Superintendent Search, Suicide Walk, topics at SCSD#3 Board Meeting

Due to weather, and road closures, the Wednesday SCSD#3 board meeting was held via zoom. School was also held virtually on Oct. 13.

In the preceding work session held at 6 pm, Brian Farmer, Wyoming School Board Association, spoke via video to the board on what the WSBA can do to help them in their search for a new Superintendent.

Farmer said they were advertising in various venues both locally and nationwide.

“We are not sending this to the public at large. We are sending this out to people that have backgrounds and qualifications in educational administration.”

“We often take into consideration the applicants with an awareness of diversity in applications people who represent different backgrounds are often a consideration we make.”

At the end of the day, Farmer said, the major consideration is how the applicants skills and education works with the school system.

He had this to say about finding the right candidate.

Salary requirements were also mentioned, with the median range for superintendents in Wyoming schools similar in size to Clearmont was between $100,000 and $140,000 a year. The board talked about advertising with the lowest salary they would pay, and there could be negotiations after that.He had a process for when the board had narrowed the pool down to three or four candidates, urging the board to set up a day for the new applications to tour the school and the town so they could get a good feel for the community.

At 6:30 the board moved to go into the Clear Creek Recreation District meeting. Stephanie Buhr and Amy Rowe joined the board via video.

Misty Stoll asked about keeping the rec district building open 24 hours, but Buhr said that insurance cost was prohibitive, and even if a participant signed a waiver it would not protect the rec district from litigation should anyone be injured. Buhr also mentioned asking Sandy Hirz to send out renewal forms for members who have not renewed their memberships, and they voted to raise Hirz’s salary $1 an hour.

Monica Castaneda, FFA advisor, reported on the Suicide Awareness Walk held in Clearmont during Suicide Prevention Week. She stated around 30 people attended and that $500 was raised for the Lynn Latham Memorial Scholarship. She also talked about QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training, to help people who may be contemplating suicide.

Timber Buhr, Abby Odegard and Shelby Fennema, FFA members, joined the discussion as well, noting that there were several booths dedicated to suicide awareness, and Fennema felt the FFA should make this an annual event.

Due to the adverse weather conditions and highway 14 and 14/16 being closed from from Tuesday afternoon through early Thursday morning, school on Wednesday was held virtually. Superintendent Brown asked the three students joining the board how they felt about the day, adding it would not have to be made up on a Friday. All three students agreed it worked well, but they were glad they didn’t have to do it all the time. Timber Buhr felt it was better than having to walk through the snow to get to school.

Jennifer Betz gave an activities report, mentioning that two band students, Kamy and Dellana Michelena, each received a $1000 scholarship to participate in the Wyoming All-State Marching Band. Kamy and Dellana, along with Will Betz. were nominated for the Northeast District Honor band.

Greg Rohrer, business manager, reported that A/C School was still in good shape financially, having 92% of the budget remaining.

The board also approved the hiring of Lauren Hallcroft as K-12 Special Education Paraprofessional.

The dress code was also briefly discussed, then the board adjourned at 8 pm to go into a special meeting.

Next meeting will be November 10 at 7 pm.