Natrona County School District Number 1

The Natrona County School District #1 is a public school district, serving students in Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Based in Casper, Wyoming, the district also serves the towns and communities of Alcova, Edgerton, Evansville, Midwest, Mills, Powder River, and Willow Creek.

Governance

The Natrona County School District is governed by a publicly elected board of trustees. Members are elected at-large by county voters to staggered, four-year terms. School elections are held biannually in November. The school board hires a superintendent to oversee the day-to-day operations of the district. Superintendent Dr. Joel Dvorak was hired in July 2008.

Internally, NCSD operates under a shared governance model called the Compact. Established in 2001 following a round of contentious contract negotiations, the NCSD Compact is an agreement between the board of trustees, the Natrona County Education Association (NCEA), the Natrona County Association of Education Support Staff (NCAESS), and the Service Employees Independent Organization (SEIO). The agreement structures decision-making models in the district to assure that all major decisions impacting students, as well as contract and salary/benefit decisions, are made through a consensus process.

Schools
Alcova Elementary School Bar Nunn Elementary School Casper Classical Academy
Centennial Junior High School Cottonwood Elementary School Crest Hill Elementary School
CY Middle School Dean Morgan Junior High School Evansville Elementary School
Fort Caspar Academy Frontier Middle School Grant Elementary School
Kelly Walsh High School Manor Heights Elementary School Midwest Schools
Mills Elementary School Mountain View Elementary School Natrona County High School
North Casper Elementary School Oregon Trail Elementary School Paradise Valley Elementary School
Park Elementary School Pineview Elementary School Poison Spider School
Powder River Elementary School Red Creek Elementary School Roosevelt High School
Sagewood Elementary School Southridge Elementary School University Park Elementary School
Verda James Elementary School Willard Elementary School Willow Creek Elementary School
Woods Learning Center

Safety programs

The Safe Schools Suspension Lab is a program that provides a safe, supervised alternative to at-home suspension for students whose behavior requires them to be removed from the traditional classroom.

In 2009, the school district made national news when it approved an anti-bullying policy that specifically prohibits cyberbullying and sexting.[1][2][3]

Capital construction

School capital construction and major maintenance in Wyoming is funded through the state's School Facilities Commission, which was formed in response to a Wyoming Supreme Court ruling that holds the state responsible for equitable school facilities. Funded primarily through coal royalties, the SFC provides funding to upgrade and replace existing school facilities based on need and to build new facilities based on population.

In the Natrona County School District, this system has led to a number of recent capital construction projects:

  • A new facility for Fort Caspar Academy, opened in 2008.
  • A remodel of the former Fairdale Elementary School site to provide a new facility for Star Lane Center.
  • A remodel of the Central Services Facility to provide space for the Back on Track and Safe Schools Suspension Lab programs.
  • A new facility for Cottonwood Elementary School, opened in January 2009.
  • A new Poison Spider School facility, opened in Spring 2009.
  • A new CY Middle School facility, opened in 2010.
  • A new elementary school, opened in 2010.

Secondary systems transformation

The Natrona County School District transformed its secondary education system and defined a comprehensive secondary education platform which includes grades six through 12.

Work on Natrona County High School and Kelly Walsh High School to expand facilities began in 2014. At NCHS a restoration and remodel of the historic building is planned along with construction of new additions. The KWHS building is being replaced with new construction on the same site.[4] These improvements will accommodate the additional students in the buildings due to switching to 9th-12th grade high schools.

In addition, the district has recognized a need to better serve 21st-century students. District and community officials are concerned about a high drop-out rate throughout the district, as well as a high disengagement rate among students.

Student Demographics

The following figures are as of October 1, 2009.[5]

  • Total district enrollment: 11,729
  • Student enrollment by gender
    • Male: 6,058 (51.65%)
    • Female: 5,671 (48.35%)
  • Student enrollment by ethnicity
    • American Indian or Alaska Native: 119 (1.01%)
    • Asian: 101 (0.86%)
    • Black or African American: 219 (1.87%)
    • Hispanic or Latino: 937 (7.99%)
    • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 9 (0.08%)
    • Two or more races: 49 (0.42%)
    • White: 10,295 (87.77%)

References
  1. Associated Press, "School District approves anti-bullying policy," Local News 8, November 29, 2009, found at . Accessed November 30, 2009.
  2. Jackie Borchardt, "District defines 'sexting' in new policy," November 29, 2009, found at Caspar Tribune website story of November 29, 2009. Accessed November 30, 2009.
  3. "Across the USA News from every state: Wyoming: Caspar", USA Today, November 30, 2009, found at USA Today website. Accessed November 30, 2009.
  4. November 7, 2014 Construction Projects Reports Archived December 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Natrona County Schools, Retrieved 2014-12-02
  5. "School District Profiles". Wyoming Education Statistics. Wyoming Department of Education. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
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