TMO Lyons Elementary parents won an 8 - 1 Houston Independent School District board vote against proposed boundary changes to their school. The changes would have sent students from one of the top ranked schools in the state to one ranked in the lowest 18% statewide. Parent leaders signed up 600 petitioners opposed to the change to convince board members that this was a bad idea.

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Leaders of 'Nevadans for the Common Good' were among the heavy-weights listed as supporters of a proposed tax plan that would generate $430 million for Nevada public schools over the next two years. At a press conference the morning of Governor Sandoval's presentation of the proposal, NCG leader Rev. Dr. Marta Poling-Goldenne called this "a historic opportunity to improve our public schools and invest in our children."

One week prior, 'Nevadans for the Common Good' met with the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Las Vegas; both organizations voted to support the business license proposal. LVGEA cited a study it had commissioned on the impact of the business license fee proposal, which concluded that the "negligible negative impact" in Southern Nevada would be far outweighed by the benefits of improved public schools.

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Over 250 leaders of Pima County Interfaith Council (PCIC) convened at St. Phillips in the Hills to celebrate 25 years of success. Since 1980, PCIC has leveraged upwards of $100 million in state and local funds into projects that benefit the common good including KidCo, JobPath, local parks and recreation centers across the County.

In addition to enjoying a youth-led mariachi band and desserts, participants honored longtime and retired leaders Episcopal priest Paul Buckwalter, Methodist Pastor David Wilkinson, former PCIC/AIN Lead Organizer Frank Pierson, former Diocesan CCHD representative Joanne Welter, and deceased former Tucson Mayor and PCIC leader George Miller. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Tucson Catholic Dioceses chaired the event, which included stories from six younger leaders. Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, former State Rep. Ethan Orr and Southern Arizona Leadership Council Chair Lisa Lovallo from Cox Communications were among the speakers.

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Gathering at the Pharr Events Center in the Rio Grande Valley, Valley Interfaith leaders celebrated their 30th anniversary with stories of historic achievements, blessings for recent VIDA graduates, and presentations of strategies for healthcare enrollment, education and comprehensive immigration reform. Veteran leaders like Fr. Alfonso Guevara lauded Valley Interfaith as a 'university of public life' that helps people do 'what politicians can no longer do' -- tapping into local relationships, learning what matters to people and developing people's capacity to achieve extraordinary things through collaboration with others. In photo, leaders bow head in prayer at start of celebration.

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When Albuquerque Interfaith leaders learned that a lottery-funded scholarship program was in danger of going broke, they rallied to save the fund -- reaching out to parents, concerned congregation members and State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino. Parent leaders testified about the importance of the scholarship for students in state colleges; state legislators noted that the late notification prevented them from voting to channel money away from tax cuts for businesses and into long-term investments like college.

Parents Rally Around Lottery Scholarship, Albuquerque Journal

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At a meeting sponsored by NAIC, Northern Arizona Interfaith Council teachers, administrators and parents assembled with Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Representative Karen Fann and the Chairman of the local commercial development group to develop a funding plan for Prescott Valley public schools. Leaders from three distinct school districts serving 13,000 children will mobilize to pass approximately $43 Million in bonds and override propositions to raise money.

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