School Board candidates discuss education issues prior to election

JACKSON, Wyo. — Candidates running for the Teton County School District Board of Trustees met to discuss their stance on a variety of education topics during the public forum at Teton County Library on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Candidates are vying for the four open seats on the seven-member Board. Incumbents Bill Scarlett, Betsy Carlin and Kate Mead are looking to retain their seats, and three new candidates, Amy Renova, Bill McPeak and Jerry Bosch, will also be on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. Board Vice-Chair Kate Mead was out of town for a wedding and unavailable to answer questions during the forum.

Town of Jackson Legislative Advisor Andy Schwartz moderated the event where candidates took turns addressing the need for staff housing, 2024 student assessment scores , the role of a trustee and over-crowding at the Jackson Hole High School .

Betsy Carlin

Betsy Carlin, a former school teacher and early childhood program administrator, is running for her third term as a Teton County Trustee. She explained that the main role of the Board is to hire the Superintendent, oversee the budget and write County policies for the district. She said that her main strength as a Board Trustee is connecting people and mediating different perspectives.

She said that the approval of the 2022 SPET measure to fund the Bronc Achievement Center will help relieve some of the capacity issues at the high school. When asked about staff housing, Carlin said it needed to be prioritized.

"Christine Walker (Founder of Navigate Community Housing Solutions) came in to do a big housing study for us to determine what might work for the school district," Carlin said. "We are going to start with 24 apartments that will be by the Middle School."

Bill Scarlett

Bill Scarlett, a financial/investment advisor and former community banker, is running for his third term as a Trustee. He said that his role on the Board has been as a project and audit leader.

"I formed the finance committee to create systems that have been beneficial to the taxpayers," Scarlett said.

While addressing the lack of housing for teachers, Scarlett said that the Board needs to work with the State legislature to change the district's financial model to better recognize the cost of living in Jackson. He said that his main goals are fixing the high school's capacity issues and adjusting the district's funding model to help raise the teachers' wages. He also stressed that the Board needs to work with teachers to better assist student learning.

"We saw three years ago that math was an issue in the Middle School," Scarlett said. "We figured out a way to change the curriculum for K through 5 into Middle School and now they are on top of the trajectory."

Amy Renova

Newcomer Amy Renova, who currently sits as Vice-Chair on the Teton County Fair Board, said that one of the reasons that her family chose to stay in Jackson was because of the district's "blue ribbon schools." She said that she is running for Trustee to help ensure that her children and all students have the best opportunities to succeed. Renova believes that there's a need for home studies to help assess student mental health needs.

"It's super important that there's a strong relationship with home life and the school," Renova said. "It's the staff that might identify when a child needs extra help. Teachers have the best interests of our children at heart."

She said that the district isn't being heard at the State level and that if she's elected, she will take the time to learn about what can be done to help educators and students.

Bill McPeak

Bill McPeak, a retired school teacher who now works as a football and softball coach, said that he would be a strong advocate for teachers, students and parents if elected. When asked about the role of the School Board, McPeak said that Trustees are there to support the administration, but if teacher and parent needs aren't being met, it's up to the Board to find out why.

"Besides the need for housing and higher salaries, I want to examine other reasons why teachers don't stay," McPeak said.

When responding to this year's student academic assessments, which are still below pre-pandemic levels, McPeak said it's important to analyze the test scores to solve any problems. He stressed that classrooms with a high student-to-teacher ratio make it difficult to help students who need extra assistance.

"How can you pay attention to the ones who have problems?" McPeak said. "It's a constant problem for educators. Put the pressure on the legislators for adequate funding."

Jerry Bosch

Jerry Bosch, a football coach and lawyer, said that if elected, he would listen and have truthful conversations about people's concerns.

When asked if schools provide adequate mental health services, Bosch said that the district could expand its services to help identify kids who might be hurting. He also said that a big issue is the decrease in student test scores since the pandemic.

"I love this district, but our State ranking for English Language Arts proficiency was 7th, it was 12th in math and 14th in science, among all of the other schools," Bosch said. "This is where we need an honest conversation and say where is the problem? I was told that we need more help in the classroom. I know we can do better, and we will."

Early voting is happening now and the election is on Nov. 5

At the end of the forum, Schwartz thanked all the candidates and emphasized to the audience that the upcoming election will be critical for education in Wyoming.

"What happens in Cheyenne happens here, pay attention and make your voices heard," Schwartz urged.