Citizens have the ability to shape the education received by children

Greetings Hot Springs County Patrons,

The new school year is off to a terrific start.  Students and staff are settling into their classes, and parents and families are establishing their routines. There is a great deal of positive energy at the start of a new school year. For our seniors, they are experiencing their “last first-day”, and for our youngest students, it is the beginning of a journey that will literally change their lives. Having had the humbling privilege of serving children for more than two decades, I have had the great opportunity to see the rewards public education can bring our kids.  

Public education is modeled after the democracy that our forefathers put into place long ago. In our public education system, elected officials serve and represent the interests of the community in which they are elected. Their primary job is to ensure that all students in that community receive a quality education, which will in turn make them productive citizens into the future. Citizens have the ability to shape the education received by the children in our community by giving feedback to your elected members and by voting in the school board elections. Those are the great principles on which public education is based. It does not matter what your personal circumstances are, as long as you have the ability and exercise your right to vote. Our Wyoming Constitution authors realized the importance of providing education as a fundamental right for the citizens of our great state, and as such, placed a high value on achieving this goal within the Wyoming Constitution.

Most of our patrons are aware there is a revenue issue facing our state with the downturn in mineral revenues. I recently attended the Legislative Revenue Committee meeting in early August held here in Thermopolis, and the Wyoming Stakeholder Recalibration for School Funding meeting in Rock Springs. The challenges that lie ahead of our state for funding the services guaranteed in the Wyoming Constitution will be steep.

As we reach for solutions as a state, I think it is imperative that we remember that no one service is less important than the other. We all depend on different state-funded services, some more than others. In a sparsely populated state like our beautiful Wyoming, those services are expensive. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing how reductions in funding have affected our schools. I feel it is very important to note that I am not advocating one service over another. I do, however, have to communicate with our public about the challenges ahead of the District, and in doing so, I may use a comparison from time to time.

To close, please stay tuned as I continue this communication in columns to come. I will close by simply saying I very much appreciate the work of the Wyoming Legislature and would ask them to consider the problem with an open mind. I would also ask they reach out to a variety of constituents, and represent their wishes. Until next time, have a great school year!