Ten Sleep principal resigns with heavy heart

TEN SLEEP – During the Ten Sleep School Board meeting Monday evening, the board voted to accept Ten Sleep School principal Russell Budmayr’s resignation effective at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

Budmayr, who had a prior obligation, welcoming his granddaughter into the world, was unable to attend the meeting Monday night, stated Tuesday morning that he loves Ten Sleep, the school, students, staff and community but for personal reasons he needed to tender his resignation.

Several community members and staff asked the board to not accept Budmayr’s resignation because he is such an asset to the school. Community member Brian Holiday stated to the board, “There are good principals and there are bad principals and Terill [Mills] has been on the school board long enough to know that we have misfired several times on a principal hiring. Mr. Budmayr is a very, very good principal. He’s always humble, he has no ego, he listens to people and he always decides what’s in the best interest of the children and always goes back to that. I worry sometimes that those traits, those traits of a leader who listens and who is meek, sometimes get translated into weakness or not knowing things, but I can promise you from my dealing with Mr. Budmayr, he knows a lot. For instance I had a problem with one of my kids last year and after

everybody in the room got done speaking about what to do with the kids that need extra help, Mr. Budmayr said, ‘Here’s what the federal law says we have to do, here’s what I recommend we do.’ He’s just a very knowledgeable person and I strongly ask that you don’t accept his resignation.”

He added, “If he has greener pastures and he can make more money somewhere else and he wants to leave, that’s on him, we can’t make him stay but I really believe that he is a very good principal, always wanting to address the situation immediately, always very approachable and I really respect him, so I really strongly ask you to reject his resignation.”

Ten Sleep School teacher Kodi Schwarz stated, “This is the end of my third year working for Mr. Budmayr as a para and two years as a teacher and I have nothing but good things to say and I honestly mean that. The parents of every kid in my class that I have ever taught, that I know of, rave over him. Even just last week, one of my kindergarten kids did a writing that he wants to be a principal when he grows up and I gave it to Mr. Budmayr because it’s so cute, it has the two of them holding hands, it’s adorable, they love him and he’s great. I can promise you, when you guys have kids in school, which you soon will and Chuck [Powell} does, he will care about your kids and he will advocate for them and he has for me. The people who are not for him, are they not going to be for the next guy, because it’s just authority that they have a problem with or it’s the behavior of their kids that they have a problem with. Please, please, please, even if you have never done it before, deny his resignation. Even if you have never done it before, please do that because there are so many administrative positions open in Wyoming right now. We are not getting cream of the crop people, we are not getting second pick, we might get bottom of the barrel, somebody that’s running from some other school. Like Mr. Holiday said, there are some bad ones and every year that I have been here I have seen Mr. Budmayr get better and try harder. Please think about it. I talked to several parents and several teachers today and I had all but one in favor of Mr. Budmayr.”

After a closed session which lasted about an hour, the board unanimously voted to accept Budmayr’s resignation, much to the displeasure of many people who stayed around to learn the outcome of the closed session.