Paul Bankes (Republican)

7409 Evers Blvd
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-5901
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I'm a career educator with deep Wyoming roots. A Sheridan High and University of Wyoming graduate, I earned my master's and doctorate in Educational Leadership at Texas Tech. My wife of 29 years, Carla, a Cheyenne native and registered dietitian, is Child Nutrition Program Supervisor at the Wyoming Department of Education. We came home five years ago. Our daughters are in medical school at Mayo Clinic and a nursing doctorate program at UW. I'm proud of my family's decades in Wyoming construction, oil and gas, and ranching.

For over 30 years I've championed public education as a teacher, principal, and Executive Director of Elementary Education. As a principal, I led teams in three high-poverty, academically challenged schools to state-recognized achievement. I still teach college education courses and consult and train. I'm running to bring that experience home, serving our students and teachers and engaging parents, businesses, and our community in strong schools.

30+ years championing public education
Successfully turned around three academically challenged schools
Former teacher, principal, district-level administrator, and board trustee
25+ years as a consultant and professional-development trainer for schools nationwide through the Foundation for Critical Thinking
Business and finance background — formerly a Certified Financial Planner, currently CFO of Monteforte Group, LLC

Bachelor of Education, University of Wyoming
Master's and Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Texas Tech University
CFP® coursework, The American College of Financial Services

Sunrise Lion's Club Vice-President

Boys & Girls Club Board

University of Wyoming Library Advisory Board

Friday Food Bags Volunteer

Hunger Initiative Volunteer

I believe education is how a person builds a life of success, security, and independence. It prepares young adults to join our workforce, be good neighbors, and volunteer their time, building a community where people thrive. That belief is why I'm running for the LCSD1 Board of Trustees.

I've served as a teacher, principal, district administrator, and elected school board trustee, so I know where the levers are and how they connect. Our district is good, but we should expect better, and we can't afford to wait: the students in our classrooms right now get one shot at this year.

Getting better means seeing the district as a system. A reading goal touches hiring, schedules, training, and budget all at once, and a board that pulls one lever at a time will be surprised by what happens downstream. So my focus is narrow on purpose: an intense, sustained commitment to the few things that genuinely move learning, starting with a high-quality teacher in every classroom. That means recruiting great teachers, developing them, and keeping them. And that focus starts with the board: setting a few clear goals, funding them, measuring progress honestly, and staying the course.

I'm running to sharpen our work, alongside parents, businesses, and our whole community, so every teacher can succeed and every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Setting funding aside, my priorities are local decisions, boardroom-to-classroom alignment, and better results for every student. The common thread: fewer initiatives, held longer, with this community at the table early.

Keeping decisions in Cheyenne. Too much is now decided elsewhere: a state screening put us on a closure clock we didn't set, and state law dictates salary schedules and limits how we use our own money. The state funds much of this and deserves a say, but one rule for 48 districts fits none of them well. National groups on both sides also push agendas that didn't start here. We need to get in early, with our own numbers and our own case.

Alignment from boardroom to classroom. Research shows board members in high-achieving districts know what happens in classrooms. Too often a board direction becomes four versions by the time it reaches teachers. Alignment runs both ways: teachers and principals see what works first, and that must reach the board. Everyone should be able to name the same few priorities and their part in them.

Better results for every student. Recent gains are real and our staff earned them, but from 2021 to 2024 we lost ground in reading, math, and science. The answer is fewer initiatives, kept long enough to see if they work, and saying no to whatever eats teaching time. Underneath it all, students must attend, and classrooms must be settled enough to learn.