EVANSTON — Surveys suggest school district communication and relationships have improved this year.

The Uinta County School District No. 1 board met for a special meeting on Monday, July 31, spending most of the time going over the end-of-the-year surveys, past changes and new goals. The work lasted from 6 p.m. until almost 9:45 p.m. This was also the first meeting that was recorded (although live streaming was not up yet). 

The principals and department heads, who surveyed their staff, almost unanimously said communication is better but people want more communication and a more involved administration. 

CFO John Williams faced different struggles in his office; he said his office has gone through six payroll officers in the last three months. This has led to a lot of cross training while the office dealt with end-of-year duties. 

Thomas later lauded Williams, saying that Williams underspent the budget by $400,000, which will go toward expenses in the new fiscal year. Thomas also said that the 2017-2018 budget is healthy and that the board has been very wise with public money. 

The board also examined the surveys given to all staff this year. Overall, nearly everything improved. One of the most drastic improvements the survey indicated was that teachers feel they have more input in curriculum decisions. 

Board chair Cassie Torres thanked everyone for their transparency. Torres said that in the past year principals have gone from wanting to stay out of the limelight to racing to the microphone to share their schools’ achievements. Torres said she hopes that momentum and enthusiasm will continue.  

Superintendent Ryan Thomas commented that this time last year, every school had a different principal except for Evanston Middle School. Trustee Kim Bateman praised the principals for their work and dedication in the midst of a lot of change. 

“There’s been a lot of controversy. There’s been a lot of tears. There’s been a lot of hate and discord, and I want to commend you, because every single one of you have come through this trying time for our district with just raving colors,” she said. “You have made a really sad time in our district bearable, and we never would have gotten through it without each one of you.”

Thomas also said that the principals are very eager to move forward with changing professional development days from half days to delayed start days (probably on Mondays). This structure would make professional development more regular and have less of an impact on the school day. However, Thomas said he wants to make sure the teachers are invested in it first. 

“Until we get the staff behind us, we can’t get the parents behind us,” he said. 

Trustee Kay Fackrell commented that the school district should also look at the late start idea from the perspective of single parents.

Moving on to other discussion, Thomas said that the board accomplished a lot of work this year, including approving 11 policies in 12 months and updating three regulations.

Upcoming policy changes — to be discussed at today’s meeting — will be on alcohol testing and facility use. Thomas said the facility use policy will end up pricing some people out, but in past board meetings, the board learned that school facility rentals often come at a lot of expense and hassle to the district. 

Thomas also wants to improve the schools’ physical security (especially before addressing the School Safety and Security Act passed by the Wyoming Legislature this year) and make expectations for behavior and safety more uniform. Thomas said the school district can use 10 percent of its major maintenance fund — about $180,000 — for physical safety improvements. 

The school district also crafted a new strategic plan, vision and mission last year, but Thomas discovered that most teachers do not remember even the strategic plan or goal, so the vision and mission will be simplified. The new vision is “that all students are prepared to meet the demands of 21st century citizenship, careers and post-secondary education,” and the new mission is “to provide powerful instruction that is relevant and challenging” and to “commit to provide daily experiences that prepare students for the 21st century, build positive relationships, and encourage maximum student effort.”

Thomas thanked the board for never panicking about the budget this year and for supporting him and the staff. 

“Unfortunately, we’re looking probably at another year of something similar, or worse,” Thomas said of the budget. 

There are some changes mapped out for the future as well. Wyoming has cut PAWS this year and replaced it with WY-TOPP as the new major assessment test. Brackin said a new baseline could be good in a year with new curricula in UCSD No. 1. 

Technology director Jaraun Dennis said Evanston’s school district has also distinguished itself nationwide, and representatives from other states will visit Evanston to see its programs. 

Behavior and attendance

The board also discussed attendance and behavior trends. Both are on a positive trajectory. UCSD No. 1 had the goal of reducing absences by 5 percent this year and reached about 4 percent. The information sparked a conversation about what the schools can do for habitually truant students. 

Thomas said UCSD No. 1 has a good relationship with the prosecuting attorney, Loretta Howieson, and with the Department of Family Services (DFS). At some point in the process, though, the school district has little clout.

“The challenge we have is that some of these kids that are missing 30-40 days, it doesn’t matter what we do,” Thomas said. 

Brackin repeatedly said it is possible to take some negligent parents to court, although Thomas said later that the penalties are minimal — just a $25 fine and 10 days in jail. He said he would like to see the law updated with extra teeth.

Referring to an unnamed family’s situation, Welling wondered why the school district cannot do more to get some kids to a guardian who cares about their attendance and education. She said student motivation is only part of the picture; family factors play a huge role as well. 

Thomas said the schools and teachers also need to improve their attendance record-keeping. The school district can use attendance records to help identify at-risk students.

Thomas also said the school district does not send a 10-day letter without seeing actual educational neglect involved. However, one of his concerns was that every time he puts forward legislation to address additional penalties for habitual truancy, the legislators don’t look at it because they err on the side of parental autonomy.

Torres, who works for DFS, said removing children from a home is the worst-case scenario; the intent is always to improve relationships within the home as long as possible before taking that final step.

Thomas then said there were only two expulsions this year as opposed to 10 expulsions the previous year, and suspensions are down as well. 

Assistant superintendent Doug Rigby said 70 percent of the students who take expulsion alternatives are still enrolled or have graduated. However, because it is costing a lot to use the Boys and Girls Club as an alternative, Rigby and Thomas said they want to look more at in-house options. 

Referring back to the principals’ survey results, Thomas said behavior issues are part of why principals do not spend as much time in the classroom as they and teachers would like.