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PTA defines advocacy as the act of mobilizing individuals and Local PTAs to work with the state office and National PTA to spark changes in programs and policies that benefit children. Local advocacy, however, is specific to your school district or city. The Advocacy Toolkit is designed, as a companion to the Advocacy Resource Guide, to assist you in your local advocacy efforts. 

ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Candidate or Issue Forum

Candidate or issues forums are a great way to engage your communities in advocacy and to provide information needed to make informed and responsible choices when voting. The following documents are designed to assist your PTA in planning and conducting both types of forums. All sample documents should be edited to fit the needs of your school or district:

Guide to Conducting Candidate or Issue Forums

Learn how your PTA can hold a successful candidate or issue forum for your school district.

Forum Timeline

Not sure when to send out invitations or reserve facilities? Follow this timeline to ensure that you are on schedule to holding a successful forum.

Candidate Questions

Solicitation for Other Groups

Sample letter when soliciting questions from groups outside of PTA (i.e. booster clubs)

Candidate Questions for School Board Candidates

List of sample questions that can be asked of candidates at a School Board Candidate Forum

Candidate Questions for City or State Representatives

List of sample questions that can be asked of candidates at a Candidate Forum for City or State Representatives

Candidate Background Information Forms

Provide forum attendees with background information on each candidate. Ask candidates to complete and return the appropriate Candidate Background Information Form:

City or State Representative Candidate Background Information Form

School Board Trustee Candidate Background Information Form

Forum Invitation Letters

Use the templates below to invite candidates, moderator, and the media to your forum.

Candidate Invitation Letter

Moderator Invitation Letter

Bond Resolution and Motion Templates

PTAs may choose to conduct a formal vote to officially support a district bond. When considering such an action, the following templates can be used within the formal process:

Motion Supporting District Bond

Resolutions for Bond Support

Media Release

Mentor a Decision Maker

Building a relationship with your city, school district, or state representative is essential to effective advocacy. The Mentor A Decision Maker program will guide you in building these relationships with your decision makers. This is an especially great program to implement between legislative sessions.