Not so elementary

The Carbon County School District Education No. 2 Board (Board) met at 2:30 p.m for a workshop and at 4 p.m. on Jan. 21 for a board meeting in Medicine Bow. Before the 4 p.m. board meeting, there was aceremony celebrating a bell that once rang to bring students to school in Medicine Bow almost 100 years ago. The Sun will have more on the bell ceremony in next week’s edition.

Although the weather was made it challenging it to get to Medicine Bow, board members Joe Gaspari, Paul Clark, James Sewell, KayCee Alameda, Georgia Miller, Karen Condict, Charlie George and Kassey Westring were in attendance. Dan Butler was not at the meeting.

The workshop’s purpose was to continue to get a collection of ideas from the communities of Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain concerning the low student enrollment at each school. There has been concern from each community that the elementary schools in each town might be shuttered.

Alameda told the members of both communities who were in attendance that she had been been in Carbon County many years and knew many people from each town. She said there was no quick decision coming. Alameda stressed any decision to close a school weighed heavy with the Board.

Sewell said it was important that the Board is charged with doing what is right for the district and they represent all the taxpayers. He also stressed his compassion for the communities play a part.

Traci Schneider, principal for Hanna Elementary (HES), Medicine Bow Elementary (MBE) and Elk Mountain Elementary (EME) said a concern of the Board was the low numbers attending the schools, were they doing the students a service by keeping them all open. There are six students at MBE and four students at EME.

“Certainly social interaction is a problem, but if the option is to keep both schools open, I suggested combining schools with certain activities,” Schneider said. “Already MBE and EME have taken field trips together this year.”

She said both communities have stepped up with fundraising events to help each school.

“They are really showing their support by doing these things financially, because it is hard and I think they are speaking through these actions how important these schools are to each community,” Schneider said.

Carbon County School District No. 2 Superintendent Jim Copeland said he appreciated Board Chairman Gaspari having the workshop in Jan. instead of Feb. since the meeting was taking place in Medicine Bow and it gave members from both communities better opportunity to attend and give input.

“There are basically three options,” Copeland said. “You can leave both schools open; close both schools or leave one open and close the other.”

Copeland said there was no time frame to make a decision.

“The Board does represent all the students in Carbon 2 and with having five different communities with schools, there are different perspectives,” Copeland said. “It can be very emotional when talking about a school because they are often integral to the community.”

Copeland said he felt the workshop was successful because of the communication between the Board and residents that attended.

“We should not lose sight of what is best for the students, because that is what our priority is,” Copeland said. “That should be our focal point.”

After the workshop, MBE students and staff offered a short presentation sharing the history of, and a small dedication ceremony for, the recently refurbished historic Medicine Bow Elementary School Bell.

“It was fantastic,” Copeland said.

The Board was aware the weather was getting worse, so the meeting moved quickly. The Board approved the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board held on Dec. 17, 2018. Financials were approved totaling $637,895.66.

The Board approved to accept the resignation/retirement from Pamela Glasser, the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow High School (HEM), MBE, EME music teacher effective at the end of May, 2019 and thanked her for her service and dedication. The Board accepted the resignation from Cody Sheldon, SES music teacher effective the end of May 2019 school and thanked him for his service and dedication.

“It is good for them, but sad for us, because both are dedicated and outstanding teachers,” Copeland said.

Steven Priest, HEM principal, gave a short Google Slides presentation including HEM’s goals, improvement plan, interventions and enrichment, resources and celebrations.

The Board approved advertising for bids for design of security vestibules at Saratoga Elementary School and Encampment K-12.

The Board approved to implement and administer a state defined district and school leader evaluation system for the evaluation of district and school leaders as required by W.S. 21-3-110(a).

The Board went into executive session at 5 p.m. and came back at 5:11 p.m.

The next scheduled Board meeting is at 4 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Central Administration Office in Saratoga.