Board intends to pursue eight-period day

TEN SLEEP – The Washakie County School District (WCSD) No. 2 Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night to discuss a potential change to an eight-period school day, a staffing situation and approve positions for next school year.

At the April meeting the board was presented with a proposed eight-period schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 school year, which would shorten class periods from the current seven-period schedule already in place.

Responses from teachers, according to Ten Sleep School Principal Levi Collins, showed around 3/4ths at both the elementary and secondary levels supporting moving to an eight-period day. The teachers do believe there is uncertainty with how the schedule would look at this time and how their collaboration or planning periods would look at this time.

Discussion brought up from Collins showed that the committee determining the new schedule ran into difficulty with planning out the day to adjust a new eight-period schedule to include Pioneer Path and an advocacy time to help students without reducing class periods too much.

Collins said that an eight-period day would be a way to help keep students from falling behind and also finding a way to enrich students who are succeeding at the school.

The board felt they need to figure a way to allow teachers to have an allotted time for planning and collaboration and also search for a way to allow for advocacy and intervention with students.

No motions were made, but the board said they intend to pursue the course of an eight-period day. They did not approve an official schedule at this time as they need to iron out the details of an official day before their June meeting.

MUSIC TEACHER

DISCUSSION

The board encountered a budget situation when music teacher Mike Adams submitted his resignation, and later had it accepted after an executive session, where it was learned that Adams accepted a job elsewhere.

The discussion by the board centered on how they were going to pay for the position, as the position would not be allowed to be covered by federal dollars but they would be able to cover half of the position in the next fiscal budget.

The board held a brief discussion whether or not they wanted to fill the position as full-time or a potential part-time split with Worland again. They also discussed potentially using federal funding to cover other areas within the district and to use the money saved from the federal funds covering other areas to cover the other half of the position.

WCSD No. 2 Business Manager Connie Gay said that as of that meeting they were expected to receive $20,000 less than anticipated in the budget this upcoming year. Gay informed the board that she is still estimating the budget at this time and that situation will likely change again before July when the final budget is passed.

Most board members believe that if only a half-time position is hired then that may hurt the program for the higher grade levels if the teacher is not available all the time.

A motion was made to seek one position that would be a part-time music teacher and part-time para educator who could cover other areas of need. Board chairman Jared Lyman opposed the motion because he believed only a half-time position is the better course in order for the board to be more conservative with cuts likely looming next year.

OTHER BUSINESS

The board accepted a preliminary budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which at this time is still an estimate based on last year’s numbers, according to Gay.

The board approved a change to policy 1.15 regarding complaint procedures on first reading. The proposed changes to the policy included extending the period to respond to complaints from anyone other than staff to match policy 1.14 which deals with staff complaints.

This gives the board more time to deliberate and respond to complaints as they currently have three days to respond and hold a hearing if the situation cannot be immediately resolved and only five days after that meeting to provide a written decision from the board after the hearing. This change will be would extend the allotted time to 30 days for the board to hold a hearing and then 15 days to provide a written response.

Another change proposed with the policy will include the principal and superintendent as part of the complaint process.

Dusty Stephenson was named the district teacher of the year and will be honored at next month’s board meeting.

The board approved the use of the BuyBoard Purchasing Cooperative which allows the district to compare bids that have been submitted to national rates to determine if they are receiving competitive bids for projects.

Ernie Beckley, Janet Collen, Crystal Cooper, Barb Lee, Betty Lyman, Neysha Lyman, Ted Kulze, David McGarvin, Mary Mills, Becca Searfoss, Megan Stiffney, Georgia Stocklin and Jess Zierlein were approved as classified staff.

The following staff were approved for extra duty assignments in 2021-22: Desiree Egger as the activities director, Paula Beck Acord for high school and middle school student council, Chawna Wiechmann for National Honor Society (NHS), Adrienne Forshee for general FFA, summer FFA and yearbook, Kate Decker for school play, Acord for ski sponsor and Extender School Year (ESY), Kodi Schwarz for kindergarten jumpstart, Boyd Whitlock for Media Support. The following were approved for class sponsors: Dane Weaver for seniors, Barb Lee for juniors, Forshee for sophomores, Brian Titus for freshman, Sarah Novak for eighth grade and Stephenson for seventh grade.

Coaching positions were approved as follows: Dane Weaver for middle school football head coach, Crystal Cooper for high school volleyball head coach with Kate Decker as an assistant, Ben Schwarz for high school boys basketball head coach and Kyle O’Donnell as an assistant, Tessia Greet as middle school girls basketball head coach, Beau Jackson as middle school boys basketball assistant coach, Desiree Egger as high school track along with Brian Holiday assisting, Kodi Schwarz for middle school track with Gabi Fox assisting.

Corey Rice for middle school football assistant, Sawyer Lyman as middle school volleyball head coach and Ryan Decker as middle school boys basketball assistant were all approved pending completion of requirements.

High school football head coach, high school girls basketball head coach, middle school volleyball assistant coach and middle school girls basketball assistant coaching positions remain open.