Pressing the Point: Local Educators Make the Rounds

By Robert C. Johnston

Washington

It is not unusual for school officials to drop in on members of Congress. Indeed, many experienced Washington hands believe that the most effective lobbyists are constituents. But with the current Republican leadership targeting school aid for unprecedented cuts, such visits this year are taking on greater urgency.

"Priorities are caused by political pressure," Laurie A. Westley, the assistant executive director of the National School Boards Association, told members at a recent legislative conference here. "You must be willing...