Let your voice be heard!

Late Wednesday we learned that a deal was struck with leaders of the House and Senate to reduce AEA funding by an additional $5 million dollars.

• This effectively wipes out any budget increase that would have been generated by the 2.25 percent supplemental state aid rate and further reduces the AEA budget across the state by an additional $500,000 in special education support.
• The additional $5 million reduction seriously compromises the ability of the AEAs to provide critical services to school districts across the state including special education, professional development, media and technology services and to assist local school districts in school improvement efforts.
• The proposed reduction in the AEA budget is a real cut that will have real world impacts on the students, teachers and administrators who rely on their services.

How can you help?

Let your voice be heard. Immediately contact the legislators who represent you personally (please send communication from your personal e-mail account on non-work time). You can find your legislator by using the IASB legislator finder tool. When you click on each legislator's name, it will show their contact information. It is critical that legislators hear from you as soon as possible. The legislature is in the process of finalizing the FY 2017 budget deal and hopes to adjourn as early as next week. 

This deal was brokered without the knowledge of many legislators and there's still an opportunity for us to demonstrate our dissatisfaction with this cut and potentially prevent it from occurring. We are also mobilizing an effort to ask school administrators and parents to intervene on our behalf. Please join this effort!

Key messages for legislators:

When you e-mail your legislators, here are some key points to make:

1. Ask your legislators to oppose the additional $5 million cut in AEA funding and restore the original $15 million cut to AEA funding.

2. Remind legislators that this actually reduces the AEAs' budgets from last year because it eliminates any funding for the AEAs generated by the 2.25 percent supplemental state aid growth rate, plus another $500,000 cut to special education support.

3. Specifically talk about the value of GHAEA to schools in providing services more efficiently and economically and supporting our efforts to improve student achievement.

If you would like more information:

Contact Dr. Plugge.