The following are SAMPLE letters. Please modify them to suit your needs and your “turn of
phrase”.
It will be more impressive if the politicians get individual letters saying the same thing, and not
identical letters. REMEMBER, IT’S UP TO YOU IF YOU WANT A PAY RAISE.
Letter 1
Your address
E-mail or phone numbers as preferred
Date
Addressee - Elected Official
Dear ,
Congratulations on your recent election as/to (Governor, House of Representatives,
State Senate, BESE). I am sure that you will work hard to serve the state of Louisiana
well.
As you are aware, education is an area of major concern for the people of Louisiana. I
work in Parish as a speech therapist / audiologist (whichever you are). My daily work
involves helping students with communication disorders. Some of the students can not
speak clearly, some stutter, some have voice problems, and others have difficulty with
understanding language and expressing their thoughts. These skills are directly related
to academic performance. The new Content Standards for Education specify that each
student is expected to express himself or herself clearly and effectively in speaking
tasks. The Standards also require students to understand and interpret stories and text
books, and to answer questions and write new stories. The students I see have difficulties
in these tasks and my job is to help them with these skills.
Take a moment to consider how important your own communication skills are in your life.
Would you have been as successful in your career or in politics if you could not
communicate effectively with other people? Whatever personal qualities you possess,
they are enhanced by your ability to let others know that you understand their
concerns, or that you have an idea that might help, or that you can work with others
effectively and represent them in government. Having considered that, think about my
students, who need assistance in those areas, and the value of the work I do in helping
them.
Most citizens support the idea that teachers deserve to be paid at least at the regional
average. When pay raises were proposed in the past, however, they first excluded speech
therapists and audiologists. It was only with extensive last minute lobbying that we were
included. I ask that you think about speech therapists and audiologists when you go to
Baton Rouge for next year’s legislative session, and that you support our inclusion in any
teacher pay raise that is proposed.
Again, I wish you well, and I look forward to your support in Baton Rouge this spring.
Sincerely,
Type your name
Letter 2
Heading
Editor
Local newspaper
Dear Sir,
Much attention has been given to a proposed teacher pay raise being included in the state
budget. This is long awaited by educational professionals and will help to support
quality education in Louisiana. It is important to remember, though, that it is not only
classroom teachers who contribute to education. Other professionals, including
speech-language pathologists and audiologists, support the education of Louisiana’s
children, and we should not be overlooked.
There are fewer than 1,000 speech-language pathologists and audiologists working in
Louisiana schools. We are the only professionals in schools whose primary responsibility
is to address the communication needs of children. We all hold college degrees, often
beyond a Master’s level; are certified by the State Department of Education; are licensed
by a professional licensing board; and many of us hold nationally recognized
credentials. We are responsible for screening for potential disorders, for evaluation
and diagnosis of communication disorders, for conducting IEPs in accordance with
federal law, and for working with students, parents, and teachers in
classrooms, therapy rooms, and other settings on a daily basis. We maintain
records on students, and provide services to students aged preschool to 22
years. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are paid on teacher
salary scales, are considered Special Education teachers for administrative
purposes, and are included as teachers in terms of evaluation, retirement,
tenure, sabbaticals, etc. For personnel reporting purposes, however, we are
classified in a different category than classroom teachers. This led to our
exclusion from a pay raise in 1996 and1998 (corrected with publicity) and
exclusion from supplemental supply money in 1997.
There are nationally documented shortages of
speech-language pathologists and audiologists in school settings. We are
identified as a profession with Critical Shortages by the federal government.
Despite the efforts of professional organizations, speech-language
pathologists and audiologists sometimes are not recognized for our
qualifications and contributions to the education of students. We work in
schools on a daily basis, and often our assistance is critical for students in
their learning process. The acts of hearing and speaking, and of understanding
and using language are essential skills which underlie all academic and social
progress. We have long worked in less than ideal conditions and for less pay
than the private sector provides because we love working with children in a
learning environment. We are not asking for more, only for parity with other
educational professionals. The State Legislature and the Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education need to be made aware that we deserve to be included
in teacher pay raises, too.
Sincerely yours, Name
