American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Education: Tips to Advocate for ARRA Funds for Local School Districts

1. Get together with other speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists in your district and make a "wish list" of staffing needs, resources and materials, recruitment and retention incentives, and professional development.
• Identify a spokesperson for the group
• Create a sub team to write a proposal for funding
2. Develop a plan to access the stimulus money
• Gather data on:
• Number of vacancies
• Proven strategies to improve recruitment/retention
• National trends from ASHA on vacancy rates, barriers to recruitment, attrition data, successful models for recruitment and retention
• Develop a list of necessary tests, materials, assistive technology, and other technology needs
• Identify important professional development opportunities that SLPs and audiologists could take advantage of in order to keep abreast of current trends in intervention with students with communication disorders
• Determine what resources may need to be developed to work more collaboratively with regular and special education teachers and to incorporate more curriculum into therapy
3. Identify decision makers
• Understand the "Chain of Command". For example: Building Administrator> Special Education Director> School Union> Superintendent > School Board > County Board
4. Determine the opportune times for input; learn the budgetary process in your district
5. Develop talking points for group members to share with colleagues and administrators
6. Solicit support from SLP supervisors, principals, special education directors, union representatives, and parents
7. Develop proposal/presentation
• Key components
• Begin with a specific "ask"
• Calculate cost
• Specify need/problem that will be alleviated with the proposed funds
8. Make presentation to identified targets