![[League of Women Voters]](../images/COLOR_STANDALONE.gif)
Committees
If you wish to know more about these committees or attend a meeting, please contact the LWVBN Office: 716.884.3550 - lwvbn@lwvbn.org.
Charter Schools/Education
The Education Committee completed a two-year national study of "The Role of the Federal Government in Public Education". The League of Women Voters of the United States is compiling results and will announce the new National Position on this in March. After that our committee will act as watchdog, able to lobby for and against certain policies.
The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is long overdue. The committee is tracking content of proposals, criticisms by respected educators, and offers of waivers.
Committee members continue to read about and discuss the controversial ongoing emphasis on high stakes testing, on the new Common Core Standards, and on the changing methods for evaluation of teachers. We are also following statistics on the importance of Early Childhood Education in predicting future school success. Our earlier New York State study of charter schools allows us to oppose increase in their number without measures to limit their negative financial impact on home school districts, and to support research to determine the factors that lead to success of some.
The Education Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month (except December, July and August) at 1:30 pm at 1272 Delaware Ave. Guests and new members are always welcome.
Local Government
If you're interested in local government issues, please join our committee. We are active on these topics:
- Education on the costs of sprawl
- Promotion of regional land use planning
- Advocacy of a fairer distribution of the Erie County sales tax
- Encouragement of citizen participation and transparency in local government
- Broader management of local government services
- Criteria for support of intergovernmental relationships
We plan to meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 1:15 PM in the League office. There will be exceptions. Please call the League office at 884-3550 or e-mail lwvbn@lwvbn.org to confirm when the next meeting will be.
Natural Resources
Want to study our environmental problems and then DO something about them? Join our proactive committee that encourages members to take part in solutions. We concentrate on:
- Climate change
- Pesticide reduction/citizen education
- Lake Erie water quality
- Nuclear and toxic wastes
- Alternative energy including bikeways
Meetings are held the 2nd or 3rd Thursday of the month, 9-11 a.m. in the southtowns. Call League office at 884-3550 for details.
Reentry/Alternative Sentencing Study Group
Our initial goal is to examine services present in the community for inmates and exoffenders (and their children) from the local county jails.
Transportation/Waterfront
The LWVBN is actively involved in policies concerning transportation and our waterfront. Waterfront development along the shores of Lake Erie and the Niagara River is intimately connected with development of transportation infrastructure. We support expansion of Buffalo's light rail rapid transit system (Metro Rail), which will have a direct impact on both the economy and the land-use policies of our whole WNY region. Our committee seeks significant citizen access to the government agencies that make decisions regarding these issues.
Currently, we monitor legislation that would reform the NYS gas tax. We attend Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. meetings-- with special attention to the proposed Buffalo Harbor Bridge. We are planning a public meeting in May, 2012: Plan now for transportation in 2050!