GREEN RIVER — Three candidates running unopposed for seats on the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees fielded questions from the Green River Education Association Monday night.
Incumbents Daniel Flom and Tom Wilson are joined newcomer Kenny Shoning in the race. Chairwoman Ashley Castillion is not seeking reelection.
Student Success and Diverse Needs
Shoning said every student learns at a different pace and argued that the end results matter more than the path a student takes to get there. He said teachers should be trained to recognize warning signs when students are struggling emotionally and should nurture rather than criticize students who are seeing things differently.
Wilson, a retired teacher and an administrator, said the state’s method for measuring test scores has changed repeatedly over his nearly five decades in the district. He said that achievement is better reflected in whether a student feels safe, has strong relationships with staff and goes on to graduate. He pointed toward the district’s internship and CTE programs as a way to expose students to the real world before they commit to a career path.
Flom echoes Wilson’s sentiment about work-based learning programs. He cited a recent graduate who earned a welding certification and now works a six-figure job straight out of high school. He said the district publicly recognizes student achievement, from 4-H to sports teams and that staff are trained to notice when a student is struggling.
Fiscal Responsibility and Staff Investment
Wilson described balancing the budget as the board’s top fiscal priority, saying the district is heading into a difficult stretch. He said the district generates roughly $15,000 per student and enrollment is down 129 students this year. He credited the administrative team with consolidating positions in recent years to avoid staff reductions and said the district remains committed to competitive teacher pay despite an uncertain legislative session ahead.
Flom said the district’s funding model is complicated by restricted revenue sources that can only be spent on specific items. He also credited the district’s finance staff and said the district has worked to keep compensation and benefits competitive, including a compensation review roughly two years ago that had covered medical benefits and vacation policy. He also flagged aging district facilities as an emerging budget pressure the board will need to address as the state changes its facilities funding model.
Shoning said budgeting is fundamentally about balance and listening to what the community values. He said staff compensation should be reviewed regularly against other districts in the region and state, but added that non-monetary factors, such as feeling supported and being trusted to do the job, matter as much as pay in retaining staff.
Retention and District Culture
Flom pointed to low staff turnover and few open positions as evidence the district is doing something right, saying decades-long tenures among teachers are common as well as former students coming back to the district as teachers. He described a practice of building teachers up from the bottom, including helping teachers pursue administrative degrees and funding conference attendance. He also said the district has worked to bring pay for non-certified staff up alongside certified teachers within budget limits.
Wilson said the district gave staff a significant raise last year and remains transparent about its budget with employees. He described his hiring philosophy as hiring good people, giving them the tools to succeed and then getting out of their way. He said the district’s culture, not just its pay scale, is what draws people to work there, and that culture is shaped collectively by the community rather than dictated by the board or administration.
Shoning said retention comes down to whether staff feel heard and respected. He said community-building efforts like school supply drives and helping new teachers move into their classrooms are ways the district builds a sense of belonging.
