2020 WINTER LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE AGENDA

Thursday, February 27, 2020

6:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. — Registration Open — History Colorado Center, Colorado Room

7:00 - 7:30 a.m. — Early Bird Sessions — the ART, a Hotel

Meet with CASB Leadership
Join CASB Executive Director Cheri Wrench and CASB Board President Monica Furey Peloso as they share information in regard to the opportunities and challenges they see for public education in 2020.
New Member Coffee
CASB staff members will be available to answer questions and welcome you as a new school board member. CASB is your association and we are here to help you make the most of it.

7:00 - 8:20 a.m. — Continental Breakfast — History Colorado Center

8:30 - 9:45 a.m. — Opening General Session — History Colorado Center

Colorado Politics — Reading the Tea Leaves
Monica Furey Peloso, President, CASB Board of Directors; Cheyenne Mountain 12 Board President
Anand Sokhey, Associate Professor of Political Science, The University of Colorado American Politics Research Lab

Colorado is a key battleground state in presidential campaigns, and the outcome of its elections have important implications for state and national politics and policy making. Join us for this conversation with Anand Sokey, Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. Anand will unravel the results of the annual Colorado Political Climate (CPC) survey, an annual nonpartisan poll of Colorado residents that serves as an ongoing record of opinion on public affairs within the state. Conducted every October, the CPC is intended to gauge “the pulse of Colorado” with respect to state and national issues, elected officials, and a broad spectrum of political characteristics.

10:00 - 10:30 a.m. — Morning Break — the ART, a Hotel

10:30 - 11:30 a.m. — Morning Breakout Sessions — the ART, a Hotel

Understanding the Gallagher Amendment
Reeves Brown, Project Director, Building a Better Colorado

Understanding the Gallagher Amendment to Colorado's Constitution can feel daunting to understand and even worse, to explain to others. The implications of this Amendment are significant to the property tax base for Colorado. Property taxes fund local services, including schools, and this session will dive into the implications of this Amendment. Reeves Brown, Project Director at Building a Better Colorado, will explain Gallagher, engage the audience in a discussion about potential Gallagher policy options, and solicit the audience's preferred policy recommendation using keypad voting devices.
Federal Mediation Trainings to Support Labor Disputes
Kayla Mack, Commissioner, Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service
Emily Rife, Commissioner, Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service

The Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) is a premiere conflict-resolution and workplace-effectiveness organization, specifically designed to assist private, public and federal entities with overall organizational success, particularly where labor-management dynamics are at hand. Learn how FMCS mediators have successfully assisted Colorado school districts with relationship development and training needs, facilitation of important education work groups, and collective bargaining ranging from routine annual negotiations to nationally-recognized strike situations. The mediators hope to address questions and concerns so that they may assist school districts across the state in moving forward.
The CASB Action Plan for Advocacy
Kathy Plomer, Legislative Resolutions Committee Chair, CASB Board of Directors; Adams 12 Board President
Matt Cook, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, CASB
Susan Meek, Director of Strategic Engagement and Communications, CASB

Being an advocate for public education and local control in your community, and at the legislature, is crucial to preserving your district and your community’s way of life. CASB’s power at the Capitol is dependent upon our members and their engagement in the legislative process. The CASB advocacy team will present tools and resources available to you that will enable your board to make the most of the 2020 legislative session.

11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. — Lunch & Learn: Federal Advocacy Update — History Colorado Center

Karen Fisher, Federal Relations Network Chair, CASB Board of Directors; Cherry Creek School District Board President
Chip Slaven, Chief Advocacy Officer, National School Boards Association

CASB Federal Relations Network (FRN) Chair Karen Fisher will welcome our luncheon attendees and will provide a summary of the work and advocacy of the FRN delegation that just returned from Washington, D.C. Following this update, Chip Slaven, Chief Advocacy Officer at the National School Boards Association, will explain what the hot topics are in Washington, D.C. and how you can best engage in federal advocacy. Washington, D.C. may be 1,500 miles away, but it’s still important for Colorado’s members of Congress to hear from you, the local voice of the community. The decisions made on Capitol Hill have big impacts on Colorado classrooms. Chip will provide meaningful actions that can make a difference.

1:40 - 2:40 p.m. — Afternoon Breakout Sessions — the ART, a Hotel

Colorado Rural School Advocacy Collaboration
Matt Cook, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, CASB
Kirk Banghart, Vice President & Chief Facilitator, Colorado Rural Education Collaborative
Denille LePlatt, Director of Rural Services, CDE
Dale McCall, Executive Director, Colorado BOCES Association
Michelle Murphy, Executive Director, Colorado Rural School Alliance
Ty Valentine, President, CASE

Educators in Colorado’s rural school districts provide an amazing array of opportunities to students across the state. Sharing these success stories with the media, state agencies and the Colorado General Assembly takes a team of rural advocates. Join us for an interactive discussion with the folks who are promoting rural education and learn some tips on how you can share your success stories.

Preparing for Your Day at the Capitol
Lisa Webster, former board member, Summit School District
Susan Meek, Director of Strategic Engagement and Communications, CASB

Make sure you feel prepared and ready to advocate at the Capitol by attending this session. We will walk through best practices on how to prepare, make the visit count, and follow up after the meeting. Building trusting relationships with your legislators is key to your advocacy work and we will help you develop a roadmap on how to be successful in becoming a reliable and trustworthy resource for your legislators.
Using Social Media to Influence Your Legislators
Diego Rivera, Business Analyst, Phone2Action
Jason Glass, Superintendent, Jeffco Public Schools

From the White House to the State House you can use your digital megaphone to build winning campaigns. Digital advocacy is growing in its effectiveness for engaging constituents and legislators. Learn more about best practices in this arena, how to engage on social media, and empower others. Join us to learn more about the tools and resources available to you to influence our policymakers and help create positive change for our students.

3:00 - 3:20 p.m. - Afternoon Break - History Colorado Center

3:30 - 5:00 p.m. - Closing General Session - History Colorado Center

Understanding Colorado's Fiscal Knot and Determining What's Next
Chris Adams, President, Engaged Public
Carol Hedges, Executive Director, Colorado Fiscal Institute
Mark Hillman, Board Member, Burlington School District; former state legislator and state treasurer
Scott Wasserman, Executive Director, The Bell Policy Center

Three amendments to Colorado’s Constitution, taken together, both limit revenue and require increased spending. The combination of these amendments creates a real conundrum for legislators. Many argue that this fiscal knot limits legislators’ ability to run the state and provide services.

We will start this closing session with a new state budget simulation that has been developed by the School of Public Affairs, Engaged Public, and the CSU Futures Center. It uses recent figures from the Governor’s November budget proposal and allows users to make budget decisions.

Following the simulation, our panel members will debate the merits and pitfalls of putting tax policy into the Constitution and discuss their hopes and fears for Colorado’s future.

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. — Legislators Reception — the ART, a Hotel

Meet and mingle with legislators during this casual reception. This is time for board members to put a name to a face, ask questions, and advocate for a position. Make connections that will pay dividends this legislative session.

Friday, February 28, 2020

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. — Breakfast Briefing — the ART, a Hotel

Matt Cook, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, CASB
Todd Engdahl, Owner, Capitol Editorial Services

Join Matt and Todd for an update on current legislative hot topics before heading off to the Capitol. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with others and ask questions of our advocacy team.

9:00 - 10:45 a.m. - Your Time at the Capitol

Matt Cook, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, CASB

Don’t miss this opportunity to see the legislative process first-hand. Contact your legislators in advance and you may gain an invitation to view the proceedings from the chamber floor!

If you have not visited the Capitol, join us for a tour where you will learn the Capitol’s history as we journey through the chambers, hearing rooms and the nooks and crannies of our state’s landmark building. Hear the history of the stained-glass portraits in the Senate and House chambers and, if you are up to the challenge, you can climb the 99 steps to the top of the Capitol Dome!

Take advantage of your time in Denver to meet with your senators and representatives. The CASB advocacy team can help you set up meetings or meals and facilitate discussions.

School officials, who are not registered lobbyists, are allowed to pay for meals for lawmakers. The amount spent on meals will have to be disclosed by the legislator as a gift. Gifts from any one individual or school district to a legislator cannot exceed $65 in any year.

10:45 - 11:45 a.m. — Closing Session: The Inside Scoop — The Old Supreme Court Chambers

Bente Birkeland, Colorado Public Radio
John Frank, The Colorado Sun
Marianne Goodland, Colorado Politics

Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat

This is your opportunity to hear directly from education and statehouse reporters under the gold dome. Join us in the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the Capitol where we will learn insights on top education topics for 2020, hear the ins and outs of covering the Capitol and education policy, and walk away with tips on the best ways to get the attention of reporters and legislators. This session will close out the 2020 Winter Legislative Conference and leave you prepared to engage and influence education policy in the coming year.

11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. — Wrap-up and Adjourn

The program is subject to revisions and will be kept current on this page.