Social Media 1- Find your legislators based on your school district area ​ ​ 2- Do your homework to fill in the highlighted areas below ​ ​ 3- Have these talking points on hand ​ ​ Social media includes any form of online publication where end users post or engage in conversation and may include blogs, podcasts, virtual reality and social networks. Sample Social Media Content: Tweets — Week of May 4 Investment in schools is an investment in our state’s infrastructure.​ @dlesgar, @domoreno, @McCluskieforCO, @votebobrankin, @KimRansom, @Zenzinger_AtoZ — Create a budget that reflects this value. #OurCOFuture #coleg #FundingMatters https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/politics/what-matters-april-14/in dex.html @dlesgar, @domoreno, @McCluskieforCO, @votebobrankin, @KimRansom, @Zenzinger_AtoZ — Past solutions to statewide budget shortfalls have led to growing inequities across the state. It’s time for a change. #OurCOFuture #coleg #FundingMatters https://casb.memberclicks.net/assets/2020/COVID-19/colorado-re mote-learning-impact-final.pdf Just emailed @dlesgar, @domoreno, @McCluskieforCO, @votebobrankin, @KimRansom, @Zenzinger_AtoZ about providing adequate and sustainable funding in order to provide the essential services our communities need. #OurCOFuture #coleg #FundingMatters Colorado schools are facing devastating budget cuts without fully recovering from prior cuts. It took the state 11 years to recover from ​ 2008 and state share of ed funding never recovered. #OurCOFuture ​ #coleg #FundingMatters​ @dlesgar, @domoreno, ​ @McCluskieforCO, @votebobrankin, @KimRansom, @Zenzinger_AtoZ https://coloradosun.com/2020/04/27/colorado-state-budget-shortfal l-coronavirus/ Cuts to schools will hurt kids and families. Colorado ranks as the ​ sixth worst state for teen suicides. #OurCOFuture #coleg ​ #FundingMatters ​ @dlesgar, @domoreno, @McCluskieforCO, ​ @votebobrankin, @KimRansom, @Zenzinger_AtoZ https://www.cpr.org/2019/09/17/the-rate-of-teen-suicide-in-colorad o-increased-by-58-percent-in-3-years-making-it-the-cause-of-1-in-5-a dolescent-deaths/ Facebook Posts — Week of May 4 Like and share the CASB Advocacy page and encourage everyone to get on board with advocating for our schools. We’ve made it easy to sign up and get the resources you need. https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Ask @daneyaesgarHD46, @dominickmoreno, @McCluskieForCO, @RepresentativeRankin, @Ransom4HD44, @RachelZenzingerInOffice now to show their support for schools by providing adequate and sustainable funding in order to provide the essential services our communities need. We’ve made it easy to sign up and get the resources you need. https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Call or email @daneyaesgarHD46, @dominickmoreno, @McCluskieForCO, @RepresentativeRankin, @Ransom4HD44, @RachelZenzingerInOffice now and ask them to provide adequate and sustainable funding in order to provide the essential services our communities need. Get the resources you need at https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Past solutions to statewide budget shortfalls have led to growing inequities across the state — When the revenue that can be raised by local school districts through mill levy override elections ranges from $5,600 per mill to $20.7 million per mill, looking to local districts to backfill the loss in state share funding is not an equitable solution to a statewide school funding shortfall. https://casb.memberclicks.net/assets/2020/COVID-19/colorado-re mote-learning-impact-final.pdf We need your voice to support our schools. Take action now by signing up to advocate at https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Colorado schools are facing devastating budget cuts without fully recovering from prior cuts. It took 11 years for general fund revenues ​ ​ to recover to pre-recession levels in 2008. The state share for education funding never recovered and there is a current-year shortfall of $572 million. Call or email @daneyaesgarHD46, @dominickmoreno, @McCluskieForCO, @RepresentativeRankin, @Ransom4HD44, @RachelZenzingerInOffice now and ask them to provide adequate and sustainable funding in order to provide the essential services our communities need. https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Colorado schools are doing more today than ever. Schools are central to a community’s health and provide a safety net, in partnership with other local organizations, providing food, housing, mental health supports, and more. When schools are not supported, the fiber of society starts unraveling. We need your voice to support our schools. Take action now by signing up to advocate at https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Cuts to schools will hurt kids and families. Further cuts in state share to schools will result in layoffs, lost programs, and Colorado falling further behind. “54,000 students in Colorado don’t have internet access at home, making the basic logistics of remote learning a nightmare. Of those children, the study found more than 40,000 of them were Hispanic.” https://www.denverpost.com/2020/04/27/colorado-english-languag e-learners-coronavirus-covid/ https://casb.memberclicks.net/what-you-can-do-to-advocate Colorado schools will require more revenue — not less — to reopen. Funding needs increase for: staggered schedules, health screenings, smaller groups at schools, PPE, mental health supports, technology needs, teacher supports and professional development, and cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing costs. https://apnews.com/12db661a402704fdfaac538e812dbf82 Why social media matters ● Social media is a fast-growing source of news and information for millions of people. ● It’s increasingly a venue where people with shared interests connect – including major initiatives and increasingly popular Twitter chats. ● Social media is now the #1 driver of traffic to websites, especially for people under the age of 35. ● Social media campaigns build a sense of community, raise awareness, and strengthen advocacy efforts. Social Media Goals ● Raise awareness on key issues. ● Grow our network of members and stakeholders. ● Increase engagement levels. ● Follow and influence strategic partners, key legislators, and key detractors. Facebook Best Practices ● Use visuals.​ Photos receive a 39% higher than average interaction. ● Keep it short.​ Posts with 80 characters or fewer receive 23% higher interactions. ● Ask questions. Posts with questions at the end have 100% higher comment rates and 15% higher interaction. ● Like.​ Ask your followers to like the Facebook pages for Great Ed and CASB. ● Post local. Share news about work that’s happening locally or on adequate and equitable school funding, educational equity, and/or celebrating public education related to your schools or district. This is a good way to localize state or national trends. ● Post regularly.​ Information should be posted at least 2-3x a week. Twitter Best Practices ● Post daily or more. One of the best times to tweet is 9 a.m. and to be re-tweeted is 5 p.m. ● Share. ​Post a link to Great Ed/CASB information, blogs, or news articles that reinforce key messages. Say something new or interesting about it. Be sure to include the source’s handle for potential re-tweets. The Great Ed Resources page and CASB Media pages are full of great content to use. ● Use multi-media content. Photos and video clips help tell your story. Pictures engage users more than any other type of content. ● Respond.​ Answer those who reach out to you or mention your Twitter handle. ● Be relevant. Content is king. Your goal is to give people a reason to interact and re-tweet. ● Use hashtags. Hashtags engage, contribute to, and track conversations on timely topics. ● Keep it short. Twitter allows up to 140 characters, but aim for 120 characters. Use bit.ly to shorten URLs. Hashtags The # symbol is used to mark events, keywords, or topics in a tweet. Hashtags are hyperlinked and searchable on Twitter. It’s a strategic way to reach target audiences, raise awareness, and deepen understanding. Here’s a sampling of hashtags relevant to CASB’s advocacy work: Colorado Hashtags: #edcolo; #coleg; #copolitics; #ColoEdNetwork; #OurCOFuture; #FundingMatters Using more than one hashtag is recommended. For example, connect a CASB hashtag with a Tweet that is also tagged with #coleg, #edcolo, or #ColoEdNetwork. Username and Handles In Facebook, the username is how users find your page. A handle is the name of a Twitter account. They play a critical role in spreading key messages to target audiences. CASB’s Facebook username and Twitter handle: Facebook Username Twitter Handle CASB @ColoSchoolBoards @CASBConnect ​ Media Handles Chalkbeat Colorado​ — @ChalkbeatCO Colorado Politics ​— @colopolitics Colorado Public Radio​ — @CPRNews The Colorado Sun ​— @ColoradoSun The Denver Post Education news​ — @denvereducation Key Legislators’ Twitter Handles House Education Committee Barbara McLachlan (Chair) — @BarbaraforCO Bri Buentello (Vice-Chair) — @Bri4CO Mark Baisley — @MarkBaisley Perry Buck — @perrybuck49 Janet Buckner — @repjanetbuckner ​(​Speaker Pro Tempore) James Coleman — @repjamescoleman​ (Majority Co-Whip) Lisa Cutter — @Cutter4Colorado Tony Exum, Sr. — @TonyExum Tim Geitner — @tgeitner Colin Larson Julie McCluskie — @McCluskieforCO Dafna Michaelson Jenet — @dafna_m Jim Wilson Senate Education Committee Nancy Todd (Chair) — @nancytodd28 Tammy Story (Vice-Chair) — @Story4CO Jeff Bridges - @jeffbridges Owen Hill — @owenjhill Paul Lundeen — @Paul_Lundeen Joint Budget Committee