Superintendent Matt Erickson with Lincoln County School District #2 stepped into the SVI Radio studio on Tuesday, May 26 for his monthly report. Superintendent Erickson discussed graduation ceremonies happening this week in the district and shared some more of his thoughts on school recalibration.

(0:00) Wake up with Duke, down and down. At 836 this morning let’s head into this hour’s (0:07) guest interview segment today in the monthly report from LCSD number two (0:11) superintendent Matt Erickson in studio today. Superintendent Erickson good (0:15) morning how are you today? Good morning Duke doing well thank you.

Appreciate you (0:19) stepping in studio as always once a month for the report and an exciting (0:22) week for for students at LCSD too and staff and the whole year comes together (0:28) this week. What a week what a week so yes we’re super excited tonight we’ve (0:34) got 36 graduating from Swift Creek tomorrow night I believe 14 graduating (0:39) from Cokeville High and then Thursday night and it looks like the weather is (0:43) gonna hold out Thursday. Yet again I don’t know how it happened.

I don’t know (0:48) what’s gonna happen this evening for Mr. Kazair and the gang at Swift Creek but (0:54) anyway there’s 194 graduates at Star Valley High it looks like so super (1:00) exciting time of year and we’re sure appreciative of all the students all (1:05) 2,850 of them roughly that we have today and and then 600 employees and then (1:12) obviously the parents and stakeholders so great week to celebrate. Absolutely I (1:18) you mentioned the the parents and and or the the the teachers and everything I (1:23) spent some time at Afton Elementary since you and I talked I was there for a (1:26) reading event and I was with the first graders at Afton Elementary and it was (1:31) fun it was a blast but after two hours I was done and so bless those teachers (1:37) hearts not just in the high school that helped them cross the finish line but (1:41) all the way through K through 12. Absolutely I’ve said it a hundred times (1:45) before and I’ll say it a hundred times in the future but kindergarten teachers (1:50) first-grade teachers they they should get paid double they’re just they’re (1:56) miracle workers absolutely are all teachers do a great job and have a heavy (2:01) burden and a heavy load and such important work but but those (2:05) foundational teachers there’s not a minute that goes by that they get spare (2:11) second to to even think of themselves take a drink or go to the bathroom or (2:16) anything like that absolutely so again graduation tonight for Swift Creek (2:20) Coquille tomorrow Star Valley on Thursday by the way this Swift Creek and Star (2:25) Valley commencements will be broadcast on SVI again this year so watch for (2:29) those if you can’t be there in person anything else on graduation or end of (2:33) year activities you’d like to mention Duke we sure appreciate SVI and you (2:37) being willing to broadcast those not only all of the events throughout the (2:42) year but you know you just mentioned Afton you help at the elementary level (2:46) even and we sure appreciate SVI and the partnership we have there but thank you (2:51) for being willing to broadcast there’s a lot of grandparents and whatnot that (2:56) can’t travel and be here so very much appreciate it absolutely it’s our (3:00) pleasure it’s what we do so superintendent we’ve had a number of (3:03) conversations on the recalibration bill and maybe let’s just kind of wrap that (3:08) up here and get your final thoughts on it okay thank you so yeah we have had a (3:13) conversations over the last year with recalibration and obviously it there’s (3:18) some sort of some certain benefits to recalibration but as we look back on the (3:24) history of recalibration it started in 1980 with the Washakie lawsuit and then (3:29) there was four Campbell lawsuits Campbell County lawsuits and then in (3:33) 2024 you remember that WEA and Wyoming Education Association and eight school (3:38) districts sued the state and the Constitution in Wyoming is very very (3:43) clear if you look at article 7 section 1 and 9 of our Constitution in Wyoming (3:49) it’s very clear and then the courts obviously had historic precedent in (3:56) saying that you know the legislature’s in charge of funding and recalibrating (4:02) so Senate file 81 or recalibration was was deficient in my opinion and it went (4:10) against the recommendations of the of the consultants that the state had hired in (4:15) Pikes Auden and Associates and where the deficiency mainly lies in we’re not (4:21) whining about the lack of financial resources per se we’re whining about and (4:28) where the deficiency is is taking away local control by creating the silos let’s (4:35) just call it what it is the the Freedom Caucus was on a mission and they had the (4:40) Freedom Caucus right now has a majority in the house and it was very intentional (4:46) and purposeful and they went after us and by creating the teacher silo it was (4:52) a way to to get back or or punish perceived deficiency from from the (5:01) Freedom Caucus that administration was hogging the money and wasn’t getting (5:06) into teachers hand which we’ve proven over and over again in Lincoln too is (5:10) simply not the case and in most of the 48 districts that’s that’s false as well (5:17) so it’s time to move on but we lost control of the block grant so there’s (5:23) deficiencies and we sure hope that people will get to the polls in August (5:28) we’re appreciative of some great folks stepping up across the state to include (5:36) here in Lincoln County that gonna run you know for for public offices or (5:42) there’s legislature or Senate and governor superintendent state (5:48) superintendent Secretary of State some of those things but I just encourage us (5:52) let’s get to the polls over 90% of students in Wyoming participate in (5:57) public ed and I believe that if you look at the nape test results and everything (6:01) else that that while we have room to improve the 48 districts are doing a (6:07) great job so let’s get to the polls and and get people in there that are pro (6:14) public ed and and want to do the right thing for the state of Wyoming and (6:18) particularly for Lincoln to and again we very much appreciate as representative (6:25) Andrew Byron out of Hoback and representative McKay Erickson and (6:29) Senator Dan Dockstader and just a reminder even before polls open in (6:34) August committees are going to meet over the summer in June and and take a (6:38) look at this recalibration just a little more and so we’ll see what comes (6:40) out of that to correct correct superintendent Matt Erickson this (6:44) morning in studio on the weekday wake up anything else happening in district 2 (6:47) you’d like to mention today we obviously just wrapped up spring seasons this last (6:52) weekend and had a great showing again and I believe Madison Barnes from (6:58) Cokeville won four individual tracks state titles so that’s a great way to (7:04) cap off her senior year that young lady’s got more medals and trophies and (7:09) things than than you or I could hold but anyway we sure appreciate our spring (7:15) coaches and student-athletes so that’s a wrap on a school year perfect and then (7:21) of course syncopation shows tonight correct tomorrow night correct correct (7:26) yep right in the middle of graduations and other buildings but there’s only so (7:30) many hours in a day and so many so many evenings in a school year so again we (7:36) appreciate our staff at superintendent Matt Erickson Leakey County School (7:39) District number two this morning it’s all part of the weekday wake up on SVI (7:42) radio