Truth, Accusations, and Innuendo

I realize that politics are ugly.  But I have said from Day One that I am not a politician, I am a parent. I thought that the nastiness of politics was reserved for higher-level races.  Apparently, none of us are immune.  One of the principles I try to live by is integrity-I want to make my actions consistent with what I know to be true and right.  I fully realize that what I am about to write may cost me the election, but I feel compelled to set the record straight and stand up for what I believe to be right.
Issue #1:  There was a post on social media that stated that I was a member of an extreme right-wing organization.  I belong to PTA, Girl Scouts of Utah, and the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) group.  I am a registered Republican and also volunteer as a merit badge counselor with Boy Scouts of Utah.  I do not believe that any of those organizations can be called extreme while some could be labeled right-wing.  I have to assume that the issue is that I have "liked" Utahns Against Common Core on Facebook and participated in discussions.  I have spoken to the fact that I do not like Common Core, but I also have "liked" various PTA pages as well and PTA is an ardent supporter of Common Core.  I try to participate in the discussions on both sides of the issue.  I reached my own conclusions about Common Core after much research, discussion, and thought.
Issue #2:  On October 24th, the sitting vice-president of the Alpine School Board, JoDee Sundberg, sent out on e-mail from her private e-mail address to several principals in her area where she is running for re-election.  In that e-mail which is sent to their Alpine School District e-mail accounts, she asks for assistance from teachers in campaigning for her door-to-door as well as financial donations to support her campaign.  You can read the e-mail here.  http://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/asd-board-member-in-panic-mode-uses-shocking-tactics/
In the e-mail, JoDee claims that the Eagle Forum and Utah County Republican Party leadership are assisting her opponent in his race for a school board seat.  She asks for a donation from AEA (the teacher's union for Alpine) and says her opponent is an ideologist who will dismantle the district "with their extremism and change the course of all the good we do."  I do not know JoDee's opponent.  I do not know his views.  But to resort to name-calling and making baseless accusations without factual information is negative campaigning at its worst.  If JoDee sent the e-mail from her home (which I am guessing she did since it was sent at 7:11 a.m.), she has used public funds (your tax dollars) in promoting herself politically since she takes a monthly stipend for internet that is provided to ASD board members.  This is against ASD policy (http://policy.alpinedistrict.org/policy/4100_Internet-Wide_Area_Network_Acceptable_Use_Rule) and it is illegal to use public funds for political campaigning.  While it may not technically be illegal, I believe it is unethical to contact principals to encourage their employees to vote, campaign, and make donations for a political candidate.  I understand that as a board member for 16 years, JoDee has established relationships with many of the principals that she e-mailed.  She should have contacted them on their private e-mail addresses and asked for THEIR support, not for the support of their employees.
To be clear, I have not been contacted by the Eagle Forum and the only contact I have had with the Utah County Republican Party was to respond to a survey that they sent to all school board candidates.
Issue #3:  In response to JoDee's e-mail, the principal at Geneva Elementary in Orem, sent an e-mail to his employees, including teachers and support staff.  That e-mail is also found at the link I used previously.  That e-mail was sent from the principal's ASD account to the ASD e-mail accounts of his employees at 8:07 a.m.  In that e-mail, the principal asks for his staff's support for 3 specific candidates in the ASD school board races.  He also implies that if these candidates are not elected, ASD will lose teaming, PLCs, collaboration, and teacher incentives.  He also states that you will support these candidates if you support district leadership.  I have never met the candidate running against JoDee and have only spoken twice briefly to the candidate running against John in American Fork.  But the third individual, Wendy Hart, I do know.  I have contacted the board on multiple occasions about issues I have been concerned about and Wendy was the only board member who consistently responded and acknowledged my e-mails.  We have since become friends and I find her articulate, passionate, and well-informed.  Wendy and I do not always agree, but I respect her.  I have never heard Wendy be anything but supportive of our teachers.  She has never stated that she wants to get rid of PLCs, teaming, collaboration, or teacher incentives.  These are baseless accusations not grounded in fact that are meant as a smear campaign to drive voters based on fear.  Those who do not like Common Core are referred to as the "forces of opposition" who are "against our district leadership."  These individuals who oppose Common Core are referred to as "radical forces."  I found the most offensive quote to be that "they are demagogues who spew forth venom."  I am not mentioned specifically in the e-mail, but since it is targeting those who do not like Common Core, I guess I am a radical force.  I want to speak to the name-calling and baseless accusations.  Let me tell you who Wendy is.  She is a parent who is passionate about education and honorable in her role as a school board member.  You do not have to agree with her ideas, but that we have district employees who are using district resources on their paid district time to vilify these candidates has caused me much distress.  I am disappointed and embarrassed and heart-broken that the individuals who I trust with my children's education have sunk to such amoral tactics.  To make matters worse, John and JoDee as well as high-level district employees were CCed on the e-mail from the principal and not a single person spoke up about it.  Neither John nor JoDee denounced the content of the e-mail.  No district statement has been made.  Each of the candidates signed a Pledge of Fair Campaign Practices that stated we would not use or permit the use of scurrilous attacks on any candidate.
This story has hit the media.  (http://www.sltrib.com/news/1758855-155/conley-political-email-alpine-district-done?page=2)  The principal has apologized for using a school computer and has reimbursed the district for his time and the electricity.  He has not apologized for the content of the e-mail.  Those unfounded accusations are out there.  He can apologize, but cannot undo what he has done to assassinate the character of these individuals.
Whether you oppose or support Common Core, we all have the same thing in mind-the best education for our children.  There are parents and teachers on both sides and we should remember that before we start name-calling and vilifying people.
I want to state publicly that I respect Brian Halliday and Wendy Hart.  They do what they feel to be right for our children.  And I want to publicly thank Paula Hill for the campaign that she has run.  While we sometimes disagree, I respect Paula and appreciate her service.  I appreciate that she and I have run self-funded campaigns (my mom did make a contribution :) and that we have not lowered ourselves to personal attacks.  My hope is that we learn from this, make our representatives accountable, and do better.

Utah County Republican Party Survey

The Utah County Republican Party sent me a survey and I wanted to post the questions and my responses.
All candidates say they are for local control. What do you mean by “local control”? Please give an example of what local control looks like and how it interacts with the state and federal government?

I think the best example of local control is when those closest to the classrooms and the students work together to find solutions. I think the best example of local control is when parents and teachers work together to find solutions for students.  When my daughter was in kindergarten, she was tested by her teacher and found that she was doing math at a first grade level and I was told that she already knew all the concepts that would be taught in kindergarten.  The teacher and I worked together to find additional opportunities for her to complete math tasks at her level instead of doing the concepts she already knew and understood.  At the local school board level, local control is when a school board member actively participates in the schools she represents and works to open a dialogue with voters.  School board members cannot represent their voters if they are not constantly keeping them in the loop on issues being presented to the board.  When we take funds from the federal level, it comes with strings attached.  Local control means being aware of what those strings are and how those requirements affect our teachers and our students.  I believe that local school boards need to communicate effectively with state school board members as well as legislators to make sure the needs of students are truly heard.  Local school board members need to understand what is happening in the classroom and make sure the needs of students are understood by those at the state level.

       Describe what education means to you.

I believe in the William Butler Yeats statement that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”  True education is opening our children to the wonder of the world and creating curious, lifelong learners.  Education must be innovative, creative, and engaging. 
Utah allows charter, private, and home schools considerable freedom to choose their curriculum. Do you believe the principals in traditional public schools should have the same flexibility, so they could experiment with things like teaching traditional math in Chinese? Why or why not?

I strongly believe that principals and teachers should have the flexibility to explore and experiment with curriculum.  All of my 4 children learn differently and they have all experienced a range of curriculum choices.  We have participated in ALL (Accelerated Learning Lab), Spanish Immersion, Chinese Immersion, dual enrollment, online charter schools, and STEM early college programs.  With the availability of technology, teachers have the ability to design unique programs to meet the needs of their students.  When we limit the choices of teachers and principals, we handicap our children’s potential to learn.
 The Utah State Board of Education resolution 2014-01 claims Utah has local control over Utah Core Standards, even though Utah does not hold the copyright. It also claims that the teacher determines the curriculum, even though the procedure for teaching the integrated math program is mandated.  Do we or do we not have local control over curriculum?

I do not believe we have control over our standards.  We cannot remove anything from the Utah Core Standards (which are identical to the Common Core Standards with the exception of the addition of cursive handwriting).  Utah may add 15% to those standards, but we are not allowed to remove anything.  That does not feel like local control.  Yes, teachers may teach how they choose and what they choose, but considering that we are tying teacher evaluations to test scores, I am guessing they are going to teach the required standards.
What is your position on issuing bonds for the school district? In what cases, if any, would it be appropriate?

With high student growth in Alpine School District (particularly in the north and west of the lake), I believe that bonding is a necessary evil.  We need to build schools to keep up with the student growth and that takes a sizeable chunk of money.  I do feel we need to be careful stewards with the money we have been entrusted with and be vigilant about eliminating wasteful spending.  My 7^th grader attends class in a trailer even though a junior high was built just last year to help alleviate the overcrowding.  He also has a math class with 45 students.  We cannot expect teachers and students to be successful in overcrowded classrooms and schools.  I feel that the pay-as-you-go system needs to remain in place with bonding happening at lower and lower levels as we meet the needs of our students.

On what basis would you determine or cap the superintendent’s salary?

I would evaluate the superintendent based on job performance.  I think it is important that we pay people a fair wage and reward those who are passionate and successful.  Having said that, I feel the ASD superintendent is overpaid and I would not vote for any budget that included a superintendent salary increase.
Should all ASD employees pay their own association fees like the teachers do?  Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely.  If an ASD employee feels that it is beneficial for them to belong to an association, it is within their right to pay dues, but I do not believe that association fees should be subsidized by taxpayers.  Board members who want to belong to the USBA or NSBA should pay their own dues. 
Should the school board have an independent panel of business owners, CPA’s, and other community members review the budget and make recommendations before it goes to the board for a vote?  Why or why not?

I feel that the more involvement we have from community members, the better.  That does not mean that these individuals would be able to vote on the budget, but getting input from as many people as possible gives us the opportunity to hear new ideas.  We should never fear to be accountable.
Do you believe suspending or reducing the property tax levy for Community Redevelopment projects is the proper role of a school district?  Why or why not?

I am not a fan of CDAs.  I do not believe that the school district should be involved in promoting economic development.  Diverting tax revenue allotted to our children to help developers is not what we elect school board members to do.
Whose interest should the school board represent first: the students, the teachers, the parents, or the district?  Why?

I believe that our number one goal should always be to do what we feel is best for our students.  And that is where it gets tricky.  Parents, teachers, and the district may all have a different idea about what is best for our students.  Since parents represent the interests of their students, I believe that the school board should represent parents (acting on behalf of students), then teachers.  As far as the district, the board should act as a checks and balances for the district.  That means that while often all of those things are in harmony, when a school board member feels that the district is acting in a way that is detrimental to students or not in their best interest, that school board member has an obligation to say “no” to the district.
 Alpine School District is a $500M, 7000 employee enterprise--a big business by every measure.  Should membership on the “Board of Directors” require some minimum business or executive experience?  Why or why not?

Voters can determine whether or not their candidates are qualified to serve on the school board.  I would be much more likely to vote for a parent who participated in the classroom than someone who had spent their time in business meetings.  The further away someone is from the classroom, the less say they should have in education.  Just because someone is successful in a business venture does not mean that they are well-versed in pedagogy or the daily struggles of our students and teachers.
Do you believe parents should have be able to opt their children out of the SAGE tests or should taking SAGE tests be a condition of enrollment?

I believe and support SB 122 in that parents should have the right to opt their child from SAGE testing. 
What are some of the principles that will guide you in making decisions as a school board member?

Accountability:  I believe that as a school board member, I need to be accountable to my constituents.  That means I will attend at least one PTA and/or SCC meeting at each school I represent each year.  I will also be available to speak to constituents at open house type meetings to answer their questions directly.

Communication:  Besides attending school meetings with parents, I will keep communication open by running a Facebook page as well as a blog and notifying parents of board meetings and issues that might affect them or their students.  I will also actively work with parents whether their students participate in public schools, charter schools, homeschooling, dual enrollment, or other educational endeavors.

Fiscal Transparency and Responsibility:  I will pour through budget documents and work to eliminate wasteful spending while making sure that more of our tax dollars end up in the classroom where they benefit our children and teachers the most.

            Integrity:  I will always strive to make my actions consistent with what I have promised my                constituents.  I will be honest and forthright and represent them to the best of my abilities. 

What Questions Should We Ask School Board Candidates?

Sometimes when it comes to politics, we get caught up on one specific issue.  The issue for this election seems to be Common Core.  I am opposed to it, but guess what?  I have no control over it and neither does the Alpine School board.  That is something that the State School Board has control over.  I fear some people are so focused on this one issue, that they fail to ask questions about things that school board members DO have control over.

So, what questions should we be asking school board candidates?

Here is my list and my answers:

How many school board meetings have you attended?
I do my best to attend the school board meetings as well as the study sessions.  I have not missed a school board meeting since I filed to run in March.  I have attended 12 school board meetings in 2014 and also attended many in 2013.  I also read all of the documents associated with each meeting and send questions to the appropriate people at the district.  The last board meeting had 200 pages of documents attached to it.

How have you been involved in the schools?
I have 4 school-aged children and have volunteered at their schools since they started attending (11 years).  My children have attended Snow Springs, Harvest, Saratoga Shores, Riverview, and Vista Heights in the Alpine School District.  I have done just about every volunteer job from Take Home Reading Library to book fair volunteer.  I have been a room mom, chaperoned field trips, graded papers, helped judge Battle of the Books, cut out things for teachers, laminated papers, helped with reading, helped set up classrooms with teachers, and been a weekly math volunteer.  I create monthly budget reports and make sure the money that is raised goes back to the classroom where it belongs.  I have cut out and counted Box Tops, served sno cones, counted and shipped printer cartridges, and helped organize reading programs.  I currently serve on 3 PTAs and 2 School Community Councils.  I have also been a substitute teacher for the last 2 years.

What are your concerns with the budget?  Are there things you see cutting?  Are there things you see putting more money into?
I e-mail the district business administrator often about the monthly claims.  For the last board meeting, I asked about money spent on drug testing, field turf expenses, and a specific nutrition services vendor.  As far as the budget, there are items I would like to see cut.  I think the $60 monthly stipend given to board members for internet is unnecessary as is the $42,000 in dues for the board members to the USBA and NSBA.  I do not have full access to each individual budget, but I believe that the NSBA conference in March of 2015 costs about $900 per person plus hotels, meals, and airfare.  I am guessing that adds up to about $2,500 per person and that for 7 board members is $17,500.  That seems excessive to me.  Can we not just have 1 or 2 people attend?  Is what we get out of the conference worth $17,500?  If elected, I would go through each individual budget and look for things that may not benefit our teachers and students and make sure we are investing money directly in the classrooms.  I would like to see us put more money into AP classes, concurrent enrollment, and gifted and talented services.  I think addressing class sizes is essential for our students and our teachers.

How much time do you spend on education?
That is a tough one to put an actual number to.  I volunteer several hours at schools every week and also read...a lot.  In the last year, I have read The Homework Myth, Boys Adrift, and Genius Denied as well as reading articles online at the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN.  I also do my best to keep an open dialogue with parents and teachers about issues facing our students and the educational world.  When I have questions, I look for answers.  That might mean calling the director of transportation about a bus issue or calling the director of research and evaluation about AP pass rates.

What have you personally done to better our schools?
These are a few examples of ways I have tried to better our schools:  I advocated to put the Mandarin Immersion program at Riverview Elementary and I believe its success contributed to Black Ridge Elementary opening their own Mandarin program.  I also worked with parents to organize a petition and protest to get a canal crossing built so that students could walk safely to Riverview Elementary.  I also spoke out about changes to a policy involving children who self-administer life-saving medication.  The changes I requested were approved and I truly believe that children with life-threatening conditions are safer because of it.

What other questions should we be asking school board candidates?

Study Session: October 14, 2014

Brian Halliday was absent, JoDee Sundberg left early on and did not return, and Scott Carlson arrived about 15 minutes before the study session ended.  In attendance were Wendy Hart, Debbie Taylor, John Burton, and Paula Hill as well as 3-4 members of the public.

Officer Brooks from the Lone Peak Police Department made a presentation about their Standard Response and Reunification Protocol for students, parents, and teachers.  His presentation was impressive as he talked about creating a specific protocol for all schools in the Lone Peak Cluster (schools can all have different procedures and Lone Peak PD has worked to create a plan that is uniform to all the schools in the area).

Sam Jarman talked about the Professional Development of Administrators and talked about the Leadership Model (thoughts from Superintendent Henshaw)

1.        Be Yourself

2.       Listen, Learn, Build Trust

3.       Renewal Process-change is a process of improving

4.       Decision-making

5.       Engage the public and parents

Rob Smith talked about how there are currently 25 administrators who could retire today and 36 could retire if they bought years from the retirement system.  In 5 years, those numbers go up to 41 and 57, meaning that there is a need to bring in new leadership and continue to train current leadership, including assistant principals.

Then a group activity was set up that was similar to a PLC.  People were split up into pre-determined groups and handed a list of word strips and asked to identify items that they wanted to understand more about.  Some of those included Pyramid of Interventions, Nutrition Services Manager Training, and Leadership Forum.   

So, here are my thoughts.  I enjoyed the LPPD presentation, but the frustrating thing about the study session is that members of the public can sit there, but they are not allowed to speak.  I had a bunch of questions for the officer-how does the plan work when there are substitute teachers?  Does the school have keys to a safe location site off scene?  How do you deal with the dynamic of joint classrooms?

As far as the group activity, the members of the public were not included in the activity, but we were able to overhear some of the individual discussions.  One of the things that frustrated me was board members who did not understand basics such as CTLs.  I get that there is a learning curve.  But all of the board members have been serving for years.  As I see it, you get 3 months-3 months to get your feet wet, ask questions, and understand all the inner workings of the district.  After that, you better know your stuff!

Do you have thoughts about what was discussed at the study session?

School Board Study Session and Meeting September 23, 2014

The board discussed a book called, A Slice of Trust.  I have not read the book, but the gist of it seemed to be about trusting others and how it can contribute to a positive work environment.  It felt like the underlying current of the book was just trust everyone.  JoDee mentioned that each member brings something different to the board.  John mentioned that as an administrator, he had to trust teachers.  Brian stated that as an auditor, he had to have a level of professional skepticism.  Wendy brought up that when you purchase a home or car, you have a contract and that while trust is good, it is also best to write things down and clarify.  She stated that the board is meant to serve as a check and balance, a verification.  She also asked, “Do we trust people based on shared ideology?”

Then we got to the fun stuff!  Rob Smith shared the Capital Facility Update.  He showed that the target areas we are dealing with now are the 10 year capital plan as well as the seismic review plan.  For the 10 year plan, someone from the district will physically go to each school to see what the needs are.  Although this will be time-consuming, principals want the district to see the changes they are requesting so that the needs are better understood.

The target areas for the short-term were three-fold.  1.  Transportation integration planning-they will review drop-off flow patterns, design criteria, and improved integration.  How do parents use the facility?  While I am glad this is finally being reviewed, I feel it is something that has been overlooked for years.  Most of the schools were built to be walking schools, but most children do not walk to school and it has not taken into account programs that bring out-of-boundary students like ALL, language immersion, ED, and LD.  Almost all the schools that have been recently built have had major issues with pedestrian safety and traffic flow.  Riverview and Thunder Ridge were built next to open canals.  Thunder Ridge parents had to advocate for a sidewalk being built and Riverview parents had to advocate for a canal bridge so that students could cross.  Dry Creek has also had pedestrian crossing issues.  While I am happy that the issue is being addressed, I think this will become a time-consuming and costly issue because it was not dealt with previously.  2.  ADA plan review-adequate access for inside and outside facilities.  Because many of the schools are older, there are concerns that they are not ADA-compliant.  Rocky Mountain Elementary has 4 children in wheelchairs who can’t access the playground.  3.  Security review-internal committee to review security.  One school’s SCC (go Riverview!) installed locking doors and there is a school in PG piloting a program where there are inside and outside cameras that police can access.

Next up was David Smith to discuss SAGE and determining the cut scores.  The standards setting occurred on August 11-15, 2014.  175 educators set the pass rates.  21 of those educators came from ASD (about 12%).  10% of students in Utah are in ASD.  The cut scores were set for ELA grades 3-11, math 3-8 as well as Math I, II, and III and science.  David stated that we are using the 1-4 scale.  4 is highly proficient, 3 is proficient, 2 is approaching proficient, and 1 is below proficient.  He also stated that the previous CRT scores were not college and career ready and that for previous scoring, 3 actually meant minimally competent.  The Bookmark method was used to determine the cut scores.  The questions were put in an ordered booklet with the easiest question being the one that the most students answered correctly and the hardest question being the one that the most students missed.  Teachers were asked to place a “bookmark” on the question where they felt that a student would be “barely proficient.”  They used the 8^th grade math as an example and questions 19-23 were where most teachers marked barely proficient.  Based on the average of #21 being the barely proficient cut score, how many students would have passed?  The district is stating that these proficiency standards are nationally competitive because they are in line with the recent NAEP scores.

Here is the list of percent of students who were proficient in English Language Arts for the state of Utah- ASD usually ranks about 8 points above the state.

3^rd grade                              44%

4^th grade                              41%

5^th grade                              43%

6^th grade                              41%

7^th grade                              41%

8^th grade                              40%

9^th grade                              42%

10^th grade                            42%

11^th grade                            38%

ASD defines proficient (a grade of 3 or above on the test) as being able to get a C or better grade in a college class of the same subject.  So, 38% of 11^th graders should be able to score a C or better in a college English 1010 class.

OK, so I have a problem with this.  I feel that this is so misleading.  Basically, I have been told for years that my kids were doing great because they were getting 3s and 4s on their CRTs.  I think that most parents interpret the 1-4 scale as 4 being an A, 3 being a B, and so on.  Now, magically a 3 means “minimally competent.”  And now apparently less than half the kids in the state are “barely proficient.”  I cannot even begin to imagine how this is going to tank all the UCAS scores-yes a super flawed system-but now I imagine that every school in the state will be considered failing.  This feels like a shell game with the teachers and students being the ones to lose out.  And David also mentioned that we cannot compare previous CRT scores with the current SAGE scores because the SAGE has higher standards and increased rigor.  He stated it would be like asking kids to run a mile and recording their scores and then the next year having them swim a mile.  The 2 cannot be compared.  

What are your thoughts about the way the SAGE cut scores were determined?

School Board Meeting September 9, 2014

Before I get to my notes, I wanted to let you know about a couple of questions I asked Rob Smith about some of the items on the financial disclosure documents.  There was a charge for over $148K to Zonar.  I asked Rob what that was and he said they had put GPS units in all of the buses, driver's ed cars, and district vehicles.  I think this was a smart move that will probably save us money long term.  There was also a charge for around $3k for TNT fireworks-it was a fundraiser (I think maybe for Lehi soccer).  There was also a payment to BYU for $15K for partnership activities.

My first impression when I walked into the board meeting was a lot of suits and a lot of handshaking. The proposed CDA for University Mall was on the agenda to be discussed and Orem had quite a lot
of representation there at the meeting, including the mayor.  The public comments are always my favorite part.  Autumn Cook spoke first about the chronic absenteeism study (she was in the study session) and felt the study was built on faulty science since they were lumping excused absences and truancy all together.  Next up was Ed Barfus.  He said that the fiscal analyst that was hired to evaluate the Orem CDA was related to a board member and he felt that was a conflict of interest (JoDee Sundberg's son, Jason, is the fiscal analyst who was hired to evaluate the CDA and his mother happens to be running for school board again, representing Orem).  He asked that the district not pay employees to research out things like business ventures like the CDA and that employees should be working on things that were education related.  He asked the 2 board members from Orem (JoDee Sundberg and Debbie Taylor) to recuse themselves from the vote on the CDA since it could be a conflict of interest.  The last public comment was by Russell Stay who was representing parents from Rocky Mountain Elementary.  Bus service had been discontinued and parents were told there were only 9 eligible students and they needed 10 to qualify.  Parents realized there were actually 41 and were asking for bus service to be reinstated.
Brian Halliday asked for some clarification on the school board having spent 31% of their budget and it was only September.  Rob Smith said that $41k had gone to pay dues to the Utah School Board Association, $23K had gone to payroll, $14K to legal fees, $1080 for telephone, $1115 for supplies, and another $1k for auditing.  There was also an increase to school administration in the amount of $256K which translated into all schools getting an additional 8 hours in aide time.
On to the CDA discussion-there was a lovely presentation with lots of numbers and figures.  CDA is basically a big tax break for a specified amount of time.  If the developer gets a 50/50 split, it would mean that ASD would take only 50% of the taxes and the developer would keep the remaining 50% to put towards roads and other infrastructure.  The timeframe we are looking at is 20 years.  Basically, there was a breakdown as to how much the school district would MAKE on a 20-year CDA based on various options.  The amounts ranged from $7.8M in profit to $25M in profit.  But here is what no one really talked about-how much money we would be giving up.  The developer who is applying for the CDA is the largest landowner in Orem.  I am thinking he is probably not hurting for funds.  The CDA does meet the following criteria:  high-paying jobs, grow wealth, support from GOED/County/City, increased assessed value while minimizing impact on services required, and partnership opportunities.  The criteria it does not meet are that it is a retail project and does involve housing.
I am opposed to the CDA.  Our board members are elected to oversee the education of our children, not gamble with our tax dollars to help spur economic development.  I understand that if this project goes through, it will be more valuable and increase the taxes we use to fund ASD.  But it is a gamble.  We are looking at projections and analytics and no one really knows.  It is an educated guess at best.  One of the benefits of sitting on the back row is that I watch other people and how they react to comments.  There is no doubt in my mind that the district wants this to go through.  The district employees were nodding their heads in agreement when anything positive was said in support of the CDA.  Scott and Debbie both expressed opinions that demonstrated they would vote for the CDA.  Wendy is a definite no and I believe that Paula and Brian will vote no as well.  JoDee and John were surprisingly silent, but based on their voting record, they will both vote to pass it as well.  The CDA will pass with a 4-3 vote.  I believe this will be an action item on the October 14th board meeting.  If you do not want the CDA to pass, please e-mail ALL school board members and plan to attend the school board meeting on October 14th at 6 p.m. in the district building.

School Board Study Session September 9, 2014

The study session involved reviewing the beginning of the school year and what the numbers looked like.  Black Ridge and Dry Creek Elementary Schools opened this fall and there were 12 new principal assignments.  STARS had 275 children in 10 schools participate in this program over the summer.  We have 83 schools-55 elementary, 12 junior high/middle school, 8 high schools, and 8 special purpose schools with an enrollment of 74,310 students.  We had about 80 teachers retire and about 100 teachers resign.
September is attendance awareness month and the district supports that increasing student attendance will improve academic outcomes.  The district referred to a 2012 University of Utah study (http://www.utahdataalliance.org/downloads/ChronicAbsenteeismResearchBrief.pdf).  The district stated that they have 2 goals- 1.  to have reading ability on grade level by 3rd grade, 2.  90% or higher graduation rate and students will be career/college ready.  The district defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 or more days of school.  They also stated that students are academically at risk if they miss 10% of the school year for any reason-regardless of if these are unexcused or excused absences and that this risk occurs as early as kindergarten.
Because the study lumped all absences together, I find the study a little difficult to swallow.  The study showed a link between chronic absenteeism and students dropping out of school.  There is a difference between a child who is truant and a child who has to miss school due to a medical condition.  According to this study, my 12-year-old is at high risk for dropping out because he was chronically absent in 3rd grade due to a tonsillectomy.  And my daughter's best friend is at high risk for dropping out because she traveled to Spain and missed 10 days of school.  I think failing to differentiate between truancy and excused absences misses a huge point.
During the presentation, an at-risk assessment was displayed.  This at-risk assessment showed factors such as 3rd grade reading level, 6th grade DRA scores, and failing the CRT in math or language arts.  There was also a section for behavioral issues.  A board member asked who entered info under behavioral issues and the question was never really answered.  It was a little frustrating to me to see that my child's 3rd grade reading ability could be a red flag to the district for him dropping out.  And it also made me think of children who have a difficult start in life.  My husband and I have been foster parents and children in foster care already have a black mark in their files.  Add to that a low reading score due to circumstances not under their control, and they spend the rest of their school careers fighting those labels.  I understand the need to use data to provide solutions, but lumping data together without looking at individual circumstances does a disservice to our students.
Do you feel the district should distinguish between truancy and excused absences as they create policy?

Please Stop Using "Rigorous"

So, I am starting to hate the word "rigorous."  In almost any conversation about education these days, this word is brought up.  We need to provide a rigorous education, we need to have rigorous standards, rigorous classroom instruction, rigorous teaching.  What does rigorous actually mean?  It means high standards, right?  Challenging work.  Nope.

rig·or·ous

: very strict and demanding

: done carefully and with a lot of attention to detail

: difficult to endure because of extreme conditions

Synonyms

austere, authoritarian, flinty, hard, harsh, heavy-handed,ramrod, rigid, severe, stern, strict, tough

I want my child's education to be a lot of things-challenging, innovative, hands-on, engaging.  But in no way do I want my child's education to be harsh or heavy-handed.

What word or words would you use to describe education?

June 17th Board Meeting

Tonight was the board meeting that involved approving the final budget for the 2013-2014 school year and the approval of the tentative budget for 2014-2015 school year.  I have exchanged multiple e-mails with Rob Smith (the district business administrator) about several concerns I had with the budget.  Some of my concerns included the $42,000 we spend on dues for board members and the superintendent as well as drastic cuts to gifted and talented services as well as concurrent enrollment.  Here are the comments that I made during the budget public comment:

"I would like to thank those who are involved with creating and reviewing the budget.  Deciding how to meet the needs of over 73,000 students with half a billion dollars can be a daunting task.  Thank you for your dedication and efforts.  I also would like to commend the board on implementing a pay-as-you-go system.  To see projects like the new bus garage in Saratoga Springs and new Lehi high school paid for instead of bonding is phenomenal and I appreciate your stewardship over our taxpayer funds.

I am here to ask the board to allocate additional funds for Gifted and talented Services as well as Concurrent Enrollment.  When you look at best practices for teaching gifted children, ASD does a great job.  We have ALL magnet programs in elementary schools as well as a gifted/talented teaching endorsement available to teachers, both programs that many states fail to offer.  We are doing well, but we can do better.

We offer interventions for children who are struggling.  And we should.  But to truly show equity in education, we must provide an education for all children.  We need educational diversity.  If we are not challenging and encouraging all students, we are failing.  I have had the opportunity to evaluate PLCs over the last three years and our weakest response is to question #4, “How do we respond to students who already know the material?”  Too often, this question is left unanswered.

Once students hit junior high/middle school, our services drop off dramatically.  ALL is available only in 7^th and 8^th grades.  Of our 12 junior highs, only 5 offer science as part of the ALL program.  Less than half of our junior highs are challenging our brightest students in science at a time when we recognize the value of STEM.  Too often Flex Time is activities like movies and nail painting instead of open science labs.  Librarians cap the number of student they will accept in the library during Flex Time (sometimes with as few as 30 students), limiting access to materials for those who want to learn. 

On page 18 of the proposed budget, the revenue for Gifted and Talented has been cut from $426k to $371k.  I understand that this is due to estimates from the Utah State Office of Education.  I was told that expenses were reduced to meet revenues which means that we are cutting programs.  We are cutting this budget by 13%.  Concurrent Enrollment revenue projections fell from $760k to $419k meaning that we are cutting this program by a whopping 45% and AP revenue projections fell from $375k to $327k.  Money drives programs and without the board allocating funds to make up for decreased revenue, we will be cutting programs for our advanced students.

Even a year ago, we offered more options for advanced students.  Alpine Online offered multiple AP classes as well as foreign languages and other advanced science, math, and English classes.  When Alpine Online was revamped last year, it was refocused on grades kindergarten through 8^th and high school was changed to East Shore Online and was stripped of almost all advanced classes-no more AP classes, no more foreign languages.  When I inquired as to the dramatic change, I was told that the focus of Alpine Online had shifted to serve the roughly 1400 students who were just shy of needed credits for graduation.  I understand the value of helping students who need services-we provide programs like double dosing in younger grades and packets for high school students.  But we should not sacrifice giving our advanced students a phenomenal education.  We should not sacrifice one student’s success for another’s.

Whenever I am looking at the budget, I always ask, “How does this benefit students?”  If we are spending $100k to celebrate ASD’s 100^th birthday, then we should have funds to create programs that directly benefit students.  I would ask the board to reevalute the cuts to Concurrent Enrollment and Gifted and Talented Services so that we do not do a disservice to our students who can succeed beyond our wildest dreams if we only give them the tools to do so.

Thank You."
Two other individuals spoke, basically asking for the same things I did-taking out the $100,000 for the birthday celebration and putting more money into Gifted and Concurrent Enrollment.

When John Burton (the school board president) asked for a motion to approve the budget, Debbie made a motion to approve it and Scott seconded her motion.  During the discussion, Brian made a substitute motion to move $75,000 from the birthday celebration to Gifted and Talented Services.  During the discussion, Rob clarified that there would be money from this budget year to carry over to the next budget year for some of these services, but he would not know how much until after the fiscal year ended on June 30th.  Wendy also asked for clarification from Dr. Henshaw if my assessment of Alpine Online was correct and he confirmed that the school had been turned from academic achievement to a remediation school.  He stated that had occurred due to the need-the district is consumer-driven and has to look to what the greatest need is.  Wendy seconded Brian's motion, but they were the only ones to vote yes on the motion and it failed.  Wendy made a substitute motion to put $75,000 from the celebration, $42,000 from the professional dues, and another $25,000 into instruction to hire additional teachers.  She mentioned that Timberline and Mountain Ridge had a need for a second ALL class.  Brian seconded her motion, but only they voted in favor and it failed again.  Paula started to submit a substitute motion, but withdrew it.  The original motion of accepting the budget as is passed, with only Brian and Wendy opposing.

Sometimes it gets frustrating to go to board meetings and see little change.  It is frustrating-but this is the mantra I try and live by:

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."  Edward Everett Hale

I hope I brought some things to light and I will continue to work to make ASD the best school district it can be!

Why I Am OK With Rejection

About a month ago, I interviewed with the board of directors for the Alpine Education Association (AEA).  I recently received a letter stating that they would not be endorsing me as a candidate.  And I am OK with that.  Let me explain why.
I stated at the beginning of the interview that I was a mom, not a politician and that I would answer their questions honestly and openly and not just tell them what they wanted to hear.  During the interview, I was asked my stance on Common Core and SAGE which I have been clear on (not a fan of either).  I do not support Common Core and opted my children (with the exception of my 9th grader) out of SAGE.  I was also asked what assistance I wanted from the teacher's union if I was endorsed by them.  And I think this next part is where I lost them.
I stated that while I would appreciate their endorsement, I would accept no money from them.  I stated that my ultimate responsibility was to the students of Alpine School District and that I did not want to ever hesitate or second guess a decision I felt was in the best interest of these students because an organization had written me a check.  I do not want to be beholden to any organization.  And I stand by that.  My goal is to fund this campaign entirely through my own money or possible individual donations, but I will not accept money from organizations.  I want to avoid even the appearance that anyone has me in their pocket.  One of my biggest frustrations with politics are individuals who only worry about what is in the best interest of their political party or their state instead of what is the best thing for our country.  I want to represent the children of Alpine School District as an advocate with integrity.

Transparency

trans·par·ent
a :  free from pretense or deceit :  frank

b :  easily detected or seen through :  obvious

c :  readily understood

d :  characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices

One of the things that I believe in is transparency.  When I talk about transparency, I am talking about 2 things-fiscal transparency (how are my tax dollars and your tax dollars being spent) and the way in which the public is informed about our schools and decisions being made regarding them.  I think our district does a good job with transparency, but I think there are some improvements that could be made, particularly with the school board.
Let's address the fiscal transparency first.  I am a total nerd and love being able to scroll through the hundreds of pages of financial documents that are available each month with the school board documents.  But in that, there is a bit of a problem.  There are hundreds of pages of financial documents each month.  These documents are often posted the Thursday or Friday before school board meetings on the following Tuesday and I wonder if school board members have enough time to review hundreds of pages of documents.  Some of those pages are easy to scroll through-Kelly Services is the company we use for substitute teachers, so those pages are easy to say are legitimate and justified.  And there are lots of charges for things like pizza and fruits and veggies-vendors we use for school lunches.  There are also lots of checks for things like utilities.  All of those make sense.  It is the ones that are a little tough that I question.  I should probably forewarn you that I am cheap.  I like a good deal and am pretty conservative when it comes to money.  My husband's car is 15 years old and my minivan is 10.  And I wonder if we as a school district are always getting a good deal.  When we are dealing with a half a billion (yes, that is billion with a b) dollars annually to run ASD, it makes me wonder if we are always looking to pinch pennies.  I have been impressed with Rob Smith-he is the business administrator and does a great job.  But I don't think he has the time to look at every expense and know if we are getting the biggest bang for our buck.
Here are a few of  the items that caught my eye recently:

Foaming hand soap 17,018.88
LEHI CITY CORP/POLICE SALARY REIMB 34,000.00 34,000.00 


 If someone can explain to me why we are incurring those expenses, I am reasonable and can comprehend that.  Maybe it just costs $17,000 for foaming hand soap for 73,000 students.  I believe that the police department and school district split the salaries of police/resource officers in the high schools (which I am guessing is the above check to Lehi police).  OK, I get that.  My concern is that I am not sure we are questioning expenses at all.  Also, the way the annual budget is created is difficult to interpret-money drives programs, but when large amounts of money are put in general accounts, it is difficult to examine how much we are investing and in what.
I would love to see a review panel of a few parent volunteers each month go through those expenses-a set of fresh eyes to see if there are ways in which we can save money.  Do you have other ideas in which we can increase fiscal transparency?
The second aspect of transparency is getting the facts in an "easily detected" way.  At a recent board meeting, Dr. Henshaw talked about some concerns with enrollment numbers in high school, particularly a drop off in students from the October enrollment numbers to the April enrollment numbers in 3 high schools.  There was talk about working with the schools to see if this was due to kids moving out or if there was an issue with kids dropping out.  Dr. Henshaw stated that these statistics could effect our graduation rates and that the important thing was that behind every number there was a student.  Agreed.  Here is where I have the issue-there was talk about "those three schools" and "that one school", but I felt the board was talking about an issue while withholding information from the public and those attending the meeting.  I went home and looked through the notes.  You can click on the link below to look for yourself-it is one page 410.
http://board.alpineschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Meeting-Documents.pdf
I find it hard to feel like discussions are "readily understood" when the board fails to articulate what schools are being discussed.  And to clear things up, here are the numbers.  Lehi High School lost 129 students from October 1st to April 30th, American Fork High lost 88 and Westlake lost 65. Those students could have moved out of the district, gone to charter schools, etc.  My frustration is that the superintendent and board members were unwilling to just state the names and numbers.
I recently was interested in comparing a couple of high schools in the district.  I first got on the ASD website and then the individual school websites to see if I was able to compare.  I scoured Stakeholder's Reports and had little success.  I ended up calling the schools directly who were unable to give me information like that percentage of students passing the AP test and the average ACT score as well as the percentage of students accessing remediation packets to make up lost credits.  I had to call the district and the numbers were significantly different.  If the district believes in transparency, I think that school info should be posted on the website so that parents can do a side by side comparison of schools.  Do you have thoughts about how we can make information about schools more readily available to parents?

Why I Called the Governor

There always seem to be a lot of bills regarding education that come up during the legislative session.  About a month ago, I called Governor Herbert's office to ask him to veto one bill.  Here are my reasons behind my opinion.
SB 257 seemed great at first- a 15 member panel made up of parents that would help with evaluating SAGE questions as well as dealing with parent complaints on curriculum.  But I asked Governor Herbert to veto it.  What?  You thought I supported parental involvement, so why would I ask him to veto the bill?  There were a couple of potential problems I saw.  I think that a parent panel is essential.  But I am concerned that these individuals are appointed by politicians.  I have no idea of the qualifications of these parents and it makes me nervous that a politician might stack the parent panel only with individuals who will vote the ways the politician wants.  I also was concerned that every parent complaint about curriculum went to this State level parent panel, when I see resolving curriculum issues at a local level.  And 11 of the 15 parents on the current panel actually asked for this bill to be vetoed.
I will below a letter that a parent on the panel sent to Governor Herbert.  You can see news articles about the veto of SB 257 below.
Alean Popa Hunt I am a member of the Sage parent review panel, I served with 14 other parents. One who was very vocal against the common core and she too has requested a veto of this bill. I am going to include a copy of my letter to the governor. This bill does not say anything about the "core", it does not provide specifics for when, where how many questions would be reviewed? Utah has 42 districts and 100 charter schools they all can use their own currriculum, yet we are supposed to be reviewing complaints on all of it? Who does the research? No fiscal note attached? GRAMA laws and lawsuits without legal protection for us, the "volunteers". Also, this bill didn't go through an education committee. Senator Stephenson sent it through taxation committee which he sits on to avoid debate. If you watched the e cig bill also when this bill was passed the e cig nill jumped from 5th to 1st on the reading calendar. There was a deal made. 11:40 at night last night of the session as is his standard, just like last year with school grading. By the way PTA looks out for the children. 

March 17, 2014

To: Governor Gary Herbert

cc: Tami Pyfer

Re: SB257

Governor Herbert,

I am a mother of 6, a public education advocate and continue to be a daily volunteer for hours each day and have been in the schools for the last 13 years. It was my pleasure to serve on the Sage Assessment parent review panel, and I would happily serve on any committee I was asked but there needs to be a common sense approach.

I have spoken to my representative, Ed Redd and am including his response to my disappointment in his vote. 

Dear Mrs. Hunt:

I am so sorry. I honestly did the best that I could based on the information that I had after a limited debate at 11:40 PM which obviously was not enough. I thought by voting on this bill that I was giving parents additional input on curriculum review which apparently is not the case. 
I will certainly not take offense if the governor vetoes it. I am so sorry.

Ed Redd

I have had a telephone conversation with Senator Stephenson which was very disturbing. It solidified my belief that he had not thought this bill and its consequences through. I have spoken with the curriculum director for Cache County, Curt Jenkins, and I echo his concerns that implementing this bill could cause a tremendous problem for districts when they have purchased textbooks and then a parent panel decides that there is something not appropriate and that can cause a firestorm. We are a small district and are getting ready to purchase math materials at a cost of $600,000.00-what do we do if someone with an agenda, and there is always an agenda makes this their target?

I am a firm believer in local control. I have been a very vocal parent and have never had a problem that could not be resolved at the local level. When there have been concerns over school grading or standardized testing I did speak to Tami frequently as she was my state board representative and I felt she could be the most helpful in making a permanent change. When a parent has a problem with curriculum or instructional materials it is my belief that they should have a conversation with the teacher. If that does not resolve the problem, visit with the principal, then the curriculum director, superintendent, local school board, state school board representative. At no point do I see a need to involve 15 parents from around the state who are not familiar with that particular school district or charter school's curriculum. As you know Utah has 42 districts and 100 charter schools; they all have the option of choosing their own curriculum. This is how it should be!

Last night on a conference call with Senator Stephenson we were able to ask him several questions. One thing that really stuck out was that he kept using Common Core and Curriculum interchangeably. They are not one and the same, and he should know this. We asked him when we would we review these complaints? How many complaints would we review? Who would do the research? I took notes. Here is his response- "You can review as many or as few complaints as you like. You won't be sequestered. You can do it on your own time from home or at work, whenever you like. You will be like the Supreme Court without any authority. You will shine a bright light on the common core. Wouldn't you like to know every complaint about our core? I would! The USOE will have to do all of your research and provide you with all of the information you need. They will have to log each complaint and then you can decide which complaints you will hear, it will all be up to you." 

To me it sounded a lot like make up the rules as you go!

There is no fiscal note attached to this bill. When we asked him about this he said it was because the USOE had said that they could do it within their existing budget. When we asked him if he had told them they would be doing all of our research, which would be lengthy as we would know nothing about the curriculum in all the areas of the state, he admitted that he had not discussed that with them. Again, he kept referring to this as the 'common core complaint' review. That is not what his bill says at all.

Please consider the consequences and veto this bill. If more transparency is needed might I suggest appointing parents to the already existing Instructional Materials Commission. Our education dollars are too few and too valuable to put at risk the curriculum in the hands of parents who are not trained nor elected to make these decisions.

Sincerely,

Alean Hunt
http://fox13now.com/2014/04/02/governor-vetoes-3-bills-passed-by-the-utah-state-legislature/
http://video-static.clipsyndicate.com/zStorage/syndicaster2/226/2014/04/03/21/08/533dcda911cd.mp4
The next bill that was up was SB 122.

PTA and Where I Stand

There has been some confusion about my beliefs as I am a member of the PTA.  The National PTA has supported Common Core.  I do not support Common Core and I am a member of the PTA.  I am currently serving as the PTA treasurer at Riverview Elementary as well as the Westlake Council President-Elect in addition to being a PTA member at Vista Heights Middle School.  I have been a member of the PTA for years because I support my children and their schools.  I have worked locally with several PTAs and always been impressed by the parents, teachers, and other volunteers who work so tirelessly to advocate for children.  I am proud to volunteer with some of the most amazing parents as they work to make our schools better.  I love PTA and the friends I have made while volunteering.
That doesn't mean that I agree with everything the PTA does.  Just because I am part of an organization does not mean that organization thinks for me.  And I also don't mind making waves.  Last year at the Utah PTA Convention at BYU, I attended a class taught by Otha Thornton, the National PTA President.  I questioned him about Common Core as well as telling him that I did not support the PTA's stance on the issue.  I served as the Utah Delegate for Mom Congress in 2012 and also told Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education that I saw serious flaws in the Common Core and was opposed to its implementation.
So, what is the answer?  It is easy to shoot down Common Core, but what do we do instead?  I am a believer in finding solutions, not just pinpointing problems.  The Fordham Institute (which has been a large advocate of Common Core) assessed math and ELA standards by state.  The math we were using previous to Common Core?  We received an A-, the same grade given to the Common Core State Standards and Fordham actually stated that Utah math standards were more concise and more coherent than Common Core.
What solutions do you see in making sure our children receive an excellent education?

SAGE Parent Meeting

SAGE Parent Meeting:

Harvest Elementary

March 31, 2014

There were 10 parents in attendance as well as Karl Bowman who did the presentation.  Mark Pew and Paula Hill (she came in late) were there as well, but left 15 minutes into the presentation to go to Hidden Hollow for their SAGE presentation.

Mr. Bowman presented a PowerPoint about SAGE testing.  Mr. Bowman stated that about 12 different states were looking at creating a test together, but Utah decided to develop their own.  Students who opt out of testing will automatically be assigned a 1 (non-proficient) as per the State School Board requirements.  Students who have opted out will still be counted toward the 95% participation requirement.  SAGE is a computer adaptive test, which means that when a student answers a question correctly, they are given a harder question.  When they answer a question incorrectly, they will be given an easier question.  There is a belief that this will more accurately evaluate a child’s abilities more than a multiple choice test.  This is the pilot year and test scores are expected to drop about 20%.  (This was not discussed in this meeting, but at the ASD school board work session a few weeks ago where SAGE was discussed, the district will not be loading the non-proficient scores for those who opt out into Skyward.  They will not be a part of your child’s educational history.)

These are some of the questions that were asked:

Can students use a paper and pencil for the test?

Yes, the test is done on the computer, but students are given paper and pencil for the writing as well as the math sections.

Who decides how often to administer the SAGE?

The district wants it administered in the fall as well as the spring.  It can also be administered in the winter and Mr. Bowman indicated that he would leave that up to grade level teams.

Why was this meeting scheduled after SAGE had already started?

Mr. Bowman said he considered it just another end-of-year test that they administer every year and did not schedule it in advance.  There is also a window of time for the test to be administered and they had to look at getting all of the students into the computer lab to take the test during that window.

How much time have students spent practicing?

There has not been a lot of time set aside at Harvest for this and it is something they hope to improve on next year.  Also, there was some concern expressed about 3^rd graders and their typing abilities as far as speed.  Mr. Bowman said that he is aware of that issue and there has been discussion about having more keyboarding in second grade so that when kids start taking the SAGE in 3^rd grade, they will be more proficient on the keyboard.  The school has also been making sure there are enough headphones as well as computer mouses (or mice?).

Can teachers help with computer issues with the test?

There was some concern from parents that the test was counter intuitive in sections, like grabbing a star and repeatedly dragging it into various boxes.  Instead of typing the number answer, students grab the number from a vertical number line.  Mr. Bowman said that teachers would be able to assist in questions regarding the computer, but not content.

What Do You Think About Common Core?

I had a friend contact me today and say that someone had told her I was pro-Common Core.  I want to respond to that and let you know where I stand.

So, here is what it really comes down to.  No, I do not support Common Core.  I have had kids in schools for 10 years-8 schools during that period in 2 different states.  During that time, I have noticed a pattern in education.  Every 2-3 years, the new shiny thing comes along which will save education.  What we actually end up doing is spending millions of dollars, pulling teachers out of classrooms to train them on how to implement the new shiny program, and in the end, my children and your children lose out.  For me, the solution is simple.  We put phenomenal teachers in the classroom and then get out of their way.
I want local control for my children. I want a voice in their education and that is a large part of why I am running for school board.  I want to hear your voices.  How do you want to improve our schools in Alpine School District?

Letter To Board Members Regarding the Self-Administered Medications Policy

The following is a letter I sent to ASD board members on March 18, 2014 regarding the updated policy they were presented for self-administering medications:

Dear Board Members-                                                                                                                               

I appreciate your willingness to examine and update your policy regarding Epi-pens and other life-saving medications.  I do have some concerns that I would like to share with you before the board makes a final decision on the updated policy that has been presented.  I understand that you consulted your attorneys as well as the Utah County Health Department in updating this policy.  I do believe that not including parents was a mistake.  While I appreciate and value the input of these professionals, parents of children who are living with life-threatening conditions have important and essential insight as to how to treat these conditions.

My first concern is with 1.1.6 that states that “a district employee may not administer hypodermic syringe injections or “shots” without express written permission of the Director of Student Services.”  I am concerned that this policy would prevent teachers and other ASD employees from administering life-saving epinephrine should my daughter go into anaphylactic shock and be unable to self-administer her medication. 

I also see potential problems with 2.4, 3.4, and 4.4.  The new policy eliminates parents from having a say in how and where their child’s life-saving medication is stored.  While I appreciate the valuable work that administrators and nurses provide, placing this decision solely in their hands can lead to major problems.  A high school principal may have 2,500 students and school nurses in Utah are one for every 4, 952 students.  To assume that these individuals will fully comprehend the needs of students with life-threatening conditions is incorrect.  I believe that the decision about where and how life-saving medication can be stored should be done “in consultation with parents.” 

I know my child best.  I know what it looks like when she goes into anaphylaxis.  Every time my daughter has ingested a tree nut, she has gone into anaphylactic shock.  I have a friend whose daughter has a peanut allergy.  Her allergy has been treated successfully with Benadryl.  But an administrator or school nurse may not understand the ways our two daughters should be treated differently.  The other issue associated with this is that as a parent, whenever I have signed a field trip permission form for my daughter, I have always written at the bottom, “Please remember to bring her Epi-pen.” An administrator or school nurse may not remember this, but I always do.  Storing these medications in the nurse’s office may seem like a simple solution, but the situation is more complicated than that.

We have actually encountered problems more than once when we have turned in Epi-pens to schools.  Twice when I have gone to retrieve the Epi-pen on the last day of school, the medication has been missing.  One was found at the beginning of the following school year, but the other was never recovered.  While a missing Epi-pen has been an annoyance since they are so expensive, it could have been the difference between life and death if my daughter had gone into anaphylaxis.  We have always provided elementary school teachers with an Epi-pen to be kept in the classroom as well.  I have never had a teacher misplace my daughter’s life-saving medication.  Humans err.  I feel it is better for a teacher to keep this medication in her classroom than in a nurse’s office.  Time is of the essence in treating medical emergencies and precious moments can be lost figuring out who has the key to the medication box in the nurse’s office.  A teacher who has one or 2 children in an elementary class with life-threatening issues will be more likely to keep track of these medications than a nurse who may not know the child.

The other policy I see as having potential problems is 3.6 where it states that “no student is permitted to sell, share, or otherwise give to others any medication, prescription or non prescription.”  Epinephrine does not give you a “high,” it is simply adrenaline.  But it can mean the difference between life and death.  The way I read the policy is that if my daughter has a friend having an anaphylactic reaction and her friend does not have her Epi-pen, my daughter is violating the district’s drug policy if she chooses to give her Epi-pen to her friend and save her life.  Epi-pens only come in 2 doses-Jr. and Adult.  While this may seem like an unlikely situation, with 1 in 13 children being diagnosed with food allergies, it is all too possible that during my daughter’s school career, she may witness another student having an anaphylactic reaction and be in a position to assist.  Epi-pens actually come in a twinpack because if the anaphylaxis symptoms have not started subsiding within 15 minutes, another Epi-pen must be administered.  It is very possible that a child would have an Epi-pen and need another Epi-pen injection, but not have a second pen.  In my experience, children with life-threatening conditions generally have a higher level of maturity than their peers.  They are all too aware of their own mortality.  I am not suggesting that students should be given a free-for-all to trade out and share medications, but I also think there is a basic common sense that in life-threatening situations, there should be exceptions.

My last concern is about policy 3.2 which states that the parent “authorizes the student to have and use the epinephrine auto-injector while acknowledging that the student is responsible for and capable of self-administering the medication.”  I want to clarify that while my student is fully capable of self-administering her Epi-pen, anaphylaxis means that her airway shuts down and she can pass out, rendering her unable to self-administer her Epi-pen.  With her being “responsible” for self-administering, I want to make sure that if she becomes unable to administer her medication, that it does not relieve the school of the responsibility of injecting her.

I appreciate your time and your willingness to hear my concerns so that we can all work together to keep the children of ASD safe.

Julie King