Carrie Murthy (Democratic)

1462 N Indian Hills Dr
Laramie, Wyoming 82072-6953
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My husband Sid and I moved to Laramie in 2007. We have two kids in two different ACSD1 schools: Chaitan is in 5th grade at Indian Paintbrush Elementary School, and Annika is in 2nd grade at Slade Elementary School.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and Maryland. When Sid and I moved to Laramie, the small-town feel and wide-open spaces felt like coming home, and we knew this is where we wanted to put down roots.

In 2017, along with my parents, we built our own home—painstakingly framing each wall and placing each roof truss over many months. It was a labor of love and a special experience to build a unique, multi-generational home as we put down even more permanent roots in this community that we love.

In my free time, you can find me out on the Schoolyard Trails or Pilot Hill Trails, running with my dog Raju, a LAWS rescue.

I am uniquely qualified to add value to the School Board, bringing 16 years of professional experience researching education policies and best practices and supporting education programs. I have observed classrooms; held focus groups with teachers and principals; visited afterschool programs; documented school lunch practices; supported states and districts tackling educator workforce issues; and studied best practices in teacher preparation, recruitment, retention, and evaluation.

I am proud to have earned the following degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, Winthrop University, 2006 (Summa Cum Laude)

M.A. in Political Science, University of Wyoming, 2010 (4.0 GPA, Outstanding Master’s Student)

I bring many years of volunteer and leadership work, including:

Serving as Chairperson and/or Board Member of several community-based and statewide boards and committees, including the Be the Change Scholarship Committee.

Volunteering in school, summer school, and afterschool settings, which has included working directly with migrant communities and students, homeless students, children in the foster care system, and English Learners.

I am running because I am ready to be part of the solution to the challenges our district faces. One looming challenge is a staffing crisis. Our kids in Albany County deserve the best. They deserve a high-quality education in a safe learning environment. In order to provide that, we need to make sure we, as a school district, are supporting our educators with the tools, resources, training, and support they need so that we are retaining our great teachers, and so they can do what they do best: teach our kids. I bring an evidence-based lens grounded in 16 years of professional experience in education research that includes a specific focus on best practices in teacher recruitment, retention, and support.

I believe every child deserves a high-quality education in a safe learning environment. It is through this lens that I frame my priorities:

1. Supporting a strong educator workforce:
We have a staffing crisis looming. As a School Board Trustee, and in collaboration with educators and the community, I am eager to explore innovative ideas to strengthen and support our educator workforce in Albany County.

2. Soliciting stakeholder input:
I believe in the importance of listening deeply to the concerns and ideas of the individuals who are impacted by the decisions the Board makes. As a School Board Trustee, I will visit every school building so I am in tune with each school site and can better understand the unique challenges and nuances of each school, as well as identify trends and themes across schools. I am committed to encouraging and empowering parents, students, school staff, and educators to communicate with me.

3. Mental health:
Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, and the pandemic didn't help. Our children in Albany County deserve a high-quality education, and that means having a school system that supports their mental health and emotional wellbeing.