Southland Elementary - Discretionary Funding

Last Thursday I was privileged to visit Southland Elementary. Principal Michele Daly and Vice Principal Kim Gibson gave me the tour. The timing was right to see a 5th grade puppet show with student made paper mache characters and a prerecorded (by the kids) narrative of their story. Teacher's used laptops and sound systems to engage us all. I always love to see good use of technology to enhance curriculum.

We also visited a Chinese Immersion classroom of 3rd graders. I honestly do not know what they were studying because no one was allowed to speak English, no one. The great thing is that students were all engaged in their assignment (reading Chinese) and working in groups (speaking Chinese) and getting things done - a worksheet in characters unrecognizable to me! Next year they will add another Chinese classroom in 4th grade at Southland to accommodate these same students as they move along their path to mastering a second language. That will require an entire setup of classroom materials and books in Chinese. $$$ Where does the money come from? As a candidate for the Utah State Legislature, that's the interesting part? How does an elementary school fund these and other meaningful learning environments and programs designed for their students and their needs?

Principal Michelle Daly and I had a conversation about this. First there are two sources of discretionary funds for Southland:Trust Land Funds and Fundraisers. I'm all for discretionary $$. Keep the decisions local!  Trust Land Funds have allowed the School Community Councils to target their priorities. This past year the money has gone toward improving student reading by hiring three part time reading aides to work directly with struggling readers. There is nothing like one on one reading instruction. They were also able to hire a Certified Computer Lab Teacher to focus on curriculum in the computer lab (and keep things up and running between classes). Oquirrh Hills Middle School has commented that Southland students have noticeably better technology skills than other elementary schools and Mrs. Daly credits Cindy Morrey for this. With all the online testing and online writing, keyboarding and computer skills in elementary schools have become critical. Yes critical! If you have to write five paragraphs on a computer to pass a written test and you can't keyboard, you have a problem.

Then there was the amazing Southland PTO Fundraiser Jog-a-thon last fall ($34,000). That is an unusually incredible fundraiser. I remember my students selling chocolates and hoping to reach our school goal of $3,000 or $4,000 . This will provide funds for two field trips for every grade in the school including busses, and cover other school needs. Maybe part of the PTO's success is their presence on the school webpage and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Southland.PTO. A lot of their success comes from excellent leadership, elbow grease, volunteers and the work of supportive parents who want so much for their children especially successful schools. Imagine if the Legislature could appropriate additional funds that go directly to schools.

Thank you Southland teachers, students, PTO and Mrs. Daly and Mrs. Gibson for great insights into an outstanding school and community. See you at the Field Day Tuesday! I get to paint faces . . . 

Class Size in Utah

A recent article in the Tribune about class size in schools caused me to remember the year I had thirty-two 5 year olds in one of my kindergarten classes. Remember, every Kindergarten teacher has a morning and an afternoon class. So I taught another 30 children in the afternoon. Whew! We all survived. I was young and I was pedaling as fast as I could all year. In my heart I knew that my students were not getting all they needed from me. They were getting all I had, but not all they needed. Even reducing a class size by one student in the elementary schools can make a tremendous difference. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I taught school for thirty years. I experienced it.

Here's the link to "Will Salt Lake Shrink Class Size?"

Does class size make a difference in your child's education? The answer is such a big YES that when ranking state education systems against each other, the critics give a separate grade for "funding class size reduction". I repeat FUNDING CLASS SIZE REDUCTION DIRECTLY is part of the reason we are ranked so low in the nation.

In last year's rankings, Utah was 38th. SLCTrib article
"The report dinged the state for not limiting class sizes, not offering state funded teacher training and not paying teachers salaries equal to those earned by people in comparable occupations, among other things."

So....

• Our children deserve smaller class size
• Our teachers should be paid a fair salary
• Our teachers should be paid for teacher training
• Utah's economy is missing out when companies decide not to locate here because of poor funding for Education

Why doesn't the State fund class education adequately?
The Legislature is unwilling to make education a priority and target funds to public schools for specific purposes. I am willing to work toward changing that.

How is it that Charter Schools reduce class sizes?

Charter school teachers are paid less than other public school teachers and they have no retirement program (unless it is self funded). That saves Charter Schools enough money that they can do some things that regular public schools cannot. They also have the luxury of capping their enrollment. If a regular public school has 32 kindergarten students, that is too many for one classroom teacher, but not enough for two teachers. There simply isn't the money. You get one classroom of 32 kindergarten students. Charter Schools can say "We are only accepting 20 kindergarten students." and turn away the other 12.  Those 12 students are then picked up by public schools. Charter Schools are not the bad guys here. They have created some excellent learning environments and customized education to meet the needs of many children. But, something is wrong with this.

Who is paying the price for large class sizes in Utah? It's not Utah Tax Payers. Answer:

• Your children pay the price when they are working in large classes. 
• Their teachers pay the price, work harder and earn less money than "people in comparable occupations".
• Charter school teachers pay the price when they are paid even less than regular public school teachers  and go without retirement plans.
• Utah's economy pays the price when we are ranked so low that corporations scratch us off their list of possible places to locate.

Make class size reduction a priority next Legislative session! Our children are our greatest natural resource!

Rosamond Elementary - "The Leader in Me"

Today I was privileged to attend Rosamond Elementary's "Leader in Me" program. The students are learning the "7 Habits" Franklin Covey Education

I was so impressed with a panel of 1st through 6th grade students answering questions off the cuff and then asking us questions! Wow!

The 2nd graders were writing and creating art about being "Proactive". Their self portraits were priceless and there was no hesitation about going to the front of the class and using the mic.

The 4th grade students had completed some projects involving their classmates in fundraising for UNICEF and the Heifer Project, and a run/race on a cold St. Patrick's day. One young man even shared his unsuccessful attempts without getting discouraged. They all started with planning, carried out their plan and then documented their results! Great success and impressive work for ten year olds.

All the students are keeping "Data Folders" containing their test scores (even the bad ones) to document both their successes and their struggles. It was inspiring to learn what they were most proud of and sharing favorite books we have read.  We agreed that it is hard to "Put first things first" when you are reading a great book. One young lady who moved here from Ukraine has learned English and is already reading on a 2nd grade level. She has really inspired other students in her class and her teacher.

Just a word about those unsung heroes - their teachers. They accomplished all this while teaching all the academic curriculum, learning new Common Core curriculum and testing, testing, testing. Excellent job Rosamond teachers and students!

My suggestion...have the Rosamond Students challenge the State Legislature to put the 7 habits into action in government. Now that could make a difference!!!

1. Be proactive "You're in charge"
2. Begin with the end in mind "Have a plan"
3. Put first things first "Work first then play"
4. Thing win-win "Everyone can win"
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood "Listen before you talk"
6. Synergize "Together is better"
7. Sharpen the saw "Balance feels best"

Letter to the Editor

I recently read an article about how much money is spent by mega-donors on political campaigns and my response to the editor was published. Here it is:

Re "Utahns among mega-donors unleashed by court ruling," Tribune, April 7:

Isn’t this getting out of hand? What if all these political contributions went to public education or cleaning up the air? Think of all the junk mail we wouldn’t get.

I taught school for 30 years and learned to do a lot with very little. I’ve already dusted off my city council signs and pasted over "Bluffdale City Council" on both of them. So instead of asking for money, perhaps I should ask my former students to simply make a sign "Colleen Bliss — House #41."The cost of a political campaign is beyond reason. I filed as a candidate for the House 30 minutes prior to the end of the deadline. Yes, it was a hasty decision. Then I learned that a good campaign runs $40,000 for the House (and $100,000 for the Utah Senate — I was getting off cheap). Multiply that by the number of people in this state running for the House and Senate. Wow, we could solve some problems.

I’d feel better about that than asking all my friends and family for money or finding a mega-donor.

Colleen Bliss

Bluffdale

Here is the direct link: Letter to the Editor April 14th

It's time for fund raising! I'd like to call it FUN raising to add a little energy here.

Getting to know Colleen Bliss

I was born in Ogden and raised in Salt Lake City in a large family.

I received my Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Utah.
When my youngest went off to college I returned for my Masters Degree in Educational Technology - Utah State.

Rick and I were married in 1985 and moved to Bluffdale in 1987 - 27 years ago. We raised our 4 boys in Utah Public Schools. I taught school for 30 years (the last 4 years as a District Technology Specialist) and retired just last June. Rick was an Engineer at Alliant Tech Systems and is also recently retired.

I believe in contributing to our community, so along the way I volunteered in many ways in Bluffdale.

• Elected to Bluffdale City Council for 4 years.
• Served on the Bluffdale City Planning Commission for 8 years.
• I chaired Bluffdale Town Days for two years.
• I was a 4H Horse Club Leader - Go Bluffdale Bronc Busters!
• I began my community volunteering when I started a recycling center in the parking lot of little Bluffdale City Hall back in 1991 (with the help of some very wonderful neighbors and friends).

Our community is very important to us. Rick served as President of the Jordan River Parkway Foundation for many years while I worked on subdivision ordinances to allow for open space and trails. If you have enjoyed the Parkway through Riverton and Bluffdale, you have probably seen us there biking or walking. Our many volunteer hours and the efforts of many other people paid off. We now have a beautiful well loved trail in our community.

Two of our boys are running their own small business. Our youngest is applying for Medical School and my oldest is working for Zion's Bank. I say this because I am proud of my boys AND I believe in the value of Public Education! We'll talk more about that later.

We have ten grand children, nine living within 40 miles of us. Lucky! A great reason to insure that things are going well at the Utah Legislature.

March 20, 2014

Today I registered with the Salt Lake County Clerk to run for Utah State Legislature - House District #41!  Yeah! (No one should run unopposed....Dan McCay)

There are a few things in my favor. Our children and families are our greatest resource in this state! They need someone lobbying for them on the hill.

Salt Lake County needs clean air. The previous legislature did nothing to improve air quality. We need clean air. Your health, the health of your children and grand children are at risk.

Utah needs better funding for Education! Utah is 51st in per pupil spending for education. We are not just a little behind the nation. We are $900 per student behind #50.

In spite of 81% Republican representation in Utah, Republicans have failed us on both of these issues.

We need better balance in the Utah State Legislature! We need more women representing children and families. 

I realize that District #41 is heavily Republican. Many people in my district vote straight party. Just maybe that can change to heavily pro children, families, education and clean air! Yes, I am running as a Democrat. Please consider the possibilities I could bring to this office, your family, your children and grand children and our future.