The Parents Campaign

TO ENSURE BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR MS CHILDREN BY IMPROVING PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH PARENT ADVOCACY.

IN 2020-2021, THE PARENTS' CAMPAIGN (TPC) FOCUSED ON ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, WITH THE GOAL OF MOVING FORWARD POLICIES THAT IMPROVE MISSISSIPPI'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.COMMUNICATION & OUTREACH:TO FURTHER THE GOAL OF IMPROVING THE STATE'S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM, TPC WORKED COOPERATIVELY WITH VARIOUS PARENT GROUPS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS, AND BUSINESS AND CIVIC GROUPS STATEWIDE. TPC PARTICIPATED IN APPROXIMATELY 96 MEETINGS, WHICH INVOLVED MORE THAN 1,223 PEOPLE.TPC CONTINUED TO GROW ITS MEMBERSHIP, RECRUITING 1,881 NEW MEMBERS FROM JULY 1, 2020, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021. THE NATION BUILDER DATABASE SYSTEM WAS USED TO MANAGE MEMBERSHIP RECORDS; TPC ALSO USES NATION BUILDER'S INTEGRATED TEXT MESSAGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS IN MEMBER OUTREACH EFFORTS. TPC HAS TWO FULL-TIME OUTREACH/MEMBERSHIP STAFF.THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, TPC PROVIDED REGULAR EMAIL UPDATES TO INFORM MEMBERS OF LEGISLATION AND POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS RESULTED IN 1,519 NEW FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS, 54 NEW TWITTER FOLLOWERS, AND 31 NEW INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS ON TPC'S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT.IN THE SPRING OF 2021, TPC BEGAN RECOGNIZING AN OUTSTANDING MEMBER OF THE QUARTER FOUR TIMES EACH YEAR.PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT & INFORMATION:TPC CONTINUED TO EXPAND AND ADD RESOURCES TO ITS NEW WEBSITE (MSPARENTSCAMPAIGN.ORG) WHICH DEBUTED IN EARLY 2020. THE SITE ALLOWS TPC MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC TO ACCESS ALL FEATURES AT NO COST. VISITORS TO THE SITE CAN PERFORM A RANGE OF TASKS, INCLUDING IDENTIFYING LEGISLATORS WHO REPRESENT EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT AND VIEWING INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO THE DISTRICT, SUCH AS FUNDING STATISTICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS. TPC'S ONLINE RESOURCES INCLUDE COMPREHENSIVE VOTING RECORDS FOR CURRENT AND FORMER LEGISLATORS AND GRAPHICS SHOWING DETAILED CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LEGISLATORS IN EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT.TPC CONTINUED TO USE THE FACEBOOK-BASED VOTE REPORTING SYSTEM THAT IT INTRODUCED IN THE 2016 LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THE SYSTEM ALLOWS MEMBERS TO FOLLOW CUSTOM-BUILT "ED REPORT" FACEBOOK PAGES OF LEGISLATORS WHOSE VOTES THEY WANT TO TRACK; THOSE LEGISLATORS' VOTES THEN SHOW UP IN MEMBERS' FACEBOOK NEWS FEEDS, PROVIDING AN INSTANT, EASY WAY TO SEE HOW LEGISLATORS VOTE ON IMPORTANT BILLS.TPC ENGAGED MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC THROUGH VIRTUAL EVENTS, INCLUDING REGULAR INSIDER UPDATES FOR KEY VOLUNTEERS AND FORMAL EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THE FALL 2020 VIRTUAL SPEAKER SERIES AND SPRING 2021 VIRTUAL SPEAKER SERIES FEATURED LEGISLATIVE LEADERS IN WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH Q&A AND DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN GUEST SPEAKERS AND ATTENDEES ON A RANGE OF EDUCATION TOPICS.IN THE SPRING OF 2021, TPC CELEBRATED THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDING. FOR 15 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, ANNIVERSARY PUBLICITY FOCUSED ON ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM EACH OF TPC'S 15 YEARS.THERE IS NO COST FOR MEMBERSHIP OR FOR ANY SERVICE PROVIDED BY TPC.LEGISLATIVE ACTION:DURING THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, TPC TRACKED POLICY DECISIONS AND LAWMAKERS' ACTIONS BY ATTENDING (PRIMARILY VIRTUALLY) WEEKLY MEETINGS OF LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES AND MONITORING HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR DEBATES AND VOTES. LAWMAKERS' VOTES WERE REPORTED BY TPC VIA THE TOOLS DESCRIBED ABOVE.MEMBERS OF THE PARENTS' CAMPAIGN INFLUENCED LEGISLATIVE ACTION BY CALLING, TEXTING, AND EMAILING THEIR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ORGANIZING MEETINGS, AND RECRUITING OTHER CONCERNED CITIZENS TO JOIN THEIR EFFORTS. TPC STAFF MET REGULARLY WITH LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO EXPRESS PUBLIC SCHOOL PRIORITIES AND COORDINATED LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY INITIATIVES WITH OTHER EDUCATION ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS.TPC'S SUCCESSES IN THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION INCLUDED:- $102 MILLION INCREASE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING- $1,000 TEACHER AND ASSISTANT TEACHER PAY RAISE- INCREASED TEACHER SUPPLY FUNDS- SCHOOL LOAN REPAYMENT FOR NEW TEACHERS- BETTER TEACHER LICENSURE RECIPROCITY- DOUBLED PRE-K INVESTMENT- IMPROVED FOCUS ON DYSLEXIA SERVICES- DEFEAT OF BILL TO REDUCE STATE REVENUE- DEFEAT OF PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROVISION IN BOND BILL