Unanimous vote to keep coordinator position
State Board of Education, meeting in Worland, considers funding after 2017
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Tesia Galvan
Worland High School Principal Kevin Smith shakes hands with Wyoming State Board of Education coordinator Paige Fenton-Hughes on Thursday afternoon while the board takes a school tour. Wyoming State Board of Education Vice Chair Kathy Coon looks on with Washakie County Curriculum Director Jody Rakness.
WORLAND – The Wyoming State Board of Education, meeting in Worland on Thursday afternoon, voted to keep funding the state coordinator position.
Present in the Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees room were Wyoming School Board of Education members: Vice Chair Kathy Coon, Treasurer Ken Rathbun, Scotty Ratliff, State Superintendent Jillian Balow, Sue Belish, Hugh Hageman, Kathryn Sessions, Walt Wilcox, Belenda Willson and Nate Breen.
Wyoming State Board of Education Chair Pete Gosar was present via conference call.
Treasurer Rathbun started the conversation and said, "When we get to the end of this biennium, we're going to have money unspent, and if that money is unobligated or unencumbered money ... it will revert to the state general fund. One way to approach this is to keep that funding within the education realm whatever that amount would be to a board to decide if we can figure what that is and figure out how to apply that to the earmarked position," Rathbun said.
Wyoming Department of Education Chief of Staff Dicky Shanor said, "Do your best to map out what the costs are going to be until June 30 and be very conservative about that project ... to help pay the coordinator position through the next year."
"Part of the problem is coming up with a dollar amount right now," Rathbun added.
Board member Scotty Ratliff said they have to make a hard decision, but they shouldn't cut the coordinator position.
With the coordinator position being cut from state board of education budget after 2017 per legislation passed this year, the funding for the position could come from moving around money from other budgets, Shanor said.
A motion was made by board member Sue Belish, "Once the board has determined, through the treasurer and work with (the Department of Education) on funds we will need until June 30 that the remaining funds be encumbered to use for the state board coordinator position."
The decision to keep the position was unanimous.
Paige Fenton-Hughes is the current Wyoming State Board of Education coordinator.
The meeting continues today from 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. with 15 minutes for public comment from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m.
"The state board of education is dedicated to hearing input from stakeholders across the state and they try to move our meeting around to get people interested in education a chance to come to a meeting and be heard and observe the meeting," Fenton-Hughes.
She added, "They really enjoy getting out to schools and seeing what happens at practitioner level."
