Legislative Platform & Priorities

On November 5, 2022, school directors from districts across the state came together at the Delegate Assembly meeting to adopt PSBA’s 2023 Legislative Platform and Legislative Priority issues. The Legislative Platform is a series of statements that serves as PSBA’s official record of positions on legislative issues and is the guide for the association’s advocacy efforts.  It contains two sections: the Legislative Priorities and the Core Legislative Principles and Supporting Concepts.

Each year, items in the platform are developed by school boards and receive initial consideration by the PSBA Platform Committee. Proposals recommended by the Platform Committee are presented to the Delegate Assembly for final determination. Selection of the Legislative Priority issues is done on a two-year basis to coincide with the two-year session of the General Assembly.

Click here for the pdf platform booklet

Part I: Legislative Priorities for the 2023-24 Session

The first section of the platform identifies issues as PSBA’s legislative priorities. These are the highest-need “asks” identified by school directors that PSBA will present to legislators in specific areas that will improve our system of public education. Legislative priorities are developed and adopted by the membership bi-annually, in even numbered years to coincide with legislative sessions. The priority issues for 2023-24 are:

  • Provide significant, continued state and federal financial investments for school districts.
  • Prioritize the mental health and safety needs of students.
  • Enact comprehensive and meaningful charter school reforms that reduce the financial burden on school districts and require the same high standards of academic performance and accountability.
  • Oppose efforts to provide direct financial aid to students who would use those funds to enroll in non-public schools or efforts that would divert state or federal funding away from school districts in order to fund such programs.

Part II: The Core Legislative Principles and Supporting Concepts for 2023

The main body of the platform identifies the Core Legislative Principles and Supporting Concepts, and they are reviewed and adopted every year. The Core Legislative Principles provide the broad policy framework regarding the mission and success of public education, and the responsibilities of local school boards to ensure that a high quality education is provided to each student. These four Core Legislative Principles are:

  • Support an Effective Child-Centered Public Education
  • Strengthen the Work of Local School Boards
  • Support for Increased Equity and Accountability
  • Secure Adequate and Equitable Funding

The Supporting Concepts describe in more detail PSBA’s position on legislative issues that are related to each of the Core Legislative Principles.