Beth Bear (Unaffiliated)

Contact by email/phone
Laramie, Wyoming 82070-4933
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I grew up in the town of Claremont in southern California and attended college on the central coast of California in San Luis Obispo. From there I spent several years working in Yellowstone National Park before completing graduate school at Montana State University. I have worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Laramie for the last 17 years on fisheries and invasive species work. I am currently the supervisor of our statewide fisheries and herpetology crew. I have been an ACSD#1 school board trustee for the last 4 years, since being elected in 2018. I have an amazing blended family with my husband and 5 kids, ages 11 to 15. I have lived in Laramie for 17 years and feel lucky to call Albany County home. I enjoy any outdoor activity including hiking, fishing, running, camping, hunting, and skiing.

I was elected to the school board in 2018. Through several challenging years and situations, I have grown in my knowledge of our district and my desire to continue to serve our community. I am also a parent of 5 children in our district and am familiar with the perspective of parents and students. In my career, I have experience with budgeting, personnel, data management and analysis, reporting, and writing, which has proven helpful to my perspective on the school board.

I graduated from Claremont High School in Claremont, California in 1996. From there I earned by Bachelors of Science in Ecology and Systematic Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo in 2000. In 2005, I earned my Masters of Science in Fisheries Management from Montana State University in Bozeman.

I have been an Albany Country school district trustee since 2018 and am involved on numerous committees including School Safety, Meet and Confer, Fundraising, Recreational Mill Board, Governance, and Calendar committees. I have been involved with PTA/PTO, am a member of the Zonta Club of Laramie, and help with youth ministry at my church.

I have been on the ACSD#1 school board since being elected in 2018. Through several challenging years and situations, I have grown in both my knowledge of our district, and my desire to continue to serve our community. We have moved our district forward in a positive way over the last 4 years, and I would like to continue to work to strengthen our district, provide quality education for our students, support our teachers and staff, and better our community. Over the next four years I hope to continue to work to improve school safety, increase communication and engagement with the community, support our teachers and staff, support the use of technology and innovation to enhance learning, and create an updated strategic plan for our district, among other things. I believe the work of our school board is critically important and the issues are vast. Having dealt with the many challenges and unique situations over the last 4 years, I have the experience needed to continue to work for the students and staff of our district. I will continue to work hard for the people of Albany County and to serve in a thoughtful and respectful way. I have been honored to serve our community as a school board trustee for the last 4 years and hope to continue to do so for these next 4 years.

My role as a trustee is to support the goals of our district as a whole, not to have personal priorities. Some areas of focus for our district that I have been and would continue to be engaged in are:
- Creating an efficient and sustainable budget that provides for diverse opportunities for students. To continue to prioritize and fund the many opportunities for students including CTE, activities, athletics, music, art, college prep, etc. To use our budget capacity to support our employees and ensure they have the resources and curriculum needed to succeed, and to offer competitive pay and benefits for all employees.
- Focusing on what each child needs to be successful through high school and to graduate students that are prepared for the next phase of their lives. To have a 100% high school graduation rates for our students.
- Enhancing school safety and security so our schools continue to be safe places for our staff to work and for students to learn. Another aspect is helping address the mental health concerns in students that we are seeing in our district and across the nation. Our district has counselors at every level and school psychologists to help support our students academically, socially, and emotionally. We have and should continue to make this a priority in our budgeting and to use alternative funding to enhance the services we can provide.