KDK-Harman Foundation

Since 2009, KDK-Harman Foundation has become more educated and involved in utilizing advocacy as a key lever of change in our focus to break the cycle of poverty through education. Most recently, in February 2011, KDK-Harman Foundation, along with other members of the Central Texas Education Funders, organized Texas' first-ever mobilization of education grantmakers at the Texas Capitol to meet with state legislators and voice concern over in cuts to public education.

Fast forward to current day, and the Texas public education system is in crisis, with cuts looming well over $5 billion this past 82nd legislative session and the Legislature deciding to add no new funding  for student population growth. This decision comes at a time when the Texas student population is growing faster than any other state in the nation.

RESULT: Historic decimation of public education spending.

OUR RESPONSE: Ensure the Texas Constitution is upheld and every child, regardless of race, ethnicity or income status, receives access to an excellent education.

The timing has never been more urgent. The legislative interim is the perfect moment to begin such an effort in preparation for the 2013 Texas Legislature and this is exactly what we're set out to do. This past August, KDK-Harman Foundation’s board approved the Foundation Advocacy Plan to solidify KDK-Harman's involvement and identity as an education advocacy leader to: (1) promote the quality and equity of educational opportunities available to low-income Central Texans,  and (2) build public and political will around the issue of appropriate funding for public education.
 

Our plan does not call for a specific  education policy agenda, other than to ensure all students have access to a high quality education. We are not working to push one particular reform agenda. Moreover, we are not taking a partisan stance on the efficacy or efficiency of the current school system. Simply put, we want to ensure that PreK-12 education funding in the state of Texas is restored to pre-2011 levels, includes funding for student growth, and does not receive further cuts in future legislative sessions.
 

In collaboration with other organizations, funders and nonprofits alike, we look to influence education legislation during the 83rd legislative session in January 2013 to ensure policymakers make education a priority in Texas.

• We want education grantmakers, concerned public citizens, parents, students, lawmakers and the general public to understand the devastating impact of these cuts to the majority of our students, who are increasingly low-income, minority, and English Language Learners. 

• We want to continue disseminating the message that we started back in February during the Education Funders Advocacy Day: that we must fund public education as the state’s top priority. The message of appropriately funding public education should not be silenced now that the legislative session is over. In fact, it is more important than ever for the public and our policymakers to hear. 

• We want to continue sending another message to lawmakers that we first discussed at the Education Funders Advocacy Day, which is that education grantmakers are uniquely positioned to serve as a resource and thought partner to lawmakers as they continue to make hard budgeting decisions.

Unless the KDK-Harman Foundation acts decisively, there will be no common message from education philanthropy in advance of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The Texas foundation community looks to the KDK-Harman Foundation for leadership, guidance, and ultimately direction on issues concerning education finance and policy.

In our quest to break the cycle of poverty through education while promoting a culture of giving excellence, we stand committed to the belief that society is best served when sectors work collaboratively to advance the common good. In this commitment, rather than staying limited to a role as a transactional grantmaker, we see opportunity to embrace multiple roles in which funders can affect and reach positive change.

To learn more about our 2011 Texas Education Funders Advocacy Day at the State Capitol, click on the links below:

Advocacy Day- 2011

Ed Funders Advocacy Day White Paper