School board trustee David Banks resigns, currently seeking replacement

The Big Horn County District #1 school board met on Thursday, Sept. 12, in Cowley, where chairman Joseph Bassett announced that David Banks of Cowley had sent a letter resigning from the Board effective September 13.

Superintendent Matt Davidson expressed his appreciation for the number of years Banks has given his time and energy to the school district by serving on the board of trustees. He explained that Banks’ replacement must be a person from the Cowley area, and anyone interested in serving on the board should write a letter of interest and send it to the district office prior to the next meeting, October 10, when the new trustee will be announced and sworn in.

Employees of the month were announced and recognized: Chris Townsend of Rocky Mountain Elementary for her leadership with the testing team, her willingness to help in the lunch room and meeting with the PLC teams to improve student success; Brenda Brost of Rocky Mountain Middle/High School for her multi-tasking abilities to keep everything running while helping everyone who asks for help, and her positive tone in the office; Karen Henderson of Burlington for her willingness to step in as full-time librarian while jumping right into the summer library activities, quickly learning the technology necessary and being part of the celebration team; and Laura Wells of Connections Academy for being an asset since 2016, fulfilling many roles in differing grade levels and doing whatever is best for students.

The board had several presentations from students to thank them for their support. Burlington FCCLA members Jordan Casey, Weston Gotfredson and Kyler Winters were first up as they thanked the board for helping them attend the national FCCLA convention in Seattle. They brought home a bronze medal in entrepreneurship. When asked what their biggest takeaway from the trip was, the students said that the city was a lot bigger than Burlington and had so many different types of people. They were also grateful for the feedback they received giving them ideas about how to start an actual business.

Next, members of the Rocky Mountain High School FBLA chapter, Tarynn Schoening, Lauren Bassett and Alex Hedges, thanked the board for helping them attend the national FBLA convention in Orlando. Hedges explained that 17,000 students attended the convention with all states represented and several countries, as well. When asked about their takeaways, the students responded that they realized just how hard they had to work to get the opportunities they wanted. They really enjoyed the workshops presented, and the landscape which was so beautiful and different.

The last student presentation came from Burlington High School seniors Jordan Casey, Weston Gotfredson, Levi Wardell and Rylie Trujillo. They requested the board’s financial support for their Senior Capstone Project. The project consists of about 12 students taking a trip starting in New York and eventually ending in Washington, DC. They asked for the board’s approval for two advisors to accompany them and a bus to get them to and from the airport. The board approved their request later in the meeting.

Daniel Robertson then came before the board to report on the trip to Scotland that was taken by the Cultural Diversity Club in April 2024. Robertson told the board that, not only was the trip a great cultural experience, he felt the students gained a great deal of self-confidence as they navigated through a foreign country. The club had a membership of 25 last year, and 21 of those students are returning members this year.

Superintendent Davidson commented that all of the student activities aligned perfectly within the District Strategic Framework under the Pillar of Potential, noting, “We create opportunities for individuals and groups to pursue their potential.”

RMMHS principal Betsy Sammons brought a proposal before the board to form a Lego League Robotics Club at the middle school level. The club would begin this year and transition to the high school next year. The club builds a robot and programs it to fulfil an assigned task. At the end of the year, the members compete against other clubs to see whose robot completes the task most successfully. The board approved it unanimously.

Vacant lots

Superintendent Davidson informed the board that the mayor of Frannie, Steven Richardson, had been in contact with him about the vacant lots next to the old Frannie Elementary School/current Frannie Town Hall. The mayor told Davidson they are an eyesore, full of weeds, and he could not find any evidence that the school district had deeded the lots to the Town of Frannie, as they did the school building.

Davidson took a drive to Frannie to see the property in question. He said they were indeed an eyesore, and something needed to be done. Trustee Jared Boardman called his father, Russ, a former member of the school board, and Dave Monk, former chair of the school board, was in the audience. Both agreed that the intent of the board was to include the vacant lots in Frannie with the school property when it was deeded to the town.

Davidson will investigate minutes of previous board meetings to document the intent. Added Chairman Bassett, “If the intention was clear, we are obligated to honor it. If not, then we will discuss it further.”

Chairman Bassett asked the board to consider an alternative school calendar. He asked trustees to investigate and gather information about a variety of ways to modify the school year. The board will discuss the ideas at their next work session, September 26.

The Board passed on first reading several policies. The first was changes to the Parental Rights policy so that groups like Speech and Debate were not limited as to the topics they were able to talk about. Second, the Professional Staff Fringe Benefits and the Support Staff Fringe Benefits policies have been changed to include Workers Compensation for all staff. Third, the Professional Staff Sick Bank and Support Staff Sick Bank policies had wording changed to clarify the policy.

Fourth, the Professional Boundaries: Staff-Student Interactions policy’s wording has been modified to provide an explanation of acceptable interactions, including hugs, between students, teachers, coaches and other personnel. Last, the board approved a new Advisor Guideline and Incentive Proposal that will reward those who take extra time with students to develop their skills and gifts. It will compensate advisors when the organization includes a greater number of students, when they achieve “Gold Standard” and fulfill their goals as an advisor in an exemplary manner (laid out with specific tasks), according to the proposal.

New hires

New hires approved were as follows: Stephanie Winters, Burlington library aide paraprofessional; Kay Townsend, Burlington assistant high school volleyball coach; Greg Mendenhall, Burlington assistant cross-country coach; Mike Aagard, Burlington assistant middle school football coach; Marvin Timothy Gray, WYCA secondary science; and Stephanie Cozzens, WYCA secondary English teacher.

A resignation from Jesse Dewey was accepted as Burlington assistant middle school football and wrestling coach.

Recognitions were given to the following staff members for years of service: five years – Gerry Burton, Richard Carter, Patricia Casey, Brandi Dearcorn, Harmony Davidson, Aric Hanusa, Trisha Hayes, Jamie Lockhart, Danielle Malson, Sandy McCollam, Susan Peterson, Monica Rivera and Stephen Townsley; 10 years – Tamara Adey, Jennifer Badget, Christopher Bradford, Steve Foley, Cheryl Haslam, Karen Henderson, James McNulty, Kymbre Moorehead, Miriam Ramirez and Whitney Romrell; 20 years – Michael Aagard, Ryan Boettcher and Rancy Grohman; 30 years – Maryanne Bischoff and Rodrick Winland; 35 years – John  Bernhisel.

The board held an executive session before the meeting to discuss network security, district owned property and personnel.

The meeting began at 7:06 p.m. with Joseph Bassett, Jared Boardman, Don Hatch, Dave Banks and Holly Micheals in attendance, and adjourned at 8:38 p.m.