Education pol: Work within the system against budget cuts

Georgia state lawmaker Earl Ehrhart tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that students there are taking a wise approach in working within the system against hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed state budget cuts to higher ed:

"That's the way to go if you're going to have more success," said Ehrhart, who heads the committee that oversees college budgets. "It will make them much more compelling. Save the protests for when negotiations break down."

What the Georgia students are doing:

... they're meeting with lawmakers, policy experts and others to learn the nuances of the different issues. They're sending e-mails, posting information on Facebook and writing editorials in campus newspapers to educate classmates. They're planning rallies and other events for a month of action in March.

(Something for Minnesota student leaders to read. The rally next month is an annual thing -- perhaps not your usual raging protest -- and MnSCU student leaders have been telling me they've crafted their own Capitol strategies. I'll be talking to them more.)

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