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Authored & Presented by:
Maggie Walters, Montana PTA Advocacy Vice President
Madam President, The Montana PTA’s Legislative Platform states that we will
recommend initiate and support legislation and appropriations for public schools
that will insure all children and youth in Montana a high quality education.
The
Montana PTA will support legislation for the improvement of community programs
and facilities, which provide maximum protection against moral, emotional and
physical hazards for children and youth and strengthen home and family life.
The
Montana PTA believes all levels of government play varying roles in ensuring
that the educational needs of all citizens are met. In order to ensure effective
and efficient use of limited public resources the responsibilities of each level
should be clearly defined.
Controls of the public schools belong to the taxpayers through their nonpartisan
state Board of Education and elected nonpartisan local Boards of Education and
the Montana PTA shall oppose any legislation that would curtail the power and
responsibility of local Boards of Education. No local, state or federal
legislation policies or procedures would be passed that will erode the authority
of local Boards of Education.
The
State role in education should include the responsibility of providing a system
of financing education to ensure adequate and equitable financing of public
elementary and secondary schools and to ensure the continued strength and
diversity of post-secondary institutions. In addition, the State should be
formally committed to ensuring all persons within Montana an equal educational
opportunity without regard to race, sex, national origin, handicapping
condition, ethnic heritage, economic condition or geographic location.
The
Federal role in education should include the responsibility to ensure access to
and equality in educational opportunities, to invest in research and
development, to improve the quality of education, to uphold basic civil rights
protections, and to prepare a workforce that will meet the nations economic and
defense needs. We believe these areas of responsibility are of such importance
to the achievement to national goals that the federal budget must reflect a
share to the investment necessary for their implementation.
Currently the Montana PTA is working in conjunction with the National PTA in
supporting the top four National PTA Priority Issues for 2002. They are:
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Parent Involvement: Support
parent involvement policies in federal legislation. Support employee
release time for parent and community involvement. Support
school-linked parent resource centers. Support the inclusion of
parents in governance and decision making roles.
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Safe and Nurturing Environments:
Support school-based early childhood education and before-and after-school
programs. Support initiatives that foster a supportive climate,
including: violence prevention measures, child protection and delinquency
prevention initiatives, class-size reduction efforts, school modernization
proposals, counseling programs. Support health and welfare reforms that meet
the needs of underserved children and families.
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Support for public Education:
Support federal education programs, including: The Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Recruitment and development of qualified professionals. Support
finance measures that would provide adequate levels of funding to: Support
comprehensive school reform, Support equity in school finance and services,
Direct money to public schools. Oppose vouchers/tax subsides, Oppose
block grants that reduce funds, eliminate targeting, or weaken
accountability, Assure accountability for charter schools, promote sound and
appropriate testing/assessment policies.
Throughout the last year National PTA fought
against vouchers, tax subsidies, and other schemes that undermine public
education or promote the idea of education as a private commodity. The round was
won, but these issues will continue to arise and we must continue the fight
against these proposals that will reduce revenue while doing nothing to improve
public schools, which enroll 90 percent of America’s school children.
National PTA will continue to urge lawmakers to restrict the use of public funds
to public schools.
July of 2003, Montana
PTA was represented at the third annual Children’s Land Alliance Supporting
Schools. It was at this seminar that I learned with dismay that millions of
School Land Trust dollars are being funneled through the State’s General Fund
instead of going directly to the beneficiaries. Montana’s beneficiaries, as
stated in the State’s Constitution, are all of Montana’s schools. As advocates
for Montana’s schools, we must become more vocal with our lawmakers, insisting
they do what is Constitutionally correct. Revenue from School Land Trust lands
must go directly to the schools.
Montana PTA has also joined the Stand Up For Education campaign. This coalition
stood up for education in cities across Montana, spreading the word that in
order to have strong public schools and colleges, we must succeed in receiving
adequate state funding for K-12 schools and higher education in Montana.
It is unfair that in
order to receive adequate funding from a state who declares to be so
educationally oriented, we must fight this battle every year. Montana PTA will
continue to speak out on behalf of funding and we, as advocates must do our
part. The Member-to-Member network is an excellent place to begin. By joining,
we add our voices to be a collective voice, which will be heard locally, state
wide and nationally. We need to take a stand today to protect the educational
rights of children in Montana and children in the United States. Let your
voice echo through the nation, every child one voice.
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