[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E29-E30]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING KELLY BLANTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. VINCE FONG

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 14, 2025

  Mr. FONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and enduring 
legacy of Dr. Kelly Blanton, an educational visionary who dedicated his 
career to improving the education of his students and peers.
  Born on January 12, 1937, near Savoy, Texas, Dr. Blanton moved west 
during the dust bowl and was raised in Kern County. Through the Great 
Depression and World War II, Dr. Blanton lived alongside his six 
siblings and parents at farm labor camps. While residing at Wasco Labor 
Camp, they supported the family by picking cotton. Discovering his 
early passion for education, Dr. Blanton would successfully pursue 
degrees from Bakersfield College, San Francisco State University, 
California State University, Fresno, and ultimately a Doctorate from 
the University of Southern California.
  With humble beginnings, Dr. Blanton would commit to ensuring that 
education remained a transformative force in the lives of young people. 
Dr. Blanton's career in education began in

[[Page E30]]

1959 as a teacher at Palm Avenue School in Wasco, California. He would 
achieve his first leadership role as Maple Elementary School District's 
Superintendent and later join the Kern County Superintendent of Schools 
Office in 1971. As the 18th Superintendent of Schools for Kern County 
from 1986 to 1999, Dr. Blanton's leadership made our community's 
schools stronger, safer, and more modern.
  During his life, Dr. Blanton introduced educational policies and 
programs that continue to benefit children and families in Kern County 
and across California. He was instrumental in creating alternative 
education programs which have achieved reduced dropout rates and 
continue to provide countless students with a second chance to succeed. 
Dr. Blanton also championed new programs to accommodate physically 
disabled students and provide internet connectivity to the many rural 
districts in Kern County. A leader who believed in giving his students 
and teachers every resource they would need to succeed, it is nearly 
impossible to find a school in Kern County that does not owe Dr. 
Blanton a great debt of gratitude. One of his most enduring 
contributions was the development of the Self-Insured Schools of 
California, which provides comprehensive insurance policies to schools 
across California and now the largest public school health pool in the 
United States. His foresight in establishing this initiative continues 
to provide affordable and comprehensive healthcare for thousands of 
educators and their families. He also helped revitalize the heart of 
the Kern community by both relocating the Kern County Superintendent of 
Schools office to downtown Bakersfield and also establishing Downtown 
Elementary School to serve the children of Bakersfield's downtown 
workers.
  Dr. Blanton is preceded in death by his wife Yvonne, whom he was 
married to for sixty-four years and is survived by his daughter 
Shelley, son Timothy, and six grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me as I express our 
gratitude to Dr. Kelly Blanton for his lasting contributions to our 
community and state. His legacy will be upheld through the lives of the 
children he inspired, the educators he empowered, and the communities 
he enriched.

                          ____________________