Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees candidate speak at forum

CHEYENNE — A candidate forum was held Thursday night featuring candidates for Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees, who discussed their views on the important issues facing the largest K-12 public school district in Wyoming.

The forum was hosted by the Cheyenne Teachers Education Association, whose more than 600 members came up with a list of 10 questions after hearing from teachers across the district.

Candidates were first given the chance to introduce themselves and why they decided to run for the position, whether it was At-Large, South Triad (Area 1), East Triad (Area 2) or Central Triad (Area 3).

Both candidates for the At-Large seat participated, with incumbent Dr. Rene Hinkle facing challenger Tanya Barcelona.

In her opening remarks, Hinkle stressed her connection with Laramie County public schools, and the benefit they provide to the entire community, which is why she wants to continue making a difference in the position.

Barcelona spoke from her experience as a former special education teacher who has a child in the first-grade, and her goal of providing a voice for teachers who may feel they are not always heard.

For Area 1, incumbent Marilyn Burden, who has no challenger, also participated and noted how much she has enjoyed her time on the board since being elected in 2024, after 21 years in the military.

In the race for Area 2, incumbent Brooke Humphrey did not participate, which gave challengers John Weber and Diana Wedl the chance to make their case.

Weber spoke about how he currently has five children attending schools in the district, along with his wife, who works as a special education paraprofessional, and gave his reason for running.

"I want to help my friends that are teachers find people that support them and back them and give them what they need to take care of our children," Weber said.

Wedl spoke from her experience of currently being a fourth-grade teacher, in addition to having more than 34 years of experience in a classroom. She said she believes the board would benefit from a bottom-up problem-solving approach.

For Area 3, Christy Klaassen is not seeking reelection, leaving Henry Bailey, who did not participate in the forum, as well as Casi Crites and Paul Bankes, who both chose to participate.

Bankes staked his claim on his more than 30 years of experience in education, where he helped turn around schools who were struggling and served in a number of different roles, including as a teacher, a principal and an executive director.

Crites gave her impetus for joining the race and explained why she has made an intentional effort to be more active and involved in the district since the COVID pandemic.

"I believe that public education not only changes lives, but if you look back, it has saved lives, and now it's my turn to give back," she said.

The first question asked to the candidates concerned student behavior and discipline, and candidates offered opinions on how to best resolve those issues in schools.

Both Barcelona and Hinkle focused on consistency in regard to the expectations that are set for students, and addressing behaviors from a young age to curb the issue before it becomes a larger problem. Bankes said he believed that to solve the issue, the entire system of discipline and how behavior is addressed must be reviewed to find the root cause.

Crites said she had spoken to many teachers during her campaign, and that one child's behavior cannot be allowed to impact the learning of the 25 other students in the classroom.

Weber echoed that sentiment, and stressed that it is everyone's responsibility — students, parents, teachers and administrators — to work toward a solution.

The next question addressed the raises both paraeducators and teachers had received, and what candidates thought about the overall funding structure.

Hinkle explained that due to the manner in which the Legislature required the funding to be spent, it was siloed from being able to be spread equally among paraeducators, bus drivers and nutritional services, and because of that, the board's hands were tied.

Wedl agreed and emphasized that if the Legislature does not address providing more flexibility regarding funding, staff will suffer.

"I feel strongly when I tell you we will lose our paraprofessionals, we will lose our nutritional services, and until the Legislature helps us to make that change, we are going to be losing staff," Wedl said.

Many of the candidates noted the importance of advocating to the Legislature to tell it how detrimental this could be in the future if the district is not able to pay other positions besides teachers and principals a living wage.

Crites took a different approach and touted the groundwork she has done to meet with every single candidate for House and Senate in her district, to begin building relationships she can lean on if she is elected.

"It comes down to partnerships and relationships and how we build that to make it better for the future," she said.

The next question asked candidates for their opinions on censorship and restricting students' access to books, which has been a hot-button issue in the past five years.

All candidates said they were against censorship, but the decision of who should arbitrate access to materials was split, with some believing parents should have the final say, and some believing the school district has the authority to make that choice.

Hinkle gave an example of how she handled a situation when her daughter wanted to read a book she was unsure of. Hinkle decided to read it herself before allowing her daughter to read it, which is why she believes parents should have a say.

Crites stated her opposition to denying access to children and her belief that learning involves being taken out of one's comfort zone.

The next question concerned what LCSD1 should prioritize to improve culture, with answers varying wildly between candidates. Both Barcelona and Wedl believed safety should be the number one concern.

Hinkle stated the board has to start from the bottom and work its way up to address the issues in the classrooms first.

Wedl expressed the idea of hosting a teacher town hall to allow teachers the ability to provide feedback face to face.

Bankes and Weber also touched on just how important communication is, adding that clear and honest communication would deepen the board's understanding of teachers', students' and families' lives.

The final question concerned what, if any, changes candidates would make to LCSD1's administrative leadership.

Wedl and Crites both noted that they had spoken with employees who had never met Superintendent Stephen Newton, and said that board members needed to have their finger on the pulse.

Hinkle touched on how she hoped to continue the board's work on improving literacy scores and increasing communication between the board and each individual school.

At the end of the forum, candidates were given 60 seconds to clarify any of their remarks and make a final statement.

Bankes used his time to highlight his experience compared to other candidates, and said that, if elected, his plan to "come in with an open mind and no agenda."

Burden highlighted the incredible students and teachers within the district and how much she has learned from her time on the board.

Barcelona was the final candidate to speak, and she emphasized how, if elected, she would provide a different perspective.