policy decisions that affect local public schools are being made in the political arena. Fighting for excellence in public schools means knowing how to be engaged and effective in that arena. To gain a sound equitable E-16 education system as the core of our democracy, we need a group of citizens whose focus is to work at the state level for excellent school quality. This has always been the reason for Parents United.

Throughout the year, and into the legislative session, we will provide you:

• Easily accessible information through our website — Events — News —Communicating — Key Reports — Funding Reform — and much more!
• Help navigating the legislative policy-making process.
• Answers to your questions about policy and funding impact on your schools.
• Connections to parents and community leaders across school districts, allowing you to learn from one another and replicate successful efforts to build confidence and cohesiveness.
• Monitoring of K-12 legislative education committees.
• Tracking and analysis of complicated legislative education issues through our legislative updates.
• Interactive, in-district presentations about public education issues.

What we'd like from you is your help to reach more parents: forward this email on to friends! In the coming months, we will ask for your help to double our database, we will ask you to stay connected and to help connect others to Parents United — to Learn - Network - ACT.

“Childhood has no rewind: Our children cannot go back to grade school and get another education when times are better and we all have more to give. When the playground is empty and the children are gone, either we will have sacrificed for them, or we won’t."
                                                                            —from a Parents United poster

Questions? Email Mary Cecconi
Parents United for Public Schools
1667 Snelling Avenue N., St. Paul, MN 55108
651-999-7391
www.parentsunited.org