House Bill 778 proposes moving the Career, Technical and Agricultural Division from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
Georgia’s CTAE program, under the leadership of GaDOE, successfully prepares students for meaningful careers. Our students are prepared for apprenticeships, military service, and higher education at a University System of Georgia (USG) or TCSG institutions. Our students currently have multiple pathways to success. Moving CTAE to one specific postsecondary institution will have the unintended consequence of dramatically narrowing opportunities for Georgia’s students.
A lot has been happening the last few days, and if you care about CTAE and House Bill 778, you may be trying to figure out how to get more politically involved.
One thing that you probably keep hearing is that you should call your elected officials. We understand that sounds a little bit scary. But honestly, it's easier than you think. Calling is the most powerful way to encourage your Representatives and Senators — even more than social media, email, or snail mail. Why? It shows commitment to a cause. Our legislators know that if they hear the concerns of their constituents, the concerns could impact their ability to get reelected.
Here is what you need to do NOW:
Find out who your elected officials are?
You can find out who your Representative and Senator are by going to www.mvp.sos.ga.gov and entering your name, county and birthdate.
Call your Representative and Senator
A legislative assistant will answer the phone. You can ask to speak to your elected official or ask to have them call you back. You can also tell the legislative assistant why you are calling. The most important part is to be clear about what issue you're calling about and to be courteous. The more people that call their Representative's or Senator’s office, the greater the impact. Getting straight to the point makes things easier for everyone.
Here's an example of what you could say
"Hello, my name is (your name). I'm a constituent from (your city). I am opposed to House Bill 778 and I strongly encourage (your Senator or Representative) to please oppose this bill. Thank you for your hard work!"
Call only your representatives and senators! Maybe you really want to talk to everyone but please don't call the people that don't represent you. Unless you are a constituent, your call will be pretty much ignored. We want to make sure our concerns are heard. If you stick to calling only your representatives, and keep it short and direct, it's better for everyone. In the end, the greater the total number of callers, the more your legislators will pay attention.
If you email your elected officials
Follow the same outline as used for a phone call. Be clear, concise and courteous.
One more important task
Ask your friends, family, fellow teachers and parents to also contact their legislators and oppose House
This information is also posted on the GACTE Website http://gacte.org/2018/02/hb-778-review/
List of Representatives
http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/HouseMembersList.aspx
List of Senators
http://www.senate.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx
CTSO Day at the Capitol
Wednesday, February 21, will be a big day at the Capitol as we celebrate our Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Day and National CTE Month. Resolutions in the House and Senate will be read and a proclamation from the Governor will be presented. Make plans to come to the Capitol and visit with your legislators to discuss the importance of CTAE and CTSO's.
2018 Legislative Priorities
Please link here to refer to the GACTE Legislative Priorities for 2018.
Georgia Association for Career & Technical Education
P.O. Box 443
Kennesaw, Georgia 30156
678-461-0006
www.gacte.org
www.facebook.com/gacteinc
www.twitter.com/gacte
www.instagram.com/georgia_acte
Georgia’s CTAE program, under the leadership of GaDOE, successfully prepares students for meaningful careers. Our students are prepared for apprenticeships, military service, and higher education at a University System of Georgia (USG) or TCSG institutions. Our students currently have multiple pathways to success. Moving CTAE to one specific postsecondary institution will have the unintended consequence of dramatically narrowing opportunities for Georgia’s students.
- Currently no research or statistical data exists to prove that this proposal will benefit our students, schools, communities, or state.
- GaDOE, USG and TCSG currently have seamless career education plans in place for Georgia students.
- Every local school system will have to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TCSG in order to receive QBE and Perkins funding, minimizing local control.
- Each local board of education and state charter school shall be required to meet all standards established by the State Board of TCSG in order to receive such funds. What are the standards?
- All secondary educators are certificated by the Professional Standards Commission. TCSG instructors are not certified by any state agency.
- GaDOE currently serves over 577,000 CTAE students annually in 181 systems with 96% graduation rate. TCSG serves 133,455 students in 22 colleges with a 74% graduation rate.
- TCSG’s mission has focused more on adult education. Middle and High school students are very different from adults. How will special education and EL students be impacted? How will ADA vs. IDEA be reconciled in this scenario?
- TCSG does not currently support Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) at the collegiate level. How will they manage secondary –FFA, FCCLA, DECA, FBLA, CTI, HOSA, TSA, FIRST Robotics, and SkillsUSA student organizations?
- CTAE has a defined curriculum which is consistent across the state. The transient student population benefits from this scenario. TCSG has a site/region-based curriculum for most programs which creates a varied curriculum.
- The legislation diminishes current student credentialing. For example, equating a student who earns a certified nursing assistant credential with a student who participates in a one-day contest.
- Many Georgia school systems have developed strong branding to ensure CTAE is perceived as a value to ALL students. The move of CTAE to TCSG could potentially devalue that work and all of the forward progress made in recent years due to unintended stigmas associated with technical education.
A lot has been happening the last few days, and if you care about CTAE and House Bill 778, you may be trying to figure out how to get more politically involved.
One thing that you probably keep hearing is that you should call your elected officials. We understand that sounds a little bit scary. But honestly, it's easier than you think. Calling is the most powerful way to encourage your Representatives and Senators — even more than social media, email, or snail mail. Why? It shows commitment to a cause. Our legislators know that if they hear the concerns of their constituents, the concerns could impact their ability to get reelected.
Here is what you need to do NOW:
Find out who your elected officials are?
You can find out who your Representative and Senator are by going to www.mvp.sos.ga.gov and entering your name, county and birthdate.
Call your Representative and Senator
A legislative assistant will answer the phone. You can ask to speak to your elected official or ask to have them call you back. You can also tell the legislative assistant why you are calling. The most important part is to be clear about what issue you're calling about and to be courteous. The more people that call their Representative's or Senator’s office, the greater the impact. Getting straight to the point makes things easier for everyone.
Here's an example of what you could say
"Hello, my name is (your name). I'm a constituent from (your city). I am opposed to House Bill 778 and I strongly encourage (your Senator or Representative) to please oppose this bill. Thank you for your hard work!"
Call only your representatives and senators! Maybe you really want to talk to everyone but please don't call the people that don't represent you. Unless you are a constituent, your call will be pretty much ignored. We want to make sure our concerns are heard. If you stick to calling only your representatives, and keep it short and direct, it's better for everyone. In the end, the greater the total number of callers, the more your legislators will pay attention.
If you email your elected officials
Follow the same outline as used for a phone call. Be clear, concise and courteous.
One more important task
Ask your friends, family, fellow teachers and parents to also contact their legislators and oppose House
This information is also posted on the GACTE Website http://gacte.org/2018/02/hb-778-review/
List of Representatives
http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/HouseMembersList.aspx
List of Senators
http://www.senate.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx
CTSO Day at the Capitol
Wednesday, February 21, will be a big day at the Capitol as we celebrate our Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Day and National CTE Month. Resolutions in the House and Senate will be read and a proclamation from the Governor will be presented. Make plans to come to the Capitol and visit with your legislators to discuss the importance of CTAE and CTSO's.
2018 Legislative Priorities
Please link here to refer to the GACTE Legislative Priorities for 2018.
Georgia Association for Career & Technical Education
P.O. Box 443
Kennesaw, Georgia 30156
678-461-0006
www.gacte.org
www.facebook.com/gacteinc
www.twitter.com/gacte
www.instagram.com/georgia_acte
