Bales: ‘Try before you buy’

Career exploration pitched to Basin school board

“The youth have a feeling that once they graduate, there might not be anything left for them here in order to build upon,” Big Horn County Citizens for Economic Development board member Danae Bales addressed the Riverside school district’s board of trustees on Tuesday, Nov. 11. 

“Once they graduate high school or move on to college, then what do they do? Are they able to come back? Is there housing that’s available? Are there good jobs available for them?”

During public comment, Bales asked the board of the Big Horn County School District No. 4 to help her and several local businesses and organizations form a youth coalition to promote apprenticeship and internship opportunities for students, as well as bring in local business owners and tradespeople to make local opportunity, as well as an emphasis on entrepreneurship, more visible to Riverside students. She suggested a “try before you buy” approach to careers, where students could learn more about them before they invest time and money. 

With 60% of Wyoming’s young people leaving the state, Bales suggested building volunteer programs and community events based off student input, so young people could have a voice in their community and a sense of civic pride. 

The school board took no immediate action on the comment. 

FUTURE LAND SWAP?

The school’s lease with the Town of Basin on the property Gibbs Field has been developed on will come up for renewal in 2028. This prompted board chair Heath Hopkin to suggest the school look at a land swap, possibly including the old football field on Ninth Street. 

“It’s really something to think about though, because if we could kind of do a land swap with [the town], then we could have this up here, and all the money we put into it would be for us,” Hopkin said. 

Business Manager Trevor Whitaker noted that the school receives state funding for educational acreage. While the district has 20-odd acres, only 15 are currently listed as educational and they are allowed 24. 

“If there was a swap of some kind, I put in a request for information with the state if that can be included as educational acreage to boost the amount of money we get. That would be a win-win if they allowed it, from my perspective,” Whitaker said. 

The land swap is expected to be a discussion item at next month’s meeting. 

SQUEAKY CLEAN AUDIT 

James Seckman of Seckman & Thomas Certified Public Accountants, P.C. reported that Big Horn County School District No. 4 was found in compliance for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. 

“We’ve issued a clean opinion on these findings,” he said. 

Overall cash decreased about $133,000 only due to funding not received within the timeline of the audit. The only finding of deficiency listed in the audit report was internal control not considered to be a material weakness, which Seckman explained to the school board is a struggle for all small districts.

 “The board is too small and the cost of complying with this standard are not within the means of the Board,” the report findings read. A weakness came from a lack of personnel to prepare generally accepted accounting principles financial statements. It was recommended the board send Whitaker to additional training to compensate. 

Seckman said that next year, the district may not be required to do a single audit as the threshold requirement was raised to $1 million. 

“Everything looks good,” Seckman reported. 

OTHER NEWS

Board members Kristen Schlattmann, Austin Alexander and Linda Osmond will form a committee to discuss how district policy addresses hiring coaches. 

Board member Greg Gloy will represent Basin to vote on three Wyoming School Board Association resolutions, including if school employees should or should not be paid during suspension due to ongoing immoral conduct investigations. 

Gloy also reported that BOCES has developed a short waitlist and may look to open a third cottage and hire a third teacher in the future. 

Preschool teacher Sarah Hing brought in her students for a demonstration on what they’re learning in class. 

Whitaker reported bank balances and expenditures are right where they should be for this time of year. Construction is coming along with everything done except for concession stand, which should be completed in January.