Massachusetts Geographic Alliance 

Geography Bill

 

GEOGRAPHY BILL  S182

 To:  Teachers, parents, anyone who wants to see our students learn more about our world through geography education.

 As you know there is now a Geography Bill - S182 - in the Massachusetts legislature (bill wording is attached).  The bill is right now in the Joint Committee on Education and we want to have it released (that is the correct verb) so that it can go through the stages of discussion and resolution.

We are asking that you contact legislators to request that the bill be released, explaining briefly why we need more geography in our schools and why the subject of geography should be much more strongly reflected in our curriculum framework.  Also say why geography teacher licensure is essential.

Specifically the following legislators should be contacted.

Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education:

 Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz  Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov     Fax: (617)722-1079

Representative Alice Peisch  Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov

 We all should be sending emails and faxes to these co-chairs and the representatives on the Joint Committee, explaining why the bill should be released. In addition, it would be especially significant if people from the co-chairs’ districts were to send messages, so please seek out people from these specific districts and ask them to send messages.

Senator Chang-Diaz – Second Suffolk (Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Roxbury Crossing)

Representative Alice Peisch : 14th Norfolk (Wellesley, Weston, Natick)

Also contact your state rep and state senator and ask them to contact the joint committee. The Joint Committee on Education webpage is at:

http://www.malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J14

             It is important to press forward now because we have to keep the pressure on the legislators or else the bill will die in committee. If it is not acted on by March 2012, then it can only be re-introduced in 2013.

 

So we have a window of opportunity here that we must not let pass. Teachers and parents are a strong force. There is a sense of urgency and now is the time for action. Do let me know who you are contacting so that we can keep tabs for future face-to-face meetings.

Check the blog http://massgeo.blogspot.com and pass the blog address on to friends and colleagues.                                  

                                     Vernon Domingo                      vdomingo@bridgew.edu

                     Co-coordinator,    Massachusetts Geographic Alliance