David W. Turner, former executive director of the Illinois Principals Association, is a visiting assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Illinois-Springfield. His article originally appeared in the November/December 1993 issue of The Illinois School Board Journal.

Lyndon Johnson was fond of saying that the time to make friends is before you need them.

Making friends with legislators when we do not need something from them: that is the essence of effective lobbying and an art not well-developed in the education community.

Most school officials seem to understand the important role of lobbying for good school legislation. But our efforts too often begin and end with a deluge of letters and phone calls to legislators concerning some burning issue.

Consider this: If the first time a legislator hears from you is just prior to a critical vote, your message is vastly less powerful than it would be if that legislator knows you and knows about your schools. Local school officials need to build relationships with legislators that will make their letters and phone calls mean something when they are received.

School board members and administrators need to build mutually respectful, long-term relationships with their senators and representatives. The ultimate goal is to develop a strong working relationship between the General Assembly and our schools which will pay dividends for the young people we serve.

The problem: Political rhetoric, especially on the campaign trail, is filled with promises of helping education and ideas about improving public schools. It sounds good to be "the education governor" or the education whatever, but rarely are the promises fulfilled or ideas realized. Educators then often become disenchanted with the legislative process and tend to avoid it rather than use it.

Some educators even demonstrate an outright aversion to associating with elected state officials, which doesn't say much for our faith in representative government!

On the other hand, most legislators view educators as whiners who only show up when they want something, and that something is usually more money. Educators, other than the teachers unions, are not seen as a political force, as a strong voting block or as a source of support.

To become a political force, school boards and administrators need to change both of those scenarios. They must understand legislators beyond the political rhetoric and they must be viewed by legislators as important constituents who do not always have their hands out.

Unfortunately many school leaders do not view legislators in a positive light. Legislators are viewed as not being very knowledgeable about the real issues in education or being ineffective in dealing with them.

Legislators are further viewed as distant and unapproachable, and the feeling becomes that there is no point in contacting them because it does not do any good. The perception is that individuals cannot influence government, and that legislators serve only special interest groups. Remember that every piece of legislation is of special interest to somebody and nearly everyone is in some "special interest group."

We need to change our perceptions of legislators.

In reality, the vast majority of legislators are intelligent, well educated professionals who do have the public interest at heart. Most are easy to deal with and will listen to you, read your letters and even return your phone calls. But, you must remember that they are all very busy people with many forces pulling them in different directions and vying for their time. Also, as in any profession, there are a few who let their egos rule their actions and do not treat common folk very well. They are in the minority.

The thing to understand about legislators is that their prime motivation is to be re-elected. Nearly everything they do is done in terms of being viewed in a positive light by the electorate. To get elected means to be visible and to have exposure. Money buys exposure. Campaign posters, rallies, radio and television ads cost money. Political Action Committees spend huge sums to support candidates and those candidates use the money to buy exposure. PACs build relationships by furnishing the money.

School boards and administrators do have PACs that help their lobbyists gain access, but they do not spend big money supporting legislators. Thus, school officials must use other avenues to provide exposure for legislators.

There are many opportunities to use school programs to give legislators exposure. For example:

• Invite them to your buildings for special functions.
• Invite them to speak to an assembly or to government classes or for career days.
• Invite them to present awards to students.
• Invite them to open house functions.
• Invite them to a board meeting and then tour a building.
• Send them tickets to a concert, a play or an athletic contest in your district.
• Invite them to ride in your homecoming parade.

The point is to get lawmakers into your buildings. Usually their presence enhances the function they attend and that is a benefit to you. If they attend a function, introduce them to the crowd and thank them for their interest in your schools and your students.

Notify local media of their visit or offer to provide a picture and an article about their visit for the local paper. Follow up with a thank you letter and a copy of the article from the paper.

When legislators visit your schools, use the opportunity to point out program and student successes. Show legislators that your schools work and that your students achieve. Do not be bashful about showcasing what you do.

Also, take the opportunity to point out problems and what the legislature could do to help. Visit with them on your turf!

Most people, including legislators, remember schools as they were when they attended them. Schools have changed and legislators need to understand how they operate today. The better individual legislators understand how schools really function and what their successes and problems are, the better equipped they will be to deal with educational issues in the legislature. They will have first-hand knowledge of schools. Your schools!

There are many other small but meaningful things you can do to develop relationships with legislators.

• When they attend functions such as "town meetings" in your community, show up. Introduce yourself and be sure to mention your school district.
• Send news clippings of your schools' successes to your legislator.
• Send a note congratulating them when they are elected or re-elected.
• Send a note thanking them for their support on issues.
• Remember that a legislator's influence usually does not stop upon leaving the statehouse. If your legislator retires or is defeated in a re-election bid, send a thank-you letter for past services. If the legislator did something noteworthy for education, mention it.
• Donate to campaign funds. A very few dollars gets you on the mailing list of supporters. Being on the right Rolodex is helpful when you need something. Many legislators now have their own e-mail lists to update constituents about pending issues. They'll be happy to add another e-mail address to their list, even without a donation.
• Give some time to a candidate or political party of your choice. Being a worker puts you in the loop. Politicians respect people who work in the system, even if it is for an opponent. They respect activism. Being physically involved is often more important than simply giving money.

Local school leaders should communicate with legislators on education issues and that communication can be especially productive when a positive relationship has been developed first.

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