School board watchers, buckle up, Wednesdayâs meeting is going to be a meaty one.
After several months in which the Teton County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees considered two or three action items at each meeting, the board has eight things to vote on at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Included in that heavy slate are a few thorny issues.
School district administrators have recommended amending the boundaries for Kelly Elementary School to reduce class sizes and crowding at the outlying school. The new boundary, which a staff report says would go into effect for the 2022-23 school year, would be Sagebrush Drive, so anyone living north of the road in either Kelly or Moose would attend school in Kelly, while those south of the road would go to Jackson Elementary School.
Itâs been roughly three weeks since middle and high school students returned from spring break and jumped into four days of in-person school â the third educational model theyâve adapted to in just 12 months.
The decision was made in February when the Teton County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees voted to combine student cohorts and welcome everyone back amid a tidal wave of divergent public comments, polls and petitions.
Citing opposing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and independent studies, students, parents and teachers weighed in to voice both opposition and support for the transition. But ultimately, Superintendent Gillian Chapman told the News&Guide the decision to return to a more normal schedule was primarily based on CDC guidelines.
Money is flowing to Teton County students.
The Fund for Public Education announced Monday that the Teton County Scholarship Program had named the recipients for this year s spate of awards. In all, 125 students applied for 219 scholarships administered through the partnership between the nonprofit, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Teton County School District No. 1, with a grand total of $704,300.
âThanks to the generosity of our community, students can take the next steps knowing that we are all supporting them each step of the way, Superintendent Gillian Chapman said in a press release. These scholarships make a difference for our students being able to dream big and go far.
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners praised teachers and educational support staff Tuesday in a resolution recognizing Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week.
Commission Chair Natalia D. Macker said she was excited to recognize our teachers and school and education staff before the board voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
Nationally, Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 3 to 7. The commission s resolution added other educational staff to the group of people it celebrated.
The resolution recognized that, with the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been under particular stress this year.
Teton County School District No. 1 has made multiple changes to how it operates as a precaution against the spread of the virus, which included shifting to a mix of in-person and virtual schooling â a change that required teachers to adapt instructional styles. Educators have also had to spend more time supervising recess and lunch periods, cutting into planning and brea
Construction on Jackson Hole Middle School is set to start this month.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the Teton County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees approved a contract with Century Contractors for additions and remodeling at the middle school. The district received two bids, the other being from GE Johnson, but Centuryâs bid was cheaper and aligned with the districtâs ideal schedule.
The process has been in the works for years, ever since the district had a study conducted to map out options for relieving overcrowding. Building a new school on the grounds received positive responses from the public when the study was conducted, but because the original building was constructed in 1992, it is not old enough for the state of Wyoming to contribute to a rebuild.