PLEASE READ BELOW SENT ORIGINALLY BY HEATHER VALENTINE AND JOSE MARTINEZ-SALDANA Gillermina Martinez Retention Counselor STAAR Program CSU, Bakersfield 9001 Stockdale Hwy. Bakersfield CA, 93311 (661) 654.2281 [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- Ok, everyone. We need to move on this right away. Please work with your Chapters to have members contact their congressional reps. I will send something out on the WESTOP listserv. Thank you, Tomasa Mauricio, M.S. Director, Service Learning Pre-College Institute College of Education San Diego State University Phone: (619)594-1899 Fax: (619)594-7821 -----Original Message----- From: Jose Martinez-Saldana [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Mon 1/26/2009 11:27 PM To: Tomasa Mauricio Cc: [log in to unmask]; 'Lydia Perez'; 'Michele Scott'; James Oda; [log in to unmask] Subject: FW: Time is Running Out - Contact Your Member of Congress Today! Hi Tomasa, I hope you are doing well. I'm emailing you from Memphis, where I'm attending the SAEOPP conference. Earlier today we had Mitch provide his Washington Update and one of the outcomes was his recommendation that the TRIO personnel from South Caroline call their Congressional representative James Clyburn, who sits on the appropriations committee and is apparently the third most powerful member of the house.after Pelosi and Miller (from SF). When Mitch finished his comments, Camille asked all of the conference attendees to take a couple of minutes and call their representatives (from which ever state they reside in) and ask them to include TRIO and GEAR Up funding in the stimulus package. The request was to make the calls right away. Within 30 minutes, one of the attendees reported that Representative Clyburn was so moved by the volume of calls that he was trying to call for a meeting tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to discuss how COE's request would add jobs.apparently that was the key buzz word that got his attention. I would imagine that the news reports of all the job cuts today by some large companies is putting increased pressure for the stimulus package to have a greater focus on job creation. In a brief conversation with Mitch this evening, I asked who else we should focus on - no surprises, he thought a similar effort that focuses on Pelosi and Miller could have a similar impact. The talking points are those detailed in the email below, which I know you and Stephen have already sent out.but the urgency now is that tomorrow (Tuesday), the appropriations committee is meeting to take up the stimulus bill and it is expected that a vote could occur as early as Wednesday. So, I thought I would email you and the other Presidents and COE board members to see if we could collectively mobilize to ask our membership again to take action. Mitch will be asking Heather to email me Tuesday morning if there is anything else that she might be able to update us on. If anything else comes forth, I will forward it to you for your consideration. Saludos! Jose José Martínez-Saldaña Vice President for Organization Development EDvolution 831-578-7329 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] www.edvolution.org From: Aisha Richardson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:57 AM To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; Barry Lofton; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; Neil McFarlane; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask] Subject: Time is Running Out - Contact Your Member of Congress Today! January 22, 2009 Dear TRIO Colleague: Last week, Congress began work on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - a "stimulus" bill designed to be a shot in the arm to our weakening economy. The draft of the bill issued by the House of Representatives included billions of dollars for education - including $20 billion for school construction, $15.6 billion for Pell Grants, $13 billion for educational programs to support students with disabilities (IDEA), $1 billion for education technology, and $490 million for College Work-Study - but no money for TRIO or GEAR UP. As Congress continues to negotiate this legislation, it is critical that they hear from YOU about the importance of including these programs in this bill. Also, as Congress starts looking towards FY2010 appropriations, this outreach work will lay the foundation for sending a clear message to Congress that we need a substantial increase in funding now! For many years, our community has lamented the difficulty in meeting the ever-growing needs of its students, especially in the face of rising costs for staff and supplies. This bill represents a rare and unique opportunity to inject substantial funds into the TRIO and GEAR UP programs to meet these needs. However, it will not happen unless you continue to press your Members of Congress (via e-mail, phone, and fax) to make TRIO and GEAR UP a high funding priority! To assist you in this effort, we have included a sample letter and a contact list for all Members of Congress and their education staffers. Please let us know if you require any further assistance. Thank you for all you do on behalf of TRIO and GEAR UP programs. Sincerely, Heather Valentine Council for Opportunity in Education No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.10/1906 - Release Date: 1/21/2009 7:07 AM