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“Building Futures”Central School District2Your voice can make a difference…Be an advocate for students in theMarcellus Central School DistrictMarcellus Central School District—like school districts throughout New York—is facing a fiscal crisis. The downturn of the national economy, coupled withnew mandates and the state’s tax levy limit, has challenged public schools tocontinue to provide a high-quality education to all students with significantlyfewer resources. As a result, districts are making devastating cuts toeducational programs as they adjust to rising costs that are outpacing revenue.District leaders at Marcellus have been working with staff and communitymembers to find creative ways to weather the economic storm withoutsacrificing the integrity of our program. Yet without meaningful and timelyrelief from our government leaders, MCSD residents may risk losing the highlevel of public education that they have come to know and value throughoutthe years.The time for change is now. The voices of school leaders and lobbyists forstate-level education groups simply are not enough, as recent legislative sessionshave shown. Elected officials need to hear from you, their constituents. Theyneed to hear from the people that are most directly impacted by their decisions(or indecisions) year after year—the students, parents, employees, residents,community groups and business owners of Marcellus.But what can I do?Advocacy takes many forms. It could be a note to an elected official, acomment made during a public forum, a letter to a newspaper editor or formaltestimony at public hearings. It could be as simple as chatting with neighborsto clear up misunderstandings about education issues or sharing educationrelatedstories with a local civic organization during monthly meetings.Becoming an advocate for education is not as hard as you might think.Anyone can become involved, at any level they choose. The only prerequisitenecessary is a desire to fight for our students and our community schools.Effective advocates do their homework. They know the issues and plantheir communication. Most of all, they give their time to advance theircause. Enclosed in this packet you will find several tools to help you becomean advocate for education and for MCSD. Thank you for taking the time toadvocate on behalf of the children of Marcellus and for helping to ensure thatthey receive the high-quality education they deserve.ADVOCACY CHECKLISTConcerned citizens at communityforums and public meetings oftenwonder what they can do to helpMarcellus students. The answer:Complete one or more of the items onthe Advocacy Checklist below. Thenencourage your friends and neighborsto do the same!Empower yourself• Choose an issue affectingMarcellus Central Schools andlearn about that issue. Attenda school board meeting, readlocal and statewide educationpublications, or review the “factsheets” posted to the SchoolBudget News section of the districtwebsite (www.marcellusschools.org) to get started.• Develop and hone a “lasertalk”—a short, focusedmessage—about the issue youchose. A “laser talk” should brieflyidentify a problem, present asolution, and issue a call to action.It is a very useful tool when youhave only a minute or two ofsomeone’s attention and you wantto get a point across.Advocate with your electedrepresentatives• Send a letter or e-mail to locallegislators.• Call local legislators and scheduleface-to-face meetings.• Establish a relationship with theaides in legislators’ local offices.• Attend and ask questions at townhall meetings hosted by locallegislators.– continuedwww.marcellusschools.org

“Building Futures”Central School District3• Invite a local legislator to be yourguest at an MCSD special event.• Ask local legislators to agree totake a leadership role on yourselected issue.Advocate through the media• Write a letter to a newspapereditor and send your publishedletter to local legislators.• Copy editorials or newspaperarticles about your selected issueand send them to local legislators.Advocate in the community• Host a discussion about yourselected issue at a local businessin your community.• Organize a letter-writing campaign.• Team up with a school leader tospeak to a local community group.• Participate in a community forumabout your selected issue.• Use social media to spreadthe word about what you areadvocating for:• Update your Facebook orTwitter status with a key pointfrom your “laser talk.”• Share links to relevant newsarticles or information fromthe school district website,www.marcellusschools.org.• Invite people to participatein events in your communityor online (virtual meetings)that are organized by you,the school district or anotheradvocate.• Follow legislators’ social mediaaccounts and feel free toreach out to them using thesecommunication tools.Key New York State legislators to contact foreducation/Marcellus CSD issues (as of 1/7/13)• Senator John A. DeFrancisco50th Senate District416 CapitolAlbany, NY 12247(518) 455-3511jdefranc@nysenate.gov: www.facebook.com/pages/Senator-John-A-DeFrancisco/8776617150: @JohnDeFrancisco• Chair of the NYS SenateEducation Committee: SenatorJohn J. FlanaganLegislative Office BuildingRoom 805Albany, NY 12247(518) 455-2071flanagan@senate.state.ny.us• NYS Senate Majority LeaderSenator Dean G. SkelosLegislative Office BuildingRoom 909Albany, NY 12247(518) 455-3171skelos@nysenate.gov: www.facebook.com/senatordeanskelos: @SenatorSkelos• Assemblyman Gary D. FinchLegislative Office BuildingRoom 448Albany, NY 12248518-455-5878finchG@assembly.state.ny.us• Chair of the NYS AssemblyEducation Committee:Assemblywoman CatherineNolanLegislative Office BuildingRoom 836Albany, NY 12248(518) 455-4851nolanc@assembly.state.ny.us• NYS Assembly SpeakerAssemblyman Sheldon SilverLegislative Office Building,Room 932Albany, NY 12248(518) 455-3791speaker@assembly.state.ny.us• Governor Andrew M. CuomoNYS State Capitol BuildingAlbany, NY 12224(518) 474-8390Visit www.governor.ny.gov andclick “Contact”: www.facebook.com/GovernorAndrewCuomo: @NYGovCuomowww.marcellusschools.org

“Building Futures”Central School District4What does effective advocacy look like?Personal contact with legislators helps buildrelationships and establish lines of communicationthat ensure that the district’s story is being heard.Whether you choose to contact your representativesby phone, e-mail or in-person, please keep in mind thefollowing tips to help you convey your message in themost effective way possible:• Be brief. Stick to your key points and be mindfulthat legislators are often very busy and face avariety of special interest groups that compete fortheir time and attention.• Be respectful. Even if you disagree on a position, berespectful in your dialogue and stick to the facts.When appropriate be passionate, not emotional.• Be clear and specific. Let legislators know exactlywhat you want them to do (i.e., vote in favor of abill, pass legislation) in a way that requires a “yes”or “no” response. Ask them how they will vote,follow-up on your conversation, and hold themaccountable.• Be a reliable source of information. Research yourissue and know the facts so that you can provideinformation to legislators and answer theirquestions. Do not assume that legislators knowspecifics about the school district or education issuesin general. Be prepared to follow-up with answers toany questions you may not know on the spot.• Be honest about your concerns. Paint the real pictureof your situation, even if it is scary. Share theramifications of an action/inaction for yourcommunity’s schools and children. Use personal orcompelling stories coupled with facts and data.• Be timely and persistent. If an issue has a deadline,such as the passage of the state budget, makesure you give legislators enough time to respondto the issue. Frequent, regular reminders aboutthe importance of the issue, particularly frommultiple advocates, can increase the likelihood thatlegislators will pay attention to the cause.Tips for effective written correspondenceSome forms of written communication are more effective than others. While e-mails and form letters are fine,personal letters (perhaps even hand-written) convey a stronger message. They demonstrate the importance of yourconcerns by showing you went out of your way to make them known. Writing a letter and making a follow-up phonecall takes a few minutes, but those steps ensure that your legislator knows just how you want to be represented.When writing a letter, you should:• Keep your letter short; a single page is best.• Be concise and specific, but add personal toucheson how your selected issue impacts you and yourfamily.The letter should include the following parts:• Introduction• Problem statement• Proposed solution• Conclusion and call to actionBe sure to include all of your contact information (e.g., home address, phone number, e-mailaddress), so your legislator can reply to you.www.marcellusschools.org

“Building Futures”Central School District5Be sure to include all of your contact information (e.g., home address, phone number, e-mail address), soTips for effective in-person meetingsyour legislator can reply to you.A face-to-face meeting with your legislator is a great way to personalize an issue, and to make sure that your feedbackis heard. It is also a great opportunity to educate your representatives about a particular issue and to answer anyquestions they may have on the topic. Community members can choose to meet with legislators on an individual basis,or go in as a small group (no more than two to three people).Before the meeting• Make an appointment• Prepare for the meeting• Define your goals• Gather the facts• Gather data• Practice your talking points• Reconfirm the meeting by phone a few daysbefore the meetingDuring the meeting• Be on time• Introduce yourself• Be polite and gracious• Stay on topic• Tell the legislator why you are there• Give background on your issue• Tell your story and explain the impact ofany action/inaction• Make your recommendation or request foraction• Get a commitment• Allow time for questions• Respect the legislator’s schedule and end themeeting on time• Leave your contact information and anysupporting materialsAfter the meeting• Send a thank you note• Follow-up on action items• Sustain the relationshipGeneral “Do’s and Don’ts” for talking with legislatorsDoDon’t• Introduce yourself and identify which cause youare associated with• Thank them for their service to the community and for theirtime to meet with you and/or read your letter• Remember that you are a constituent and have every right toexpress your opinions, ideas, and concerns• Stick to a few key points (“laser talk”) when communicatingwith legislators• Get back to legislators with answers to questionsthey may have• Ask for some sort of action from the legislator, and follow-upto be sure that action was taken• Develop a relationship with the aides in your legislator’s office• Overwhelm legislators with excessive facts, figures, or jargon• Lecture your legislator• Be rude or intimidating• Get into a lengthy conversation that strays from the original topic• Overstay your allotted meeting time• Be afraid to admit when you do not know the answer to a question• Expect the legislators to be experts on the issues• Maintain your relationship with legislators throughout the year• Underestimate your influencewww.marcellusschools.org

f a c t s h e e tC e n t r a l S c h o o l D i s t r i c tNYS Gap Elimination AdjustmentWhat is it?The Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA)law was first introduced for the 2010-11fiscal year by then-Governor Paterson asa way to help close New York’s then $10billion budget deficit. Under the legislation,a portion of the funding shortfall at thestate level is divided among all schooldistricts throughout the state and reflectedas a reduction in school district state aid.The GEA is a negative number, money thatis deducted from the aid originally due tothe district. In 2012-13, Marcellus CentralSchool District saw an overall loss in fundsof $1.96 million as a result of the GEA.Since the program began three years ago,the total GEA reduction in school aid forMCSD amounts to $6.3 million. Prior toimplementation of reductions in aid throughthe GEA, state aid to Marcellus was reduced $1.66 million via a“Deficit Reduction Assessment,” bringing the cumulative loss inaid to $8 million in a four-year period.Why does it matter?While it may make sense to state leaders to pass along fundingshortfalls to the local level, the “trickle-down” effect of thesereductions ultimately falls onto the backs of school districtsand in turn, local taxpayers. When revenues decline and costscontinue to rise, government agencies, including schools, havethree options: increase taxes to pay for programs and servicesat existing levels, reduce or eliminate programs and services, orrethink the delivery of programs and services.MCSD has employed a combination of all three optionsthroughout the past few years—delivering programs and servicesin new and creative ways, reducing where necessary based onstudent-driven needs data, and increasing taxes accordingly. Yetthere is only so much that the district can do to be creative whenyear after year we are receiving less state aid than anticipated.There is only so much we can reduce or eliminate before theacademic program begins to suffer. And there is only so muchwe can ask of our taxpayers, who are also feeling the pinch of astagnant economy. As it now stands, Governor Cuomo and theMarcellus has eliminated more than 45full-time equivalent positions since theGEA was first enacted in 2010, resultingin increased class sizes at all levels.We have responsibly adjusted staffinglevels in all areas to mitigate the lossof state aid, and believe our studentscontinue to receive the same educationalexperiences that were being deliveredprior to the financial downturn. Howeverwe are running out of options and areconcerned we will experience a loss ofextracurricular and elective programs inthe near future. It is at that point thatstudents and community members willnotice something tangible missing fromthe Marcellus program. Summarily, itis essential that our community reactsbefore these losses occur.www.marcellusschools.orgstate Legislature are continuing to apply a GEA for 2013-14school funding. Even more concerning is that according to theNYS Division of the Budget, the state’sprojected deficit is expected to grow in 2014-15 and 2015-16—leading school districts towonder whether there is an end in sight tothe devastating GEA reductions that havebecome part of state law.What can I do about it?As revenues decline or are otherwiselimited (e.g., GEA reductions) and schoolcosts rise to unsustainable levels, reductionsin program and staffing become necessaryto balance the equation. Local communitymembers must speak up on behalf of theirstudents now or risk losing the “Marcelluseducation” they have come to expect.Without relief, class sizes will continue toincrease and opportunities for students willcontinue to decrease. Marcellus—along withcountless schools throughout the state—maysoon be forced to offer only the minimum mandated level ofpublic education in New York if funding continues to be withheld.Below are three easy ways you can help:• Learn about New York’s Gap Elimination Adjustment and how itimpacts your school district—fiscally and in relation to programs/services.• Write letters to your legislators asking them to support theelimination of GEA reductions.• Meet face-to-face with your legislators to explain the impactof GEA reductions on your students, your schools, and yourcommunity.WHAT Was THE LOSS IN STATE AID PERSTUDENT DUE TO THE GEA IN 2012-13?In 2012-13, MCSD saw an overall loss in funds of $1.96million as a result of the GEA. That equates to a loss instate aid of approximately $1,059 per student.