Advocacy
Charter schools rely on community advocates to ensure supportive policies and legislation. By developing relationships with your local state and federal representatives, you can significantly impact the future growth of charter schools in South Carolina.
As a charter school supporter, you have a powerful perspective to share. Your school illustrates the ability of charters to provide quality choice options for families through innovation and accountability. However, charters still face financial, policy, and political obstacles. Lawmakers need to hear your real-world experiences firsthand.
This guide offers simple ways to regularly engage your elected officials so they better understand charter schools. United, our voices make it clear that robust choice, equitable funding, and charter-friendly reforms are essential to improving public education across South Carolina.
Here are some suggestions to help you engage with your elected officials:
- Add your legislator to your school mailing list for newsletters, eNewsletters, event announcements and invitations, and press releases.
- Follow your legislators on social media outlets.
- Invite your legislator to ribbon-cutting ceremonies, back-to-school events, or 100-day school celebrations.
- Invite your legislator to speak at your school. Engage the children with poetry reading or a special tea or luncheon.
- Invite your legislator to make a presentation to history classes or student government meetings.
- Invite your legislator to your school’s community service projects.
- Invite your legislator to speak to your school’s parent association.
- Invite your legislator to your Open House gatherings.
- Invite your legislator to your National School Choice Week celebrations.
- Invite your legislator to read during National Reading Week.
- Invite your legislator to your National Charter Schools Week celebrations.
- Invite your legislator to speak at your school’s end-of-the-year celebrations or graduation.
- Organize a group of students for a field trip to the State Capitol.
FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS – Enter your school address to find your Senators and Representatives for both the S.C. General Assembly and U.S. Congress who are currently serving.
After you enter your address information into the form, click the button labeled ‘Find Legislators’ to submit the search.
If expanding access to quality charter schools aligns with your values, please consider joining the South Carolina Charter Alliance as a partner or member.
Together with our existing school members and charter supporters, your partnership fuels our ability to conduct policy analysis, showcase school successes, counter misinformation, and expand resources – working towards our vision of charter-driven education reform.
Become an ally and make an impact by getting involved today! Contact Us.
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If we can be of any additional help, contact us! We look forward to hearing from you!