ROCK SPRINGS — Sweetwater County School District No. 1 is seeking community representatives to sit on the 2020-2021 Cost Savings Task Force.

According to a letter sent on the ParentSquare App from District No. 1 Superintendent Kelly McGovern, at the end of August, Governor Mark Gordon asked school districts to voluntarily make 10 percent cuts due to a projected $500 million dollar shortfall for K-12 education.

On September 30, 2020, Co-chairmen Kinskey and Sommers of the Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration sent out a letter requesting feedback from Wyoming school district boards of trustees, districts, and communities on what impact the K-12 education budget gap would have on school district operations. The letter also asked for a range of solutions on how to best address the gap. The letter and its attachments can be found here.

McGovern would like the community to think about what these kinds of cuts could mean for the district.

“We would not be immune to these deficits or further cuts. What would a 10 percent budget cut have on Sweetwater County School District No. 1? What impact would these cuts have on school district operations for students, staff, and the community?,” McGovern said in her letter.

In recognizing the challenges ahead regarding the financial condition Wyoming and the District, a Cost Savings Task Force is being formed as an advisory committee to the Superintendent and to the Board of Trustees to provide options moving forward.

“The purpose of this communication is to seek representation from District employees, students, parents, and community members to serve on this Cost Savings Task Force,” McGovern said in the letter. “This Task Force is not a decision-making entity, but rather a committee to provide recommendations to the District. Emphasis is on the importance of collaboration within the District and between our community.”

Representatives will need to commit to attending all meetings on the following dates:

• Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 6:15 – 8:30 p.m.
• Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 6-8 p.m.
• Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 6:15 – 8:30 p.m.
• Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 6:15 – 8:30 p.m. 

Meetings may be a combination of in-person or virtual.

If you are interested in serving on the Task Force, please submit an email of interest to Tonette West, westt@sw1.k12.wy.us by Tuesday, October 20 at 4 pm. Confirmation will come to those interested once the Task Force is formed.

Community and District stakeholders not serving on the Task Force will have an opportunity to provide input during a series of meetings that will be held at a future date.