WCSD No. 1 approves preliminary budget

WORLAND – The Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees approved a preliminary budget for the upcoming 2021-22 school year during their normal meeting on Monday, April 26.

The board along with Business Manager Charlie Cauffman and Superintendent David Nicholas discussed how the budget would be complex this year and the coming years due to the influx of federal funding flowing into the district due to COVID-19.

They also discussed how this year the budget would remain the same at the state level besides the reduction in funding due to decreased Average Daily Membership (ADM) over the last three years.

Cauffman said that at this time it is a tentative reduction of $463,000 in the budget. Most of the reduction will be covered through attrition as the district has had 13 employees retire and the district is filling just half of those positions.

ADMINISTRATIVE

REPORTS

During the superintendent’s report Nicholas reported that the district is prepared to go mask-free on May 14 after they submit a variance request at the state level. He also said they are working on repairing a fence at South Side that was damaged after a car ran into it a couple years ago.

Cauffman discussed ongoing projects during the business manager’s report which includes the entryways at the elementary schools which have designs finished and plans to go to bid in the coming weeks.

South Side Principal Ken Dietz said that they are holding their Bingo for Books tonight, April 29, at 5:30 p.m. where they plan to give away around 1,000 books.

Worland Middle School Principal Ryan Clark discussed what they are working toward the end of the year, and how he is planning on community service projects for students on the last day of school and is looking for opportunities in the community.

West Side Principal Bruce Miller provided an update on the progress of the garden and outdoor classroom that they started. He also said they will be hosting a fifth-grade track meet and movie on the lawn on May 7.

WCSD No. 1 Curriculum Director/Grants Manager Jody Rakness provided a spot check for the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) which she said showed growth in students and trends going up despite the year of learning with COVID-19 restrictions.

Sanford said that they are prepared for an outdoor graduation on May 16 at 2 p.m. with the only thing forcing them inside being weather. He also said that they are planning to hold scholarship night for students on May 11.

East Side Principal Chris Peterson reported that they have 76 students pre-registered for kindergarten this upcoming year after early registration; he said that they are hopeful they can get 90 students by the time school starts. Peterson also said that they are holding a kindergarten graduation on May 18.

Special Education Director Kim Sanford said that the Wyoming Department of Education Special Programs Unit came in for the first part of their monitor, and are planning to pull 89 files offsite to perform the next part of the monitor.

KINDERGARTEN START

The board held discussion about implementing a new policy that is required by HB0174 that provides for new requirements for kindergarten start date as of Aug. 1, 2021.

As of Aug. 1 in the given year, a student must be the age of 5 in order to register for kindergarten. Under the bill the district is required to implement a policy that allows for students born between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15 to pass a kindergarten readiness assessment and be allowed into kindergarten after board approval.

Rakness said that the district did purchase Brigance Early Childhood as the testing kit for this policy.

The board only held discussion on the subject and did not pass a first reading.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business at Monday’s board meeting:

•The board reviewed policies 3.1 Statement of Policy, 3.2 Responsibility for Selection of Learning Resources, 3.3 Challenged Materials and 3.4 Library Bill of Rights. No changes were recommended for these policies as they were reviewed as a reminder for the board.

•The board approved May 10 as a date to look at capital projects for the upcoming fiscal year which included extended discussion on potentially replacing the bleachers in the high school gym. That along with other capital projects will be reviewed on that date and likely voted upon during the May board meeting.

•The board approved a bid of $50,401 from AAA Water Damage Restoration to clean the air ducts in all of the buildings.

•The board approved a bid of $107,900 from Renner Sports Surfaces to re-spray the track.

•The board approved a request to go to bid for new teacher desktop computers, interactive panels, district phone system and a pool repair.

•The board approved an out-of-state trip for the speech and debate team to go to Denver for the national competition and a two trips for Durr to take students to Washington D.C. from May 29-June 5 and Sep. 25- Oct. 2.

•Cauffman was approved as a representative for the School Risk Retention Program (SRRP) board, Wyoming School Boards Association Insurance Trust (WSBAIT) and for a $100,000 security bond.

•Ninety graduates for the class of 2021 were approved pending successful completion of all graduation requirements.