School district band director resigns effective immediately

The Hot Springs County School District accepted the resignation of band/choir director Dustin Olsen effective immediately at the meeting on June 28.

Superintendent Hunt also reviewed the proposal for the KinderBoost program. He said the implementation of the program will not have a lot of budget impact. The school day will be shortened for students attending the program and a modified bus schedule will allow students to be bussed home at the end of the day. The teacher will also play a role in curriculum and grant writing and will be a full-time position.

Children’s Resource Center employee Beth Lewis said she supports this program. She said it will compliment the other programs already in the community. She said she is concerned, however, that with a shortened day, parents may still keep their children at home. She said she does support the program and feels confident the board will review all options and make the best decision for the district and the students. Trustee Melissa Johnson said the administrative team and board have already reviewed and discussed those concerns.

Hunt said screeners will be used to help decide if a student is a candidate for the program. Trustee Nichole Weyer asked if the students would be allowed to participate in Lights On. She said that because one of the important parts of the program is the shortened day, she would like students to not be allowed to participate in Lights On. Trustee Clay Van Antwerp asked about the impact on future options for salaries and benefits. Hunt stated that as long as no additional staff is hired, there should be no impact. He reminded board members that this is a pilot program to make sure it will work for the district and the community.

The board approved the implementation of the KinderBoost program beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.

The board also discussed BOCHES/BOCES funding. Superintendent Dustin Hunt recommended that the district increase the mill levied for CWC BOCHES for 2016-2017 from 1/2 to 3/8 mill, to terminate Fremont County BOCES for 2017-2018 and replace it with Hot Springs EC BOCES for 2017-2018. The board members were in consensus with Hunt’s recommendation. The mill levies will be approved at the July board meeting.

A student contract with the Northwest Wyoming Board of Cooperative Educational Services for June 3, 2016 through June 30, 2016 was also approved in the amount of $12,135, which included the following services: tuition, special transportation, related services, recreational therapy, behavior consultation, APE, school nurse, extended school year, school social work, parent counseling, psychological counseling, 1:1 aide, behavior specialist/transition and occupational therapy.

The 2016-2017 Thermopolis Middle School student handbook, the TMS and Hot Springs County High School activity handbooks and the transportation handbook were all approved by the board. Superintendent Hunt shared that the administrative team will be reviewing attendance protocols for consistency. Chairman Tobi Johansen asked about excessive absences. Thermopolis Middle School Principal Breez Daniels shared her experience with the local court system and filing education neglect charges. The county attorney considers around 18 absences to be excessive and will consider filing charges at that time.

Food Service Director Cindy Wallingford shared with the board that she would like them to research and think through the suggested restructuring of the food service department to make sure it is truly in the best interest of the students.

FFA Advisor Briton Van Heule attended the meeting to recognize FFA Alumni. The group does fundraisers throughout the year to support the local FFA students to attend different functions and to bring agricultural awareness in the community. Mandy (McDonald) Wilson and Tina Kissell shared the different fundraisers and events the alumni is hosting.