BOSTON (SHNS) - The Legislature's next new members are back in school this week, but their teachers are public relations strategists, economists, regulators, and their future bosses and colleagues. Incoming lawmakers are attending a private three-day "new legislator academy" at UMass Amherst from Wednesday to Friday, a tradition that Senate President Karen Spilka's office has described as "an opportunity for newly elected legislators to become familiar with experiences that they will encounter in the legislature." The agendas for 19 representatives-elect and three senators-elect include nearly a dozen panels, speeches and sessions covering topics such as the budgeting process, ethics, and the cadence of legislative session. After opening remarks Wednesday, attendees dove into the first major focus: dealing with the media. The core press teams for House Speaker Ron Mariano (communications director Ana Vivas and deputy communications director Max Ratner) and Senate President Karen Spilka (communications director Sarah Blodgett and deputy communications director Gray Milkowski) participated in Amherst, per the agenda. A quartet of PR pros -- Dewey Square Group's Mary Anne Marsh, Keyser Public Strategies' Will Herberich and Eileen O'Connor, and Liberty Square Group's Scott Ferson -- presented to new lawmakers, according to the agendas. O'Connor works with Spilka's political operation and Ferson is connected to Mariano's. The News Service requested a list of speakers on Friday from Senate leadership, which declined to release an agenda, and a UMass Amherst official on Wednesday referred questions back to House and Senate Democrats.  Aides to Mariano and Spilka provided copies of the full agendas after POLITICO on Thursday morning reported some details of a training session. POLITICO reported Thursday morning that new lawmakers were encouraged not to blindly jump on the phone with the press. The freshman class was told to let calls from reporters go to voicemail, or wait for a text, so they know the topic before answering questions. They were also told to loop in House and Senate leadership on any media inquiries, according to POLITICO. Legislators on Wednesday got a briefing on the state's fiscal outlook from Kerry Spitzer of the UMass Donahue Institute, Doug Howgate and Meaghan Callahan of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, and Sheanna Gomes of Pew Charitable Trusts. House budget chief Aaron Michlewitz, Senate Ways and Means Committee Assistant Vice Chair Jo Comerford and the Senate panel's budget director Chris Czepiel educated newbies about the state budget process. The group attended a reception and UMass Amherst vs. Boston University hockey game Wednesday night, and Thursday brought sessions with State Ethics Commission and Office of Campaign and Political Finance officials. For most of the three-day training, representatives-elect and senators-elect have nearly identical agendas. But their interactions with each chamber's leadership differ. Senators-elect were set for "individual meetings with the Senate President" on Thursday morning, according to their agenda, followed by a presentation about Senate committees and a simulated Senate session. Representatives-elect instead got a chance to attend question-and-answer sessions with top deputies, depending on their party. Majority Leader Michael Moran and Assistant Majority Leader Alice Peisch hosted Democrats, and First Assistant Minority Leader Kimberly Ferguson hosted Republicans. Instead of a committee overview, incoming House Democrats were set to attend a discussion about "working with House Leadership as a bill becomes a law," and incoming House Republicans learned about "Session Protocols." They, too, will then participate in a simulated House session. UMass Amherst will host a "Made in Massachusetts" reception and dinner Thursday, where Sens. Robyn Kennedy and Pavel Payano and Reps. Judith Garcia and Simon Cataldo -- each of whom is in their first term -- will speak about "life as a freshman legislator." The Friday agenda is shorter. Mariano and Spilka are scheduled to separately speak to incoming reps and senators about relationship-building and collaboration, then everyone will gather for closing remarks. (Sam Doran contributed reporting.)