How Principals and Teachers Can Be Your Best Advocates During a Levy Campaign

Here’s a concept to keep in mind: The community trusts your teachers more than your spreadsheets.

In the middle of a levy campaign, many school leaders put their energy into flyers, websites, and spreadsheets—while overlooking their most powerful asset: their people. The truth is, your school’s brand isn’t just your logo. It’s also your teachers, principals, and support staff. These are the trusted, familiar faces your community interacts with every day. And when it comes to winning a bond or levy vote, they can be your most effective messengers.

Why Internal Advocacy Works

Voters don’t form emotional connections with financial reports. They connect with people, especially those who educate their children, coach their teams, and make their schools run. 

Real voices often make the biggest difference in turning community skepticism into support. When educators speak authentically about why a funding measure matters, it becomes less about politics and more about fulfilling the community’s shared values.

Who Should Be Your Messengers?

A successful levy campaign activates a cross-section of your internal team:

• Teachers, who are already trusted educators in the community.
• Principals, who bring credibility and leadership.
• Coaches and counselors, who often know families personally.
• Community liaisons, who can connect with underrepresented or multilingual groups.

These trusted figures can share the impact of proposed improvements in ways that feel personal and grounded, not abstract or transactional.

How to Equip Your Team with the Right Message

To speak with confidence and clarity, your internal advocates need the right tools:

• Unified messaging, tied to student outcomes and community values.
• One-pagers, highlighting how the budget supports your district’s strategic goals and how strong school districts can boost property values.
• FAQ sheets, answering common voter concerns about tax impacts, project timelines, and accountability.

Keep it simple. The goal is not to turn teachers into campaigners; it’s to help them educate the public, just as they do every day. Talk about playing to your team’s strengths. 

The Activator Advantage

The author of “The Challenger Sale” and “Activator Advantage,” sales expert Matt Dixon has lessons for school leaders attempting to pass bond measures. Dixon’s “The Challenger Sale” argues that the most effective salespeople are teachers, and you, of course, have dozens of them on your staff. The most effective salespeople teach their prospects by challenging the status quo and educating potential customers about what’s next. In the “Activator Advantage,” he makes the case that top sellers have other traits in common, including: 

• They are networkers. If you can encourage your teachers and other staffers to use their social media connections and make outreach on your bond issue as part of their daily routine, they can wield their influence positively. 
• They place their messaging in context for their prospects. For individual voters, a bond measure can be hard to understand in all its implications. Activators make them tangible and personal; encourage your faculty to strive to do the same. 

ClearGov Tip: With ClearGov’s Digital Budget Book, districts can create interactive dashboards that ensure every stakeholder is on the same financial page. It’s a powerful way to make complex numbers simple—and to give staff an easy tool for consistent, credible messaging.

Start building trust from the inside out. Request a ClearGov demo today.