ROCK SPRINGS — Four candidates running for two Sweetwater County School District No. 1 trustee positions shared their thoughts about pressing issues and what they hoped to accomplish if elected.
Among those running for trustee positions are Cole Wright, Danielle Schumacher, Dana Eddy and Kari Cochran. All candidates mentioned that they were parents of current students within the school district.
Wednesday night’s forum was hosted by the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce. Questions were structured and asked by the candidates to each other, along with an additional question from Rick Lee who moderated the forum.
Staff Retention and Student Achievement
All four candidates expressed their concern about staff retention and student achievement within the district. Candidates shared that in their discussions with teachers, staff and parents, a good majority within the district feel they do not have a voice and hope to be that change.
Schumacher stressed the importance of working with teachers to create a better culture and boost morale. She believes that graduation rates are low and this is in part because of the district’s struggle to retain teachers.
Cochran agreed with Schumacher’s comments and said that having long-term subs in place is good, but not ideal for the success of students. The best person to be in the classroom is a teacher. She added that the community needs to work together to support teachers and staff.
Wright, who’s wife is an educator within the district, said that he is aware of a lot of the issues ongoing in the district because he hears about it. He said there is a direct relationship between student achievement and teacher retention. Policy change, establishing high expectations and focusing on accountability were also points he made to boost staff morale and success for students in the classroom.
Eddy mentioned one thing to help fix staff retention is for parents to take a more active role in asking what teachers need in order to help their students achieve higher standards. Making an effort to build a relationship between the community and the district was at the top of her priorities.
Candidate Goals
In addition to seeing an improvement in staff retention and student achievement, each candidate responded to what contributions they hoped to bring to the board by the end of their term.
For Cochran, she said she’s like to see a flourishing budget and graduation rates rise. Building relationships between the different school levels was also one of her priorities.
Wright reiterated the importance of everyone’s voice being heard and boosting the morale among teachers so the district could have a growth mindset. He also pointed out he would like to add additional programs to help every student that may be in a different situation.
Eddy mentioned she’d like to see a complete high school in one location. Her child is a high school student that splits time between Rock Springs High School and the Satellite High School and she doesn’t believe it’s good for teachers or students. She added that she’d also like to help teachers find a way to plan at work instead of at home.
Schumacher said in addition to higher graduation rates, she’d like to see an increase in WYTOPP testing scores at all levels and a rise in ACT scores for high school students. She also said that taking 9th graders out of the high school level should be considered.
