By Jess Oaks

joaks@torringtontelegram.com

TORRINGTON – The Goshen County School Board met for their regular session on Tuesday, January 9. The meeting was called to order by Michael Sussex, board chairman, at 7:03 p.m. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, adjustments 

“We have a couple of addendums. Under ‘f’ recommended actions, number one under consent agenda, approve editorial revision approve December 12, 2023, regular board meeting,” Ryan Kramer, Goshen County Superintendent said. “Then number three, new business, consider acceptance of additional certified staff resignation, recommendation is to accept the resignation submitted by Lincoln Elementary Title I teacher, Kay Fabricus and Torrington Middle School Math teacher, Toni Scusa, both affective at the end of the 23-24 school year,” Kramer added. 

One other addendum was noted during the meeting by Kramer, was a consideration to offer a half-time teaching contract to Glen Koski as a business education teacher, pending Wyoming certification, letter ‘i’ on the agenda. 

A motion to approve the addendums was given and with proper channels, the motion to approve the addendums as read, carried. 

The board then introduced the 2024 student representatives. Mason Wilkes of Platte River School, Madison Copenbarger of Torrington High School (THS), and Louden Bremer of Lingle-Fort Laramie High School all were sworn into office during the meeting. Each representative then gave a brief introduction to the audience. 

“I would like to welcome them,” Kramer said. “Anna Hartman, who is our representative from Southeast has practice this evening and she was unable to attend so we will swear her in at the February meeting. I am really excited to work with these students,” he added.

According to the agenda, Torrington High School had a school presentation and artwork in the board room.

“Good evening, trustees. Thank you for having THS here this evening,” Dr. Cynthia Porter, school principal said. “I want to mention that what we have presented the artwork is from our ELA classes, our science classes, our social studies classes, our art classes, and our thespian group. Next, I’d like to thank team THS. Thank you for being here tonight and thank you for being a team,” Porter added.

 Porter then walked the board through her goals of the presentation.
“My goals for this evening’s presentation are to inform, educate, challenge and lean in productive discomfort, make requests and finally to ask questions.”

Porter then opened with a brief introduction of what first- and second-order change is followed by the school improvement plan which included several building improvements. 

“The bus loop was a congruent concrete space that had no defining lines for pedestrian traffic, it was basically not safe,” Porter explained to the board. “A place where vehicles could be everywhere. The bottom line is humans like signs and will generally follow them. Easy first-order solution. The simple solution was to get a crosswalk and lines created and a separating line between the sidewalk and the driving lane,” she continued.

Porter continued on, explaining to the board deferent components of THS. 

“THS is a place where we are all like Ellis Island Circle in 1903,” Porter said. “We welcome everyone with no alternative school in our district THS operates with the spirit of being a true public school, everyone is welcome.”

“What I am going to show you next, is going to be hard to hear by as Jim Collins said in the book Good to Great, we have to acknowledge the brutal facts,” Porter said. “There is approximately 32% of THS population that are categorically at risk. By definition they are kids from trauma, generational poverty. They may be cognitively challenged and not on track to graduate,” she continued.

Porter also addressed the vandalism recently taking place in THS. The board was shown photographs of various acts.

“The custodians have been coming to me with these photographs and it needs to be brought to the public’s attention,” Porter said. “Because of the lack of manpower in my building, the only option I have for consequences for students is out of school suspension.”

Porter spoke on cutting of the ESSER funding.

“I am hoping that this presentation will take us to another conversation, a larger conversation that seeks solutions that have some level of creativity to them because again you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnup,” Porter said in closing.

“Question on your statement on ESSER funds, that is going from the funding from the school and that has been talked about and all those staff members are fully aware when they entered into those positions that there would be a possibility that they wouldn’t exist,” Kramer asked Porter. 

Porter agreed with Kramer, noting the facility and administration had prior knowledge the new programs implemented with ESSER funds could be temporary.

“Can I ask what creative solutions you are referring to; I mean obviously you’ve got some ideas,” board member, Lena Moeller said.

Porter expressed she did have ideas and she was concerned about THS meeting expectations when funding is cut.

“Dr. Porter, are you under the impression that the expectations for THS are different than they are for the other two schools in the district,” Moeller asked. “I feel like were dancing around something here and I can’t quite figure out what we’re dancing around.”

After Porter finished answering questions from the board members, the meeting moved on to the public forum.

“My name is Jamie Mehling and I am the parent of three students at Southeast Junior Hugh and High School,” Mehling said to the board. “I am also a 20-year educator.” 

Mehling went on to express her opinion and asked the board to vote against offering Superintendent Kramer a contract for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. She also spoke on her concern regarding the number of teachers leaving and according to Mehling, district policy may be to blame. 

Mehling was also joined in her negative opinion regarding the new four-day school week by Rebecca Cohorn.

Cohorn joined the others in expressing her concern about offering Kramer a contract. 

Bob Peterson asked the board to reconsider offering Superintendent Kramer a contract for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.

A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and it was approved by the board. 

Under old business, a motion was made to approve revisions to District Policy 5137 (Health and Wellness) as presented on the second and final reading. The motion passed with no discussion.

Moving on to new business, there was a motion to approve offering Mr. Kramer a contract for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. The motion passed.

“I just want to bring up one thing really quick, in speaking with our attorney, the common practice is for the new contract to supersede the old contract,” Sussex said.

The board approved the acceptance of the mid-year teacher resignation of Southeast High School half-time business education teacher, Craig Leithead. 

The board approved the acceptance of certified state reignitions of Lincoln Elementary Title I Teacher, Kay Fabricus and Torrington Middle School Math Teacher, Toni Scusa which was passed. 

The board also approved the resignation of Southeast Technology Education – Woods Teacher, Mark Bullington, Southeast schools English Teacher, Jessica Hooper, and Southeast Agriculture Education teacher Jay Clapper, effective at the end of the present school year. 

Next, the board approved offering a contract to Glen Koski as half-time Interim Dean of Students at Southeast Schools and half-time business teacher for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year, pending his Wyoming certifications.

The board also approved items ‘e’, approval for purchasing a metal lathe for Southeast schools and ‘f’, approval of updated Goshen County School District #1 Smart Plan as well as approval for the purchase of replacement mowers in item ‘g’. 

Next the board voted on the approval of hiring a Wyoming retirement system retiree for the 2023-2024 year. The board approved hiring Laurie Kozusko as a driver for the 2023-2024 school year. 

The board moved on to items of discussion. 

“I, too, share the concern about the open positions at Southeast, obviously for very selfish reasons,” Moeller, who is also a Southeast High School alumnus, said. “I wonder if it would be appropriate to create some type of a committee with Mr. (Tim) Williams and any of the teachers out at Southeast to discuss if anything is contributing to that.”

The board organized a committee of board members to meet with all school administration to discuss teacher resignation. 

The meeting wrapped up with the listing of future meetings, development trainings, legislative forums, and the superintendent’s report. 

According to Kramer, results from the four-day school week survey are currently being reviewed.