Dooley to replace Hake on Worland school board

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s General Election showed Washakie County School District No. 1 Board incumbents Brett Argeris and David Tommerup keeping their seats as four-year term members. First-term incumbent Jonathan Hake was unseated by newcomer Becky Dooley.

Tommerup, who has served as chairman for multiple terms, received the most votes with 2,165. Following him were Argeris with 1,767 and Dooley with 1,622. Hake lost by 19 votes with 1,603. Shane Seghetti received 733 votes, and 27 write-in votes were cast.

In a questionnaire previously answered by Tommerup, a 20-year member of the school board, he stated he was excited to continue the work, especially the development of the new alternative school Whitehawk Academy, and he commented, “brick and mortar. This has been very successful this year and provides students the same opportunities as our traditional school, but with more one on one education with focus on their career paths and provides a ‘family’ type setting in which every student is held accountable, and their needs are addressed individually. As a board member I really want to see this through and continue to work down into the middle school to give our students many opportunities that they can consider for the future careers in life. This also helps our elementary students see the opportunities that our older students are doing and receiving. I really love the community involvement and participate myself.”

In his questionnaire, Argeris answered why he ran for re-election, stating, “I am running for re-election for several reasons. As an active board member, I have been deeply involved in some of our most exciting programs. Over the past few years, our board has set several goals, including the development of an alternative school to address dropout rates and provide unique experiences for students. We have implemented specialized educational pathways, such as our certified nursing assistant program and CDL heavy equipment training, to better prepare students for life after graduation. Additionally, we are making changes to enhance our students’ academic competitiveness with schools across the state and nation. I have been committed to this process and recognize the importance of maintaining our focus and continuing our hard work for the benefit of our students.”

Dooley answered, “I have spent approximately 30 years working on telecommunication boards and associations focusing on my company’s (Range) interest — keeping my participation in community interests for a period when I would have more time to dedicate to it. I have spent an enormous amount of energy into making Worland and our other 15 markets ‘future proof’ with an extensive fiber optic network. Now it’s time to devote my energy to my community by serving as a board member on WCSD No. 1. My work experience has given me a strong understanding of how to manage taxpayer dollars in a fiscally conservative way.”

WASHAKIE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD NO. 2

The three incumbent school board members in Ten Sleep ran unopposed and gained re-election for their four-year terms.

Jared Lyman received 368 votes, Chairman Erin Blutt had 318 and Shana Harstad had 317. Twenty-four write-in votes were cast.

School board members take office next month.