Sheridan County School District #2 celebrates YTOP gains, clarifies teacher pay ahead of state recalibration

Superintendent Stultz told the board that Sheridan County School District #2 saw improvements in 16 of the 19 tested areas on the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (YTOP), the district's best such result since the Whitehall program began. "Of the 19 areas of the 19 tested areas, we saw 16 areas improve," he said, thanking building leaders, teachers, students and families for their work.

The superintendent framed the gains as the result of intentional instruction and a multi-year clarity plan, and he emphasized that test results are an outcome of teaching rather than its purpose. He also urged the board and district staff to continue school improvement work that principals will present in October and November.

District presenters highlighted state comparisons: the district achieved the lowest aggregate "golf score" among Wyoming's 48 districts (a lower score indicates higher relative performance across tested areas) and outscored state averages in nearly every tested subject. "SCSD2 again ranks as the top performing school district in the state of Wyoming," a district presenter said.

Stultz described how state reimbursement interacts with district pay decisions during a statewide recalibration of the funding model. He said the district’s starting teacher salary is $54,000 while the state model recognizes $48,353 for a beginning teacher. That difference means the district supplements the state reimbursement; using the numbers Stultz presented, the supplement is about $5,647 (54,000 minus 48,353). He also noted the board approved a $3,000 base increase this year and that vertical/horizontal steps on the salary schedule are $1,200, which produced an 8.2% increase for a first-year teacher under the district package.

Stultz invited staff, parents and trustees to participate in the professional judgment panel in the district boardroom on Oct. 14 to give feedback to the consultant hired by the legislature on how categorical funding and the model affect local budgets. He framed that session as an opportunity to explain why the district needs the flexibility it currently uses to fund positions and programs (counselors, SROs and other items) not directly covered by the state funding model.

Trustees asked for communication clarifying why staff did not simply receive a straight 8.5% ECA increase; trustees said they want the district to explain public-facing arithmetic so employees understand how benefits and uncovered positions affect take-home pay. Public commenter Gail Simmons urged media to cover the funding model more fully and warned that simplified public claims can distort complex district funding dynamics.

What happens next: principals will present school improvement plans starting in October; the district will host the Oct. 14 recalibration panel and encourage staff and community members to testify.