As Start of Legislature Draws Near, Time for Voices to be Heard

Volunteer members of DMPS-CLAT talk with legislators during the 2016 session of the Iowa General Assembly.

As the start of the 2017 Iowa General Assembly draws near, DMPS-CLAT wants you!

DMPS-CLAT is the Des Moines Public Schools’ Community Legislative Action Team, a grassroots group committed to advocacy on behalf of public education in our city.

School board member and DMPS parent Cindy Elsbernd got the CLAT ball rolling a little over a year ago.

“The committee was a proposal of mine and was established by board vote in August of 2015 as the Legislative Education and Advocacy Committee,” she said. “Its purpose is ‘to effectively engage the larger community in the support of our district through coalition-building, communication, and advocacy for state policy that elevates student success.’  

Meetings began last January and continued through the legislative session. The group put together its first advocacy event on Capitol Hill and has since provided learning opportunities and had a presence at a variety of school and community events to recruit members and raise awareness.

On Saturday, December 10th, CLAT hosted its first Legislative Breakfast. More than 100 concerned citizens attended and met with area lawmakers as CLAT rolled out its priorities for the upcoming legislative session which convenes at the state capitol on January 9th.

CLAT believes that parents are the strongest messengers of these legislative priorities and encourages them to attend legislative events, share information, and ask lawmakers for their support:

• Expanding preschool funding for children living in poverty;
• Expanding funding for English Language Learners (ELL); and
• Extending the SAVE penny tax for school infrastructure.

Three committees were formed to advance the CLAT agenda.  Interested parents and community members are encouraged to join a committee to capitalize on the group’s momentum.  The committees include:

• Event Planning (Day on the Hill, Legislative Breakfasts, and other activities)
• Outreach (Connect with the community to share the CLAT message)
• Legislative Update Committee (Stay engaged and up-to-date on legislative activities and other communication)

To lend your talents CLICK HERE.

And make a note of the CLAT calendar of events for your future reference (note that the next one is scheduled for this Sunday):

• January 8, 2017 – CLAT Community Meeting (Central Campus Multipurpose Room @ 1:00 PM)
• January 21, 2017 – Legislative Coffee
• February 5, 2017 – CLAT Community Meeting
• February 9, 2017 – CLAT Day on the Hill
• February 18, 2017 – Legislative Coffee
• March 5, 2017 – CLAT Community Meeting
• March 18, 2017 – Legislative Coffee
• April 2, 2017 – CLAT Community Meeting
• April 15, 2017 – Legislative Coffee
• May 7, 2017 – CLAT Community Meeting
• May 20, 2017 – Legislative Coffee

The CLAT Community Meetings, which convene at Central Campus, will consist of education and opportunity for small group work.

The Legislative Coffees, held each month at Hubbell Elementary School starting at 9:00 AM, are an opportunity to engage legislators in conversation about CLAT priorities and other educational issues.

Herman Quirmbach chaired the Education Committee of the Iowa Senate for the last six years. In a recent op-ed piece for the Des Moines Register, Sen. Quirmbach voiced concerns that the CLAT priorities and related ones will not be shared by the new General Assembly. Like CLAT, he called for vigorous advocacy on behalf of Iowa schoolchildren.

Part of the impetus behind CLAT was the need for increased and organized public input about school policy-making at the front end of the annual lawmaking process rather than at the back end in the spring when funding levels and other measures have already been adopted.

The time to apply pressure and make priorities known is before, not after. CLAT emphasizes the importance of doing homework now. Cramming at the end of the lawmaking trimester can’t be counted upon to yield the best grades.

“The original idea was to provide public education to committee members and the community at large regarding the basics of school finance, the legislative process, and effective advocacy and relationship- building,” said Elsbernd.

Now, as the group’s name change implies, it’s time for action!