Austin School Board Member Kathy Green joined 700 school board and state school boards association leaders in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 1-3 to advocate for strong public schools for all students.

Green is also on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA).

Green, Hautala, Donovan, Pauley and Sapp, along with MSBA Executive Director Kirk Schneidawind and Associate Director of Government Relations Denise Dittrich, took part in the National School Boards Association’s 2015 Advocacy Institute, which centered on informing and building year-round advocates for public education and local school governance in public, legal, and legislative arenas.

Presenting on legislative priorities at the Institute were key members of Congress, Chairman John Kline (R-Minnesota) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) of the House Education and the Workforce Committee; and John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.

With the 114th Congress in full swing, the institute came at a pivotal time for school board members to hone their advocacy skills and use them on Capitol Hill to influence the outcome of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and affect legislation to ensure maximum local flexibility and decision-making for districts.

During their stay, the MSBA group met privately with Rep. Kline.

“Our conversations with Congressman Kline showed how serious he is about making the Elementary and Secondary Education Act work for students and local school districts,” Green said in a press release. “It is encouraging to witness our legislators in both houses now working toward this goal, it is long overdue.”