Communications

NALEO: The Essentials of Digital Communications – Part 1
This crash course will help up your game in digital communications.

NCSL – 6 Tips for Hosting a Successful Online Press Conference
These six tips can help you create engaging, professional-looking press events for the online world.

NCSL – Crisis Communications: Best Practices for the Worst Times
While many of us look forward to moving past this chapter in our history, the last two years have revealed how vital it is to be prepared for a crisis. For those who must communicate during crises—whether internal or external—planning ahead is critical. This webinar explores the elements of a solid crisis communications plan, including best practices for when and how to gather and deliver accurate information during challenging situations, and offers real-world examples faced by the Washington State Legislature.

NACo – Effective Coronavirus (COVID-19) Communications for your County
NACo is here to help with tools and resources for you to amplify your message through local media coverage effectively.

Budget and Finance

NALEO: Education Finance 101 and Navigating Financial Turmoil
This online session equips policymakers with a clearer understanding of their budgets and school finance models while highlighting how these systems can absorb the difficult financial decisions ahead.

NACo – Glossary of Financial Terms for Local Elected Officials
This is a comprehensive glossary of over 240 public finance terms every elected official should know. We would like this publication to be not only a glossary but also a guide for local officials to discover and investigate new financing options.

Edunomics Lab, Georgetown University – School Spending Data Hub
This data hub provides a gateway to explore each state’s school-by-school spending data.

Strong Towns: A How-To Guide for Making Sense of Your City’s Budget
Do you know how much money your city takes in each year and from where? How about whether your city spends more on roads or schools? As it can be intimidating to wade through a 200-page government PDF filled with obscure acronyms and confusing charts, this document and video will help lift the veil on municipal budgets and give you the confidence to take a look at yours. You can do this! Thanks to Strong Towns and their partnership with Urban3, this resource will walk you through the process.

Three Tips to Better Understand your Jurisdiction’s Fiscal Governance
Hear from NALEO Newly Elected Institute Alumnus Michele Martinez on critical budget questions and information she would have found helpful to know while carrying out her first term in office. The Honorable Michele Martinez is currently serving on the California Transportation Commission. Before this appointment, she served for 12 years on the Santa Ana City Council in Southern California. She is also a past NALEO President.

School  District  Budgets
As federal relief funds are distributed to districts across the country, hear from NALEO Newly Elected Alumnus Stephanie Parra as she provides budget-related and guiding questions that all school board members should consider to better cultivate trust amongst stakeholders and help make the most of federal relief dollars. The Honorable Stephanie Parra serves as a school board member in the Phoenix Union High School District in Arizona and a Board Member for NALEO.

Leadership

NALEO: Effective Legislative Leadership
Successful policymaking, leadership, and governance require a myriad of skills that include the ability to build relationships within a member’s own party/caucus, with colleagues from diverse political backgrounds, and with key stakeholders. In this conversation, state legislators share with their peers best practices for being effective in their roles, how to successfully confront and overcome challenges within their legislative bodies, and how to build trust and relationships as they pursue their policy agendas.

NCSL – How to be an Effective Legislator
NCSL offers an effective legislator training that highlights the most important points legislators need to know going into their first (or 50th!) session. Seasoned legislators will provide real-life examples of why these tips are imperative to master.

Strong Towns: The Local Leader’s Tool Kit: A Strong Towns Response to the Pandemic
The pandemic has revealed many of the vulnerabilities throughout our communities that have been building up over decades. In addition, the fiscal strength of local jurisdictions has been severely affected, making the road to recovery a tough one. To help this effort, Strong Towns has put together The Local Leader’s Toolkit: A Strong Towns Response to the Pandemic. This toolkit breaks down three critical action phases: the immediate steps communities should take, the mid-range tactics on this progress, and long-term action items.

What I Wish I Would Have Known
Hear from NALEO Newly Elected Institute Alumnus Paul Lopez on what he wishes he would have known while carrying out his first term in public office. The Honorable Paul Lopez is the current Denver County Clerk and Recorder. Prior to this role, he served three terms as the youngest-elected city council member in his home district in Denver’s west side neighborhood. Clerk Lopez also proudly served on the NALEO Board of Directors.

Governance

Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
These are the Simple Rules of Parliamentary Procedure for the 21st Century.

NLC – Cities 101
Cities 101 is a public resource developed by the National League of Cities to introduce and explain municipal government in the United States. There are many ways cities are created, and there exists considerable variation in their power and authority.

ASBA – New Board Member Resources
This webpage provides School Board members with resources for them to navigate the first two years in service and beyond.

ACCT – Community College Trustees Roles & Responsibilities
This is a webpage with resources for Community College Trustees that focus on board roles and responsibilities.

Peer-to-Peer Connections

If you are a recently-elected or -appointed Latino policymaker or official and would like to receive guidance or technical assistance from a seasoned NALEO member, please contact membership services at [email protected] or contact Ms. Martha Beall at (213) 765-9430.

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