ALBANY – Members of the Otselic Valley Central School District’s Class of 2012 visited with members of the state legislature Tuesday as part of Lobby Day, held annually at the state capital.
The goal, said Participation in Government educator Jenny Osowski, is simple: encourage students to become more active as citizens and leaders. On Lobby Day, school districts and BOCES institutions across the state make their way to Albany to discuss budget issues with state representatives. Students, added OVCSD Superintendent Rich Hughes, had an opportunity to visit with Assemblyman William Magee, Senator Thomas Libous and a staff member from Senator James Seward’s office.
“Over the past few months, our seniors have been learning about advocacy and the state government under the guidance of Mrs. Osowski,” said Hughes. “The trip was the culmination of their hard work to connect with and inform our legislators about topics that are important to them.”
The students also had a chance to tour the Capitol Building and explore the Assembly Chamber prior to meeting with lawmakers, he added.
Representatives, said Osowski, shared some ideas and potential plans to help address the issues rural schools across the state are facing, as budget cuts and decreases in state aid continue to present what many consider a significant and legitimate concern. Hughes, joined by students, also took on the role of lobbyist, discussing with legislators what rural schools need to be more competitive in preparing students for college and career. Questions, added Osowski, focused primarily on what exactly state representatives plan to do about $250 million in competitive grants and how to make state aid among schools in New York State more equitable.
“The students asked some really tough questions ... and legislators were very helpful. It’s a difficult topic, but basically, schools are at 2008 funding levels,” said the superintendent. As far as the trip itself, he added, “you generally don’t see seniors in awe, but the look on their faces was rewarding. I was proud to see them step up and take a leadership role.”
According to Osowski, the trip was a perfect way to further explore students’ efforts to investigate and discuss their First Amendment right to petition, the electoral process and participation in state government. The need for “real world experiences” and the great feedback she’s received from students, she added, has been encouraging. So much so, in fact, that Osowski said she plans to make the trip to Albany an annual event.
“We’d really like to do that and the kids really liked the trip ... it was definitely a success,” she added. “I think it’s important for them to have that kind of experience. That’s what we, as citizens, need to do. We need to have that face to face discussion with our representatives.”