Murphy appointed to Ten Sleep school board

TEN SLEEP — The Ten Sleep school board interviewed two potential candidates to fill the vacancy left last month by Megan Truman. After interviews the board unanimously approved a motion to appoint Bill Murphy to the vacant seat.

Superintendent Jimmy Phelps, in an interview Tuesday, said Murphy was sworn in following the appointment and took part in the rest of the meeting.

In his letter of interest to the board, Murphy wrote, “Growing up in and graduating from Ten Sleep gave me a great sense of pride and ownership in this community. In the subsequent years my heart has always been in Ten Sleep and I’ve always had county 20 license plates on my truck. Having returned home last year with my family has been a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends and introduce my children to an environment I know will be integral to their academic and social development. Joining the board would present a wonderful opportunity for me to bring my enthusiasm and commitment to this community through service.”

He added, “My true desire is to help Ten Sleep realize its full potential academically and to provide our children with an incredible educational experience that yields a loyalty and appreciation for our school and community. With that, I will strive for the goal that their educational journey will prepare them to be great ambassadors of Ten Sleep, who are well-equipped to thrive and succeed in the varied landscapes of their lifetime. To me, this is an important function of stewardship by all stakeholders and one of great importance for Board members. I am strongly committed to supporting the ongoing development of curricula that supports our children’s greatest competitive advantage, supporting and contributing to a healthy learning culture and the ongoing development of our teachers and staff are of critical importance. My intent would be to help capitalize on the opportunities to introduce burgeoning technologies that both help advance our children’s range of knowledge resources and support enrollment sustainability indefinitely.”

Murphy said in his letter he would be an ear for the community and bring an open-minded approach.

He concluded his letter by writing, “The future is not certain, however there are many bright spots on the horizon. Offering my service to help guide our school community there would be a great honor to me.”

Murphy is employed at Admiral Beverage as the Environmental, Health and Safety manager.

Brandon Weddle was the other candidate.

OTHER BUSINESS

Phelps reported that the start of the school year has seen four students test positive for COVID, with others having to be quarantined due to close contact.

He said the school is following the same protocols as last year in reviewing absenteeism of students and staff and ensuring they can continue to function in-person with hopes that they do not have to go to online learning any time this year.

Phelps said he reported to the board that after the asbestos inspection of the former Masonic Lodge, there is no asbestos in the building. He said he also disclosed some initial floor plans for the upstairs that will be renovated into a new board room and district administration offices.

Currently the downstairs contains the weight room. Once the new school is built the weight room will be moved to the new school and the downstairs will house offices for maintenance and transportation and provide for some additional storage.

Regarding the new school, Phelps said Tuesday that the district received only one proposal for the owner’s representative for the new school design. The bid was “significantly over budget,” Phelps said so it was rejected by the board.

He said they are moving forward with hiring a design architect firm and “might” consider another request for proposal for much smaller scope of work for an owner’s representative for the design phase.

He said they had five architect firms participate in a preproposal conference and all indicated they would be bidding on the project.

Phelps said he was meeting via Zoom with School Facilities Commission staff to score the proposals and narrow the five to three finalists. The finalists will be interviewed on Sept. 30 with one firm to be presented to the board at the Oct. 11 board meeting.

Phelps said the district will look at having an owner’s representative for the construction phase of the new school.

The board hired Gabriele Fox as a special education paraeducator.

The board contracted with Dr. Shania Smith of Smith Psychological Services to conduct the psychological exams for staff members authorized for conceal carry. Phelps said a psychological exam is required every two years.