Free Republic

Lawmakers address low pay in education By Jessica Lowell rep5@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - The employment picture for K-12 teachers and school staff across the state is equally dismal. In Natrona County, teachers are being aggressively recruited by out-of-state districts with the promise of dramatically higher salaries. In Laramie County, school bus drivers with 30 years of experience make less than $15 an hour; some have filed for bankruptcy protection because they can't make ends meet. In Teton County, teachers routinely work second jobs to earn enough money to pay their bills. In Weston County, teachers have...

Residents honor King By Kelly Milner rep7@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - For Jerome Hairston, Martin Luther King Jr. Day means everything. A sixth-grader at Pioneer Park Elementary, Hairston said his mother is white, and his father is black. "If it weren't for Dr. King and what he did, I wouldn't be here right now," he said. "My mom is cool, and my dad is cool; it would be a shame if they couldn't be together." Hairston was a speaker Monday at the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March here. Around 800 people marched from the...

Convention lets local Republicans discuss the issues By Becky Orr rep6@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Laramie County Republicans supported platform issues Saturday that ranged from voluntary prayer in schools to keeping the job of county sheriff as an elected position rather than an appointed one. In a room decorated with red, white and blue balloons bearing the Bush-Cheney ticket for 2004, the delegates heard from elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyoming, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Trent Blankenship and state Speaker of the House Fred Parady, R-Rock Springs. Parady discussed state budget issues. "Education is...

Meeting addresses 'No Child' act By Becky Orr rep6@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - A federal law that brings major changes in public education to Wyoming and across the country will be the focus of a town hall meeting Monday. People who have questions about what the No Child Left Behind Act means can ask the experts during the meeting at Laramie County Community College. U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., will join State Superintendent of Public Instruction Trent Blankenship and assistant secretary of legislation Karen Johnson from the U.S. Department of Education. They'll explain what the No Child...