Groathouse selected for new school

TEN SLEEP – The Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees recommended Groathouse Construction from Cody as the general contractor for the new school during their meeting Feb. 13.

The base bid from Groathouse Construction was the lowest of four bids submitted, coming in at just under $27 million. The recommendation and approval of their hiring for the project is still pending on the final approval of the school’s budget that includes both the demolition of the existing school and the construction of a new one by the Wyoming School Facilities Commission.

Another topic of discussion was proposed school calendars for the 2023-2024 school year. Two versions of the calendar were brought forth, calendar A and calendar B. Schedule A has six more days of winter vacation, while schedule B spreads those six days throughout the spring semester and creates an extended spring break. Principal Robert Griffin shared that among parents of students, 50% preferred calendar A, 45% preferred calendar B, and the remaining 5% preferred neither.

In contrast, among school staff surveyed, 72% preferred calendar B, with the reason being that calendar B offers more opportunities to take a break from school work for both staff and students throughout the spring semester. Further discussion will be done before any decision is made.

Superintendent Annie Griffin went over policies 4.01 through 4.11, and recommended approving all on first reading, except an amendment she recommended to policy 4.02. This policy requires a notarized list of offenses be included in the employment application of a person that has a criminal record. Griffin stated that the notarized list was “unnecessary”, as the employee must also submit fingerprints, and a full background check is conducted on any prospective employee.

The other matters of policy discussed are as follows:

4.01, Employment at will. An employee of the district may terminate or may have their employment terminated at any time, and that they are not under contract.

4.03, Essential duties. The acceptance of a position at Washakie County School District No. 2 will be regarded as a pledge to follow directions and policies of the Board of Trustees and the administration.

4.04, Nomination and appointment. All nominations for appointment to a position at Washakie County School District No. 2 will be made to the Board of Trustees by the superintendent.

4.05, Assignment of Duties. Assignment of all classified staff to positions within the district will be made by the superintendent.

Assignments are made on the basis of need and the qualification of the staff member.

4.06, Discipline. Discipline problems will be the responsibility of the staff members.

4.07, Board of Trustees relationships. All classified staff must take their complaints to the administration and if a satisfactory conclusion is not reached, may present the matter to the Board of Trustees after presenting the matter in writing.

4.08, Surety bond. A surety bond in an amount set by the Board of Trustees will be provided by the district.

4.09, Mileage. School vehicles are required to be used before personal vehicles. The use of personal vehicles will require prior administration approval.

4.10, Volunteer fire department and emergency medical technicians. Classified staff members who are members of the Ten Sleep Fire Department and/or EMTs are not to respond to routine calls when there is no one available to cover their assigned duties.

4.11, Keys. Each classified staff will be provided with keys to get into the building and into the areas they need to carry on their responsibilities. Employees are responsible for keys they check out.