ROCK SPRINGS — A discussion about Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Tuesday night spurred conversation about a few issues the district faces.

The event was billed as a district “Coffee and Conversation: Fireside Chat Edition” with Superintendent Joseph Libby and SCSD No. 1 Trustees Melissa Anderson, Chad Franks and Josh Sorensen after the initial promotion of a “Fire Side Conversations” event by Aspen Mountain Medical Center. Anderson is the CEO of Aspen Mountain and recently was appointed to the board.

The “Fire Side Conversations” event flier mentions Anderson, Franks, and Sorensen, but does not mention Libby’s attendance, citing it as an event to build upon discussions that took place during the district’s prior Coffee and Conversation Jan. 29. The initial promotion said the meeting “is an opportunity to come together, listen thoughtfully, and engage in respectful dialog focused on our shared commitment to students and schools.” Anderson told attendees she wanted to use the time to listen to residents’ thoughts.

Libby came prepared to talk about progress on the new Rock Springs High School building, but the topic wasn’t brought up until the very end of the discussion, with Libby saying it will be discussed at the March school board meeting. 

Meeting Length

Norma Stensaas, a former SCSD No. 1 trustee, said the meetings were too long, using the district’s February meeting as an example. 

“I was at your meeting last time and I went home at 9:30 and you hadn’t even started any of the business part of your meeting,” she said.

She suggested the board consider hosting meetings twice a month to reduce their length as the school board had done while she was a member. She said shorter board meetings would allow the trustees from outside Rock Springs and the district employees a chance to go home earlier. She isn’t the only person thinking the meetings were too long.

“I agree with you. They are extremely long,” Franks said.

Libby said the meetings have been long lately due to board recognition of employees, athletics recognition and awards.

Math scores

“Our math scores were horrible,” Libby said about the district’s math scores on last year’s WY-TOPP tests during discussion about math. 

The district saw improvements in English language arts scores and in science from the previous year as part of a strategy focused on English to help students understand what they’re being asked. Libby told the group helping elementary school students with math skills will help solidify math skills and scores in the higher grades. However, that approach was questioned as it doesn’t help middle school and high school students now, with aid classes utilizing computer-based instruction being panned by one parent for not really helping students maintain their math skills when a math teacher could be better suited for the role. Assistant Superintendent Nicole Bolton said the high school is actually overstaffed when it comes to math teachers, saying the district plans to let attrition lower their numbers rather than laying off employees.

Another concern was raised by parents who said their high school students have gone several months without taking a math class, with one parent saying their student is struggling because of the gap between math classes. Questions were also raised about the benefits of a five-day school week versus the current four-day week, with Libby responding that the only data showing an increase in testing scores comes from a year-around school schedule versus the traditional calendar. One of the challenges students face when returning to school after summer break is a decline in their comprehension because they’re not using or building on their skills over the break. Data cited at the discussion shows better testing scores come from students in districts with year-around school calanders.

Improving Communication

Sorensen admitted communication from the district is failing and sought suggestions on how to improve it.

“We have all these administrators and teachers who are putting their lives into it. We have parents who are passionate about the kids, and we’re not doing the best job of communicating,” he said.

Some parents expressed frustration about sending emails to board members about an issue and not receiving a response from them. A few parents also said they weren’t sure who to contact about questions or concerns about a specific school, wondering if they should contact the building’s principal, district administration or a board member.

One suggestion floated to board members was communicating what the board’s responsibilities are within the district, along with an organizational chart showing what different district administrators and staff are responsible for. Libby also explained what role the district’s Coordinator of Communications and Community Engagement, Kayla McDonald, has. He said she issues press releases and other communication from the district, saying she is someone who residents can contact if they have questions about the district. 

Fear of Retaliation

Concern about retaliation from district and building administrators was brought up as well as the Wyoming Department of Education conducted interviews about the special education department within the district. Allegedly, teachers being interviewed by the WDE felt they were unable to speak freely, though those claims were being made people who had heard about it second hand – no one identifying themselves as a special education teacher spoke about feeling pressured to . Libby said he was unable to speak to the allegation, saying he hadn’t heard from the WDE prior to the interviews. 

One parent, Kelsey Hibbs, shared her experiences with the district, saying she was made an enemy when speaking up for her child. She was critical of comments made by Board Chairman Cole Wright during the February board meeting about her refusing meetings with board members, saying she had met with members in the past. She further denied statements made by Libby that they had a meeting, saying she attempted to schedule one with Libby, but it didn’t happen. Hibbs also said she’s also heard of situations where school administrators have dismissed issues raised by students.