Trustee Talks Advocacy Efforts in Austin and Back Home
While many school board trustees spend legislative sessions meeting with the lawmakers who represent their districts, Rich Sena had a more ambitious goal: Visit every one of the 181 legislative offices at the Texas Capitol.
After 13 years on the Boerne Independent School District board of trustees, Sena knew he couldn't accomplish that goal alone. So, at the start of the 89th legislative session, he joined forces with fellow trustees from Boerne ISD, Blanco ISD, and Comfort ISD to prepare 36 volunteers for a Capitol visit.
“We formed a Hill Country coalition, which was important because our state representatives and senators represent all three districts,” Sena said during a recent TASB Talks podcast. “Comfort and Blanco adopted almost identical priorities, so we were all speaking from the same hymn, if you will.”
In preparation for the Austin visit, participating trustees received training on school finance and reviewed their legislative priorities. They also got tips on navigating the Capitol building and talking with lawmakers and staff throughout Texas House and Senate offices.
“Your legislators want to hear from their constituents,” Sena said. “Having good relationships is really key, and that’s not something you do just during the session. You have to do it prior to session. Invite not just the elected official, but their staff out to your district.”
Testify. Advocate. Connect.
Most recently, Sena testified at the June 4 House Public Education Committee hearing. His testimony focused on House Bill 2, the school funding bill that passed during the last legislative session.
“It was a great interaction,” Sena said. “The approach we wanted to use was to thank the legislators for what they’ve done with the $8.5 billion allocated to public education but also make the point that we’re not at the promised land yet. We still have a long way to go, and I think that was an important distinction to make.”
You can listen to the full conversation with Sena, which includes more tips on advocating and building relationships with legislators, in the latest episode of the TASB Talks podcast.
Matt Mitchell
Matt Mitchell serves as senior communications specialist for the Communications, Marketing, and Events team. He contributes to TASB.org and Texas Lone Star magazine, hosts the TABS Talks podcast, and creates and manages content for TASB social media.
Mitchell previously served as a communications specialist at The University of Texas at Austin, where he focused on internal communications and staff-focused content for the web. He also previously worked for KXAN-TV as social media manager, where he managed the station’s daily social media content and long-form marketing campaigns.
Mitchell is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
