Superintendent candidate Jason Foos emphasizes employee retention, curriculum alignment and CTE facility upgrades

Jason Foos, a candidate for superintendent of Sweetwater County School District #2, described a leadership approach that adapts to circumstances and stressed retaining staff, sustaining student performance and improving career and technical education facilities during a public candidate interview.

Foos said his leadership is "differentiated," meaning he adjusts his approach to the situation — for example, using directive leadership during crises and committee-driven approaches for organizational changes. "My leadership style is differentiated," he said, adding that motivation comes from trust: "motivation happens from within."

Why it matters: the district is facing its lowest enrollment since the 1990s and housing and cost-of-living pressures that can hinder teacher recruitment. Foos warned that losing key employees across support and certified roles is hard to replace and framed retention as central to preventing further budget stress and maintaining student outcomes.

Foos outlined several priorities. First, he emphasized employee retention and staff support, recommending targeted support during the rollout of a new curriculum so teachers are not overburdened by professional development demands. Second, he said the district must "sustain the academic excellence" achieved in recent years and continue work in professional learning communities to align instruction and assessment to Wyoming's standards. Third, he identified CTE facilities as an area for improvement and suggested exploring "creative budget ideas" to upgrade equipment and spaces.

On curriculum and assessment, Foos pointed to the district's PLC (professional learning community) work and to alignment with the Wyoming essential standards: once proficiency skills are aligned to state standards, he said, the district can develop common assessments and performance measures. He noted the district's curriculum office had worked to bring proficiency skills into alignment with Wyoming standards over the past year.

Foos described a past initiative at Green River High School, implemented when he served there, called an "options period" that allowed time for remediation, credit recovery and intervention. He credited colleagues including Kathy Phillip, Dennis Freeman and Darren Howard for the team effort and said staff and student feedback at the time was positive.

On budgeting, Foos said the district has avoided layoffs by examining positions at times of attrition and forecasting ahead. He warned that without tough conversations about staffing levels tied to enrollment declines, a district can face a "budget cliffhanger." Foos gave one concrete example of local cost pressures: a base teacher salary of about $54,000 is difficult for single hires given high housing costs and inflation.

Foos also discussed community engagement and workforce partnerships, urging the district to align CTE and internship offerings with local industry needs (welders, instrumentation techs, OSHA-certified summer internships) so employers are more likely to support district initiatives. He framed public education as serving community needs and stressed listening to stakeholders.

The interview covered challenges and opportunities tied to local economic activity: Foos described potential near-term growth from mining and industry developments that could raise enrollment within two to seven years, a change that would require balancing how lean the district can safely operate now without under-staffing for a possible influx.

No formal action or vote was taken during the session; the selection timeline and next steps were not specified in the remarks.