Fremont County School District 25 approves travel, audit, policies, grants and multiple personnel actions; board delegates clerk to oppose House Bill 199

Fremont County School District #25 trustees on Jan. 27 approved a slate of routine and substantive items including out-of-state travel for Riverton High School’s indoor track team, acceptance of the fiscal-year audit, several policy changes, a state mental-health grant and a package of resignations and retirements.

The board also voted to delegate the board clerk, Lori (Laurie) Morrow, to testify in Cheyenne in opposition to House Bill 199 (the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act); trustees recorded unanimous opposition and directed Morrow to represent the board at the legislature.

Why it matters: The audit and the federal and state grant flows discussed during the meeting represent substantial revenue streams for the district. Board action to oppose HB 199 and earlier ratification of an email poll opposing House Bill 100 indicate active district engagement with state-level proposals the board says could shift public funding away from district operations.

Key actions and outcomes - Consent agenda approved. The consent agenda included minutes, payment of bills (including late pays and automatic payments), preauthorization of payroll/insurance/utilities, and ratification of an email poll of board members (Jan. 25, 2025) related to an amended action item opposing House Bill 100. (Motion carried; voice vote recorded as "Aye," no roll-call tally entered.)

- Riverton High School indoor track travel approved. The board approved an administrative recommendation permitting the Riverton High School indoor track team to travel to the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. The motion passed on a voice vote.

- District audit accepted. The board accepted the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. Auditor Brian Brown of Summit West CPA Group presented the report and said the district received an unmodified (clean) opinion; auditors reported no federal-findings for major programs sampled (ESSER selected as the major federal program). The auditor highlighted $14.4 million in federal expenditures reported for the year and about $950,000 in property-tax revenue collected. The motion to accept the audit passed on a voice vote.

- Policies: multiple amendments and new policies adopted on first reading. Trustees adopted amended travel-and-expense, student-admissions and bloodborne-pathogen exposure-control policies (notations: 0280-R, 6025, 3015-R), and approved two new policies (3501 — Data Privacy and Security; 3407 — User Data Retention) on first reading. The board also voted to abrogate policy 4105 (Student Responsible Use Guidelines for Technology). Each motion passed on voice votes.

- Grant acceptance. The board accepted a state mental-health grant in the amount of $142,724.49 for the school year. Motion carried on a voice vote.

- Personnel: resignations and retirements. The board accepted the resignation of Pamela Pence (Overton High School science teacher) effective at the end of the school year and approved a package of retirements including teachers and administrators (names and effective dates were read into the record). All personnel motions passed on voice votes.

Board procedure and next steps Several motions were made and seconded during the meeting; most passed by unanimous voice vote with no recorded roll-call tallies in the minutes. Board members asked staff follow-up questions about audit details, federal funding exposure if federal grants were paused, and next steps for policy implementation. The board requested follow-up emails for a few outstanding audit-submission clarifications.

Votes at a glance (items recorded in the meeting minutes): - Consent agenda — approved (includes ratification of email poll opposing HB100) - Riverton HS indoor track travel to Pocatello, Idaho — approved - Acceptance of fiscal-year audit — approved - Adopt amended policies (0280-R, 6025, 3015-R) and new policies (3501, 3407) on first reading — approved - Abrogate policy 4105 (student responsible use guidelines) on first reading — approved - Accept state mental-health grant ($142,724.49) — approved - Accept resignation of Pamela Pence (effective end of school year) — approved - Accept retirements (multiple staff; effective end of school year, one administrative retirement effective June 30, 2025) — approved - Delegate board clerk Laurie Morrow to testify opposing House Bill 199; board recorded unanimous opposition — approved

Quotes from the meeting Auditor Brian Brown summarized the audit findings: "The district received the highest level of assurance we can give as an independent CPA — an unmodified opinion." He also emphasized the scale of federal funding in the district: "For this last year ... they spent $1,440,000.0 of federal expenditures." (Brian Brown, auditor)

Clerk delegation motion The board voted to delegate the board clerk to testify in opposition to HB 199 and recorded unanimous board opposition to that bill. The board did not authorize legal action; the motion directed the clerk to participate in legislative hearings as the board’s representative.

Ending Board members said they will continue monitoring legislative activity and federal-grant developments and will follow up on audit-submission items and policy-implementation questions. The board’s next regular meeting remains on the district calendar; several informational items (auditor follow-up, auditorium tour schedule) were listed in the meeting packet.