Thursday, March 25, 2010

Elk Grove Citizen : News

Elk Grove Citizen : News

EGUSD trustee meets with leaders on Capitol Hill



y Citizen staff
Published: Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:06 PM PDT
Priscilla Cox, an Elk Grove Unified School District Trustee and California School Boards Association Director Region 6, met with officials last week in Washington, D.C. to advocate for federal education policy that will benefit California’s schoolchildren.

Just days after President Barrack Obama presented his blueprint for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (known in recent years as the No Child Left Behind Act), Cox visited with Congressional representatives and their staffs, numerous national education groups, and other organizations with vested interests in K-12 public education.

“I can’t emphasize enough how critical it is to invest in our children’s education in order to ensure long-term economic productivity and provide a foundation for informed citizenship,” Cox said. “The visit provides us with the opportunity to voice our concerns and share our experiences with federal officials to inform them about how the decisions they make in Washington, D.C. impact the more than six million schoolchildren in our state.”

Cox’s advocacy efforts are a part of a larger delegation, the Federal Issues Council, on behalf of the California School Boards Association (CSBA). CSBA and the delegates pay for the trip.

The visit to Washington, D.C. allows the delegates to act as liaisons between federal policymakers and California’s schools. The 2010 delegation represented urban, rural and suburban school districts throughout California.

During 30 meetings over three days, delegates addressed a number of issues important to California including the federal role in education, common core standards, full funding of special education mandates and the Race to the Top program.

CSBA delegates also discussed childhood nutrition and obesity with members of The Office o