Do you think it's time for a rules change? Getting a rules change isn't quite the same as passing something in Congress, but it does take a few steps. The NSCTA has long supported our members by determining where needs might be, writing new proposals, advocating for those changes by helping members understand how the process works, and therefore how to go back to their schools and make sure their ADs know why those proposals exist and what exactly those proposals do.
To understand the legislative process - or how NSAA rules are changed - it's important to first take a look at how the NSAA process works. To do so, please take a look at the NSAA process here
Proposals from the NSCTA must be written and ready to go by the initial NSAA deadline each year.
An important sidenote - proposals can't officially come from the NSCTA. Rather - a member school would need to submit it through their own AD into the NSAA legislative process. The NSCTA gets involved because we have coaches/teachers who are experienced in writing proposals that will be successful, we can write a proposal from a wide viewpoint, and we know it's often advantageous to submit a proposal in multiple district. When they are submitted across multiple districts they should be the same proposal which provides a unified front.
So - the process within the NSCTA generally looks like this -
- An idea can come from any member of the NSCTA - whether that be a board member at a board meeting or a member at large at a district meeting.
- That idea can be brought up and discussed at convention in a district meeting, or a theatre, speech, or debate focus meeting (which is why it's important to go to these meetings!)
- From the focus meetings, the idea is brought to the Advocacy committee (still at convention) who will formalize it and prepare it for discussion at the Business meeting.
- The membership discusses all proposals at the Business meeting (you guessed it - at convention), and the members discuss and decide which ones to move into the legislative process.
- After convention, the advocacy committee prepares the proposal for submitting either into the caucus or regular legislative process in the NSAA.
- The NSAA process then begins.
- It's important that coaches talk to their ADs about the proposals so those ADs have a background in why they were proposed before they go to the district meetings to vote.
- Additionally, it's important to get representatives at the district meetings, to ensure someone in the room when they vote can speak for the proposal. The district meeting schedule for the 2019-2020 school year can be found here.
- Once it passes the necessary rounds in the NSAA process, it can become an official rule!