Rachel Mahoney (Republican)

446 Lame Jones Rd
Alva, Wyoming 82711
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My husband grew up in Crook County, and about 11 years ago we moved back to his family’s ranch near Hulett. We have two children: our oldest graduated from Hulett School in 2022, and our youngest is in sixth grade. The recent school funding changes deepened my involvement in our schools and showed me that when parents and community members speak up, they are heard. I’m running for trustee to help make good decisions with the resources our community has entrusted to our schools and to see every student challenged, supported, and prepared for life after graduation.

I spent 10 years as a service producer and video producer, and I now serve as Communications and Technology Director at Black Hills Cowboy Church in Beulah, where I produce a weekly podcast and blog and manage our website and social media. At its heart, my work is helping people understand what’s happening and why it matters so they can make informed decisions. That’s what I hope to bring to the board.

Bachelor of Arts in Religion, minor in Sociology, Georgetown College, 2002. Trained in live production, audio, and video through 16 years of professional experience and mentorship.

I serve as treasurer of the Crook County Promotion Board and as Republican Precinct Committeewoman for Alva. I’m a Hulett School booster club member and a regular at Crook County School District board meetings, where I’ve followed the recent funding changes closely. Black Hills Cowboy Church is both my workplace and my church home.

For years, I’ve been an involved parent in our schools, but there was a time I wasn’t sure my voice mattered. When the state changed how it funds schools, that changed for me. Our district faced hard decisions, and I watched parents and community members show up, ask questions, and be heard. That experience moved me from watching to wanting to serve.

A school board holds two things in trust for our community: its resources and its children. I want to take both seriously. That means understanding the numbers before making decisions and asking hard questions without assuming the answers. It also means looking beyond the immediate cost to how a decision affects students, and making choices our community can sustain over time.

I also believe our kids are capable of more than we sometimes ask of them. I want students across our district to be challenged, supported, and held to high expectations.

Our schools are shaping the people who will run our ranches, businesses, and communities. I want every student to leave prepared to be a capable adult who contributes and, hopefully, chooses to stay and invest in Wyoming.

Most of all, I want to be a trustee who listens. I know what it’s like to feel unheard, and what it means to find out your voice matters. Every family in Crook County deserves that.

1. Steward our resources through the funding changes.
I watched our district work through the state’s new funding model, and I know these decisions are hard. I will dig into the numbers, ask what each choice means for students, and plan for lean years as well as good ones.

2. Challenge our students.
Our kids are capable of more than we sometimes ask of them. I want every student to have the chance to participate in activities, and I want students held to high standards for learning and behavior, in the classroom and on the field. Those opportunities stretch students and build the confidence and character they’ll carry into adulthood.

3. Help families and the community understand board decisions.
When the board makes a hard call, our community deserves to know what was decided and why, in plain language. I will listen to people across the county, explain my own votes honestly, and encourage the board to communicate its decisions clearly.