An Interview with Lauren Cook, A Former Legislative Aide

Today’s broadcast of Equity Center Radio features Lauren Cook, the Equity Center‘s new Director of Communications and Member Services.

Lauren, drawing on her experience as a former legislative aide to State Senator Judith Zaffirini [Democrat/District 12-Laredo] provides tips about how to be effective with the legislature and how to get the “Equity” story across. A portion of her excellent presentation follows. We are sure you will enjoy this opportune and dynamic dialogue.

[Lauren:] Not long after graduating from UT Austin with a degree in English and then a Masters degree in Spanish, and I felt the urge to work in the public interest sector and I got a job with state Sen. Judith Zaffirini [Democrat/District 12-Laredo] at the Texas capital. During two legislative sessions, I worked as the Senator’s public education legislative aide. So I was responsible for managing all of the Senator’s bills related to public education. Most specifically, bills relating to pre-K, bilingual education, special education, student discipline and school finance. I worked on a total of 18 of her bills during those two sessions and that included the drafting, the vetting and the guiding of those through the legislative and budget processes. I was able to work with agency staff, other legislative offices, the governor’s and the lieutenant governor’s staff, public school advocates, such as the Equity Center, other lobbyists and constituents. And I was also able to represent the Senator at educational events in Austin and throughout Texas and her district in South Texas. And it was really a pleasure to work for her and promote her efforts to provide access to, and adequate funding for, high-quality education for every student. It was a great experience.

[Wayne Pierce:] Lauren, having worked as the education legislative aide in the Senate, can you give us any the tips about what you’ve seen or heard that could help or hinder our members as they work to get their message across?

[Lauren:] Absolutely, Wayne. During my time at the capital, I observed countless committee hearings and meetings with legislators and constituents, and helped respond to correspondence from superintendents, Equity Center members and Texans from across the education community. The most important advice I would give to Equity Center supporters is to make your voice heard, loud, clear and often; writing a letter or an e-mail or calling your legislator once a week, isn’t too often when issues important to you are being discussed. You may talk to a different staff member every time you call, but eventually your message will get through. Encourage your colleagues, family members and friends to also contact their legislators; numbers matter; and a grassroots effort really can pay off. Now for some more specific advice. If you can make it to an education committee hearing in Austin, by all means do. Even if you don’t have time to wait your turn to testify, at least submit a witness card and register your position. If you do have time to testify, make sure your message is concise and to the point. Nothing seems to frustrate legislators more than when witnesses repeat the same message over and over again. It’s okay to say, “I agree with Dr. Wayne Pierce”, or whomever may have testified before you, and then add something of your own. A good mix of anecdotal and data-driven evidence to support your position is best. Also have a handout prepared with your testimony in case committee members are absent. On the handout, be sure to include your name, whom you represent, where you live and the source of your information, especially if your testimony contains data.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to schedule a meeting with your legislator when you’re at the capital, or you if you happen to find them when you pop by their office, it is a great idea to thank them for all their support up to that point. But then tell them your needs directly and simply; don’t just say, our district needs additional funding—tell them how much you need and for what. Remind them that your district focuses on efficiency, but you need to have additional funding to have the best possible chance of succeeding on the TAKS [Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills] test, or increasing the graduation rate, or whatever it is that your district is trying to improve. If you aren’t able to meet with your legislator, but you meet with a staff member instead, don’t hesitate to give them just as much information. Make it simple and to the point, but don’t forget to highlight things they may not know about your district. For example, “did you know that our district received $500 less per student than ‘X’ district next door? We really need your boss to help make our system more fair.” Lastly, stay in close communication with your representation. The Equity Center has the privilege of representing almost 670 school districts. And we are constantly improving our means of staying in touch with each one; but we can only do so much to get the information into the hands of our members. You, our supporters, must make an effort to engage and be active participants in the process. Wayne [Pierce] and Ray [Freeman] are pros at giving testimony and influencing legislators, but they need the Equity Center members to back them up and reinforce their message. Read and act on our legislative alerts. Give us feedback and make sure we are aware of what is going on in your area.

We are certainly pleased to have Lauren Cook on our show.

Lauren Cook
Be an Effective Voice for Equity in School Funding in Texas

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