001hear what you guys have to say, but being respected's time. Appreciate it. All right, we're going to start with Kelly Betts. Do you comfortable there? You want to come? >> Uh, yeah. She'll give you one. And I think your online people can't hear anything. Okay. So this I am um a parent of some elementary kids here. Um, and I just want to start with I love this school so much and I'm really passionate about what I'm going to say. Um, I'm a K12 alumni. I went kindergarten and graduated here. So did my husband. Um, many in this room are alumni. A lot of them. A lot of them have kids here. Um, and we're sending our kids here because it is a special place. It has been a special place for decades. It is already
002special people. We have like what 57% of out of district kids come here. Um I don't know. I don't know what it is. That's what what I thought it was cuz it's a special place. Okay. And our kids, my personal kids, they are just they're rocking it. We have like the best elementary program. I mean they're I'm so thankful for those teachers. They're doing so well. they're willing to individualize learning. Um, the teachers will accommodate what works best for our kids. Like, I don't know where else you can get that kind of one-on-one learning for these kids. And I'm so grateful and so appreciative. Um, and I want my kids to be here. But what I'm really, really, really worried about is what's happening. um if we don't start talking, if we don't start communicating
003from this level to this level to this level, we're not going to have a school left. You know, it's like I'm so worried my kids won't have AC to graduate from. We can't we can't stop talking. We can't divide because there's not enough of us. Um and what I'm directly referring to is losing 15% of our 712 students next semester. Now, that's not that's that's not very many kids, but in percentages, it's huge. And um I spoke with some of the parents and all of them, this forced participation of the house system is a large part of the reason they're pulling their kids. And 10% of them, it's the sole reason. If they said, you know what, it's okay. You don't have to be in this program. We're not losing these kids. It's is it
004worth it? Now, I'm not here to say this program is terrible because there is kids and there's kids here today that are going to tell you how much it's doing for them. There's some that love it and that is fantastic. But we cannot forget about the kids that it's not working for. We can't say, "I'm sorry, it's not working for you, so you don't count." Okay? So, I'm really looking forward to what these kids that are doing well at this house. So, I'm looking forward that they have to say because that's important, too. It's very important. Um, but the Panther way for students number two says stand up for what you believe in. You shouldn't take no for an answer. If your heart and mind leads you in the direction you feel strongly about, you
005need to stick with it. That's what panther way number two. So that's what these kids are doing. They're saying maybe this isn't for me. So we need to support them. you know, students and parents, they feel strongly and believe that this system maybe isn't a good fit for them. And I think that's okay. That they're not getting, you know, they are getting all the same benefits that some of the other students are, okay? But maybe they're getting them other places that don't work for the kids that are embracing this this uh the house system. Maybe they're getting it in FFA, maybe they're getting in sports, maybe they're getting it at home, ranching, working. there's other places for them to get leadership skills, you know, and it's like I'm shaking because I'm so passionate about this.
006Like I don't want to lose our school over, you know, having to conform to something that in a public school setting should be extracurricular. I don't believe the state requires kids to be in a house system program to graduate. I don't think that's a state requirement for graduation. So, should it be to go to our school? I don't know. But we need to talk about it. So, what I'm here for is I'm calling for a public forum. I want us to all talk about this. I want the people to come that love it. The people that come to say, you know, it's not working for me. I want to talk about it because if we don't, the school is over. You know, we need to we need to let people come and let them ask
007questions and expect answers. You should be able to answer questions. You know, it's like question and answer. And we can do this in a professional fashion. We can talk, but there's a lot of this closed door, behind door stuff that's happening. And it's like another rep. We need to get this out there. So there's no he said, she said, he said this to me. She said this to me. Everybody hears it. Everybody knows. Okay, thank you. I'm almost done. Everybody knows what's going on. We can't have We can't have this. This is the crown jewel of the community. It's jobs. It's learning. It's community togetherness. Let's not lose this. Let's not lose this. Let's talk about this. And that's why I'm here. I'm in here a lot asking questions so I know what's going on.
008You have to ask. You have to talk. And you have to talk to each other. And you have to talk to this board. So they know, they have to know how we're doing. If they don't know, they can help us. Okay, there's a lot of you here. Um, I think there's a lot of you here with the same issue that I have and maybe the same um I don't know if the same thought processor, but uh so I'm just going to pick Kelly a little bit off Kelly here. Communication is huge. I think I've uh voice to death too many times that I could count. Uh and I think I brought it to the board multiple times. I brought it to Chase multiple times. I brought it to teachers multiple times. Um I think the
009houses are uh a good thing for the elementary schools. It was based off of a 4th through 8th grade deal um down in Georgia. RCA. Look that up. Read about it. See what it's about. do your homework. That's to you guys out there. That's to you guys here, too. Um, know what those teachers go through. Know if they have turnover, know what they do. Know why they have turnover. Know how much money you're spending to do this. I think fourth through 8th grade, I think those kids buy into it. I think with elementary kids, they buy into it. I think high school kids are like the school lottery stuff. Um, I think the school the high school kids are like, I'm getting points for what? What am I getting points for? or this kid's getting
010like a gajillion points just cuz he showed up to class and I don't even get points because I showed up to class. I did my work and I'm doing good and I'm getting A's and I still can't get anywhere in this point system. Um, so that's my spiel on the houses. I think they're good. I think there's a good building spot for that in your school. I think there's great things that can go along with that. I think you can build off that. I think you can build communities as a mom high school. I don't think it works. Uh, I've pulled my kid and like Kelly, I'll probably tee up a little bit here. Uh, I've been part of the school for forever and it's been a good school. It individualized learning for a lot
011of kids. A lot of kids used to come down here so that they could have individualized learning so that you could look at how this kid learned and how they reacted and what they did and then built on that. and you took that kid and you grew them from either being um a Chris Pearson who was super technological and smart and you took him and you built him and he went somewhere with it. I don't know where he is now but he was smart and he felt at home here. Um you've taken kids like John Claire, same thing. You built him. You knew what he did. He knew how to learn. He knew where he was going to go. You did the best you could for him. Now I feel like with and I'm sorry
012she's sitting in here and I wish she wasn't. I have a daughter who is smart and she's advanced and we've asked for years with these two people. I've asked these two people. I've been with the counselor to help her to give her harder work. I said you guys have nine people in the classroom. Why can she why does she have to do the same work as a kid who has an IP and come out with the same grade? And why is it built that way? You have a 1 2 3 4 grading system. A four is above and beyond. And she sits at a three and it's the same as everybody else in the classroom. And I'm like, you have a teacher with nine kids. Why can you not find hard to work for her
013in your English class? And she ended up with more class. And then we got a we got a college class. She did drop a college class because she didn't like what was going on in that college class. She didn't feel it was good. She didn't feel like um the professor was something she could work with. And I think that's okay. But she came back and I think she has a a high B, almost an A in her college class this year. She's felt that way with from last year. And I I just don't see where the school's coming together and the learning is where it needs to be for her. Um, I have a son who strives hard every day. He comes in here class and then I come home in a year. I don't
014want to go back to school because of this and this and this. And if it's part of the houses, it's part of the repercussions from teachers. It's part of non-communication. And it all here I go. I'm going to beat that head horse again. Communication is huge. any good stuff. I go into I sat down at a lunchroom table with some teachers and I'm not going to tell you which teachers they were or high school, elementary, whatever. I had half the elementary teachers or half the elementary teachers and half of the high school teachers. I sat with them both and I talked with both of them and some of them have no clue what's going on. So, we feel the same way. And for a teacher to tell me that, I look back to the board
015and I say, "What's going on here?" And I guess so I want to come back around to communication is huge. And I feel like the community is left out of communication. I feel like community is left out of communication with what you're trying to do and what your goal is. One with learning, one with the houses, and one with the kiddos. Like what's your goal? What is your guys's goal? What is Chase's goal? What do you guys want to see rather than to have them graduate? What is the goal of the school? Is it to get good test scores or is it to get these kids to learn? Are you a data driven school or are you an individualized person school? And where are you guys going to go with it? And I would entertain
016anybody on the board other than Chase to tell me what that goal is. I if you want to call me personally and have a meeting with me other than Chase I would love to hear what the board thinks the goal of the school is and where we're going in 2018 in 5 years and where you're going with these kids and if you're losing what did you say 10 15% 15% of your kids innocent what's going on thank Heat. I'm just not here on the phone about why we're going our daughter go online next semester. We love this little school. We love the community. We moved here 13 years ago so our daughters could go to school here. Um Lacy, she went to school here. We moved back just so our daughters can go to school
017here. My biggest issue at the moment is how it's taking over every aspect of school. It feels like a cult that we can't get out of. I don't see how it's needed to teach the kids or graduate kids. I think it's probably a waste of time and I know it causes division. I don't see what's wrong with how we were doing it. um you know public schools, home schools, private schools all over the nation graduate kids and educate kids without a house system. Um I think kids can be proficient and and do well without um I feel like it's being crammed down our throat and we have to do it whether we like it or not. I'm proud of my daughter for sticking up for her her beliefs and ideas and I I think she's
018a leader in that regard. Um, and it's like I don't feel that the rest of the school sees it that way. Um, I feel like if some changes could be made to make it more optional, like sports or FFA or band or choir or whatever, where it doesn't it's not something that you have to do or have to be a part of. Um, we would consider maybe even continuing to send our daughter to school. Um, but I if we're being told this is how it's going to be, we're probably just going to go online with with Ry. So that's all I got says that that house is just I won't use his words, but they they're not good. And so I'm like, "Well, that stinks." Cuz I mean, I know he's got high school kids
019that he looks up to on that in the house, but he doesn't like them because they're in the house. So I'm like, "Well, that kind of stinks because some of those kids are some kids that have been like reading buddies and stuff growing up." I mean, he's he's just loved them. And I'm going to go with Amy. I have a daughter who is a is I'm not going to say she's like above and beyond the other kids in her class, but she kind of has been and she's a kid that it seems like when we first started out here, there were some amazing people that saw that and really really were like, "Okay, yeah, we'll work with that." I was like she's bored to tears when she's doing the same work. And she would she
020would make the changes. She even allowed her to go up into the next class for a couple hours during the day. And as far as the next grade level, I mean, they they really really really worked with her and allowed her to be challenged. And I cannot tell you how many times this year she has come home and said, "Mom, I'm so bored. The math is so easy for me. Everything's so easy. I finish everything, but because I am above the other kids, I just have to sit there." And then you know what happens when the kid who's bored sits there? they do things they're not supposed to do or they get all of the kids who are being slow, you know, it's not because they're trying to be mean, but they're like, I'm bored.
021Like, I I need a challenge something. So, I have seen that hugely in our in our classes just with our little guys. I would say when we started here um stress has got a terrible mind like I can't even describe and same thing when he couldn't sit still in school and we were having a lot of troubles like a lot of troubles a couple years ago we had amazing teachers I'm sorry I missed it so there's one teacher that stepped in for both my kids and it was JSON and she she took straws and she bought these little kids for him and she'd take him 20 minutes at the end of the school day every day check in with him and he'd sit there and he work on these little snow kits and that made
022the biggest difference in his life. Like we have not had problems with that kid since as far as school goes. Um, I I hate that she honestly. Um, I hate to see that. It sounds like there's going to be some amazing kids that our kids look up to and are going to be fun and um, so yeah, we're here cuz we love this little school and we ch we're not a district. Well, kind of. We're out of district. we could go to Buffalo. But um in the past it has been the best decision for us because it was more individualized for our kids. It in the past it gave them challenges and it gave them the ability to go in the direction that they wanted to go. Um it doesn't seem like it's quite that
023way anymore. Okay. But um other than that just um thank you guys all for being here including this school what it is. Cheryl and all here taking notes and whatot and I know it was a tough job. So thank you very much for being here and I want to say that the school is very amazing right now. It's very good. So I do have a few but um what I do want to say is that I am in school here. So I totally here about 5 years ago Austin, Texas. And we were excited that our daughter was going to be in a small school, small environment where she knew the teacher, she was going to have the same teachers 7 through 12. Well, I'm not so sure about that anymore. We're pulling our daughter. The
024reason we're pulling her is because I went to parent teacher conference. I met with the teachers. They all said she was doing great. met with one teacher. She said, who happens to be the head of her house, told me she was having issues with the house. I said, "I understand." She said she would pull Addy in and talk to her. 3 weeks later, she pulls my daughter in or asks for my daughter to come and talk to her. I tell her that I know this is in regards to the houses that I want to be present and that I want the third party. I'm told I do not need to be present and I do not need a third party. I insist that my daughter and I have a third party and I we go
025in the first words out of her mouth are what are the problems at home? She knew exactly those problems were here at this school. Then the head of her house proceeds to tell her that she will have her kicked off the basketball team, that she will have her kicked out of student council, and that she hates her. I do not agree with this house system. I don't see where it's going to. I feel is tearing these kids down and our daughter will be. Thank you so much. That is absolute crap. I understand the kids come to school everybody. But I'll tell you what, my kids school everybody. I would be damned if somebody picked on them. anybody in this school on the outside. It was game on. So you pick on my buddy, you're going
026down. Even if I don't get along with my buddy, I go to school. That was before houses. Nobody Nobody comes here and says, "You're going to get kicked off the basketball team. What is going on here?" So I'm calling for action. Okay? I'm communicating with you guys and I don't know much about this house but that irritates me to know it. My kids learned tact one they and that was a good thing. Every person should know that they can defend themselves and their buddy if somebody comes on. So we don't need a house system to tell anybody that or perhaps they act horrible and I'm going to try and control my healthare. That makes me angry. Absolutely angry. And if my kids ever said that to another kid, I will tell you what, that would
027be the end of it. That would be This school needs to stand behind the parents and the parents need to stand behind the kids. And it needs to be a chain reaction like that. You've got to stand behind your kids, your family, your community. and I'm calling for action because I've sat on your guys's side and it's been personal issues and stuff like that that not a lot of us could do anything about being on the board. This isn't a personal issue. This is an issue that can be changed and I'm calling for action. I've come to board meetings before and called for action. Communication wasn't that great at that time. And so here we all are communicating that something needs to be done because you're going to throw red flags to that legislature when
02815% of their school district goes down. They're going to be like, "Why do we need to be spending money on those kids?" Yeah, those five kids that are left or how many it is, they're entitled to that same basket of food. And I agree with that 100%. But you're going to throw red flags and this girl is going to be gone. If you get another county legislature that doesn't like those schools, and I'm pretty sure he's still down there, he's going to be down there going, "Get them out of here." So, you better watch out. You better do something about this. And no kid better be telling another kid, they're going to get kicked off the basketball team because that is only the coach's job if they don't show up and don't do anything, not
029another child. I don't like that. So, sorry if I'm a little angry, but that is not right. Um, I wasn't going to say anything either. I have my notes here on my hand that I just wrote because um I'm coming to you guys not as a student or part of any extracurriculars here. I'm here as like Natalie and I am sitting here watching everybody talk about how horrible this is and it's just confusing me because I I I experience it every day at school. I watch it happen and nothing is like this for me. And I really I honestly think it's a privilege for kids to go home and complain about the house system. I sound really dramatic right now. I'm like nervous, but I honestly think it's a privilege to go home and complain
030about something that is bringing the school together because it means you already know where you belong. You already had something that you knew you belonged to. And there are kids here who don't have that. And so going home and saying, you know, this isn't catered to me. It's really hard to watch. It's like we're obviously so small. We're going to stay a community, right? This is not division. If we made this a club, there would be further division because the kids who wanted to be a part of something, who joined it, they would get bullied. I go to school. It's not easy and I've watched what this can do and it's honestly it's really good. Um, my sister in particular last year was talking about going to Sheridan because she would go to school and
031she wouldn't want to make it through the week. It was really hard. And we were literally talking at dinner last night. She was like, I want to say I know this can be something good and and to have everyone come here and say these things about it. It's hard to watch because we talk a lot about communication, but you're it seems like you're basing a lot of what you hear about the house system from your kids, which is good. And I would not be happy if my kid was coming home mad or sad either. That is not easy to watch. I'm going to stand for that. But it's important to know what it's doing for other kids. And it's important to have the empathy and know that maybe you just need to be there for
032your community because that's what everyone is here for today, right? So, let's let's think about that a little bit. So I need tonight share some of it for you guys. Um, I talked with an administrator from a small school, very similar in size, very similar to ours earlier today. And I asked him, I says, "How many students do you have?" And he said, "Right around the same number of hours, this 80 range." And I says, "How many when you're gone, who fills in?" Mhm. They said, "Well, when I'm gone, the um activities director feels I for assistant principal." And they said, "No, we have an activities director." He says, "Well, if your activity structure, who's gone or is gone, who else does it?" He said, "Well, that's when it's in your staff building." Okay. He
033said, "Well," I said, "You don't have any assistance or anything like that." They said, "No, why would you have an assistant? We only have less than 100 students. Said, "Okay." And I said, "When you go to approve something, people to be gone or to go on a trip, how many people does it take to approve it?" He said, "We have less than 100 students." It takes two people. Actually, it takes one. Either me or the activities director. How many does it take at your school? And I said, "Well, I've been told seven." I said, "I know it takes at least three, but I've been told that it takes seven." And he said, "For what?" He said, "I don't know, but that's what I've been told." And I would like to know why do we have
034such a top heavy administration? You would think this is the federal government in Claremont, Wyoming. And then I look at the agenda and we're looking to hire another vice principal for what? We have less than 100 students. For what? For God's sakes. Why do we have to have an athletic director, an activities director? Apparently, two vice principles unless you're going to put the same one you have in as the under for the little kids as well. Plus, we have a principal/s superintendent. Why do we need all of these people? And then my next question is, and I'm not saying we don't need a principal/s superintendent or principal superintendent. I do think we need those two. I do not think that we need a vice principal. I do not think we need both an athletic director
035and an activities director. I think that could be one person, which currently I think is one person, but I don't think we need 7 million titles for every person under. And I think we need to take a step back and think, why does everybody need a fancy title? I think we need to take a step back and start focusing on our kids instead of giving everybody a title and being so dang talkative. And I would like to know who's in charge of our school because I've witnessed this firsthand. We've had it happen to us. I am coaching a FFA team who has the potential in my opinion to walk across the stage at state. I'm very proud of these girls. They've been working their tail off. And there is one individual who has one of
036these titles and she has met them with a brick wall every time we've turned around to do something. I want to know who's in charge. Is it the principal or is it the vice principal? Because every time we have tried to do something, that woman has met us with a a shut door and a brick wall. I want to know who makes the final decision because the principal had already made the decision and the vice principal has shut us down twice now on going to visit to do a site visit for their project. Who makes that decision? And it was through one of the people on the committee of approving the trip that told me that there was it went through seven different steps. And I've been told by other parents and I've been told
037by teachers in this building that you better have them both in the same room when you ask for something because if you ask and they're in different rooms, they're going to throw each other under the bus. YOU guys need to know what's going on in this school. I know you're not in here every day. I know it's not encouraged to come in and ask the teachers and associate with the teachers for whatever reason. But you guys need to be aware you're not always getting the whole story of what's going on in this. you're not getting the whole story of what is happening in the classroom. And so you're aware, you have a new FFA advisor down here who is kicking ass and taking names. And for the first time in years, you've got kids who
038are doing amazing things, who are excited to do those amazing things. You've got one young man who came back from the national convention as a freshman and is talking about what can I do next and encouraging other members to get involved and did you know we can go on and we can do this and these guys that are leaving you're looking at losing four to five of your officer team. You're not losing one or two. You're looking at four to five. And then I have to ask, has the administration and the one that really likes to sign the deny paper, I think she must have a stamp. Has she mentioned to any of them that maybe they could come back as a home school student and do their electives here? Just cuz the other schools
039do it. Um so um I am I mean, but I like now said I want you to just see me as Jesse. Like just another person in this room. I'm telling you right now, I'm a little bit disappointed in how everybody's complaining about this house. I know what you buy. I know for a fact that it takes I mean for heads of houses and for lieutenants it's going to take a little extra. But I know for a fact that the people that are in here and saying that they're leaving with the house system, you're taking 30 minutes out of your day. 30 minutes out of your day that you're really not separated from your friends. You have a choice. You can go be with your buddies and hate on it and make it really boring
040and kind of sucky for everyone else. Or you can make the best out of the situation. You're not always going to get what you want in life. You're not always going to be able to go up to somebody and say, "Absolutely not. I don't want to do that." But you have a choice to either make it suck for yourself or make it better for yourself and everyone else the situation. And that's coming from a 14-year-old girl. I'm telling you that right now that I'm kind of disappointed in the community and what they're doing to the school. Thank you. All right. Thank you everyone. We appreciate your comments. Okay. Uh we move on to the house presentation. Um I don't know if you've seen the latest it was our latest version of the agenda, right? Great.
041So, a lot of the things that were brought up are being ignored. They will hit the agenda later.