Superintendent Stults Talks About Back to School in SCSD#2

Schools in SCSD #2 will start on August 29. Scott Stults, superintendent at SCSD#2, talked about the upcoming school year.

Although he said that the pool of applicants for new teachers was lower than it has been in the past, Stults said that he felt like they hired great staff this year.

He said they are still hoping to fill the position of a machining teacher at the high school as last year’s teacher retired.

He said every other teaching position is filled for this year.

Stults said SCSD#2 was lucky to have a great community that supports education. They emphasize and reinforce the need for parents to be engaged in their children’s education. He added that a good education for children starts at home through supporting and having education as a priority, and that parents prioritize children being in school, regardless of what grade it is. He felt that parents should be involved by coming to the school, so they can see the great things the teachers there are doing.

“We encourage that,” Stults said, and added,

He also said that enrollment is pretty consistent with what it has been. In SCSD#2 there is normally around 3500 students in K-12. He said they didn’t know exactly right now just how many will be enrolled this fall, but he said that last year the enrolled was down somewhat.

When asked what he has planned for the schools for the upcoming year, Stults said, “Our district is one of the few that doesn’t have initiatives, meaning every year they focus on something different.” He said that they plan to continue to use the strategies that have been working, and continue to provided enrichments and intervention if necessary.

He said they continually monitor the students to make sure they are on the right track.

“We are always refining what we do,” he added. He also mentioned that the teachers worked all summer to make sure that they are addressing the needs of the students. They want to make sure that the students get it, and they will intervene immediately if a student needs extra help.

The WY-TOPP assessment tests measure areas of strength and growth in the students. Using these tests are a way for teachers to see if there is anything that needs to be changed, or any areas where the students might need extra help.

He said that the WY-TOPP and ACT scores continue to be at the top of the 48 school districts in the state. “In ACT we are in the top five every year, sometimes in the top three.”

Stults also talked about the new teacher housing,

He added that a lot of teachers in Sheridan rent, and this temporary housing can be a bridge while they find something more permanent to rent or purchase, and it gives them an option.

He said that a good school has to have good teachers, good staff, and parental involvement. “It’s the whole package,” Stults said. He added that the data says the quality of the teacher has 6X the impact of any other factor that these students a have an opportunity to come across. “A teacher makes that much difference.”

The schools, teachers and staff at SCSD #2 welcomes all students and parents for the upcoming school year.

The back-to-school supply lists for each school in the district are available at SCSD#2 website.