RODGER SOLOMON (Unaffiliated)

1410 Boise Ave
Gillette, Wyoming 82716-1918
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I am a Gillette native. My grandparents were homesteaders in Campbell and Crook Counties. I graduated from CCHS in 1975. The next 12 years I lived in Pine Haven where my family operated a small convenience store. The next eight years were spent in either Cheyenne or Laramie, with the exception of three summers when I lived in Lander, Fort Washakie, and Casper. In 1995 I returned to Gillette and have lived here ever since. I met my wife while attending school at Laramie County Community College. We have three children, Erin, Heidi, and Elora. All three graduated from CCHS. Currently I am semi-retired. I work part time for Family Life Church coordinating their adult life group.

I am not sure what you want here. Work experience I have been a box boy, a storekeeper, a bookkeeper, tax preparer, receptionist, carpenter, substitute teacher, tutor, firefighter, youth worker, just to name a few. Life, I have been married to the same woman for almost 33 years. We have raised three children, one with bachelor's and master's in theology, one with bachelor's in math and secondary education, and the third with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering. Out of room!

I received my high school diploma from Campbell County High School in 1975. In 1989 I got my associate degree from Laramie County Community College, and in 1991 I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming. My degrees are in accounting. In addition to this I was a certified EMT and EMTII in the late seventies and early eighties.

I served as fire chief for the Pine Haven Fire Dept. I was President and Treasurer of the Pine Haven Ambulance Service. For 2 years I was treasurer for the Wyoming Girl Scout Council. While my children were in scouts I served as a volunteer for the girls and was an assistant scout master with the Bou Scouts. For the past few years, I have worked with the Family Life Youth, running the program for a year and a half. I am currently running the life group for the church.

Because I want to serve my community, my family, my friends. Over the years I have ran for County Commissioner and City Council. I Have even applied for openings on the City Council. Turns out I am not much of a politician. Earlier this year I applied for a position on the library board. Apparently, I didn't make an impression on the commissioners. So here I am running for school board. But it is more than that When my son was in school, he was a handful. I was continually having to take him out of school for the day because of discipline problems. Things finally came to a head when he was sent to cubes, he didn't make it halfway through the morning.
When I came to pick him up, I spoke to the counselor. I told him that we were considering home schooling. They jumped at the idea. So for year and a half I home schooled him. Except, he did take two classes from teachers who cared about him, strings and GATE. And there is the problem in a nutshell, a bureaucratic system that doesn't care about the individual student with a few caring individuals trying to make it work and getting burnt out trying to do it. Within a few years the GATE teacher burnt out. I have spoken to other teachers who are having the same thing happen, including my eldest daughter. who has also left teaching. Bureaucracies are, by their nature, self-serving. Their mission isn't to do any specific thing, it is to survive. And that is what the school district is.

To put less emphasis on college and more on the practical life skills: finances, taxes, balancing a checkbook, budgeting, etc. In the past few years some math teachers have wanted to put less emphasis on the higher maths and more on the practical use of math in various professions.

Encourage students to take vocational classes both before and after graduation. Too many students are going to college when they are not suited to it. It is only after they have spent thousands of dollars that they discover that just because society said they needed a college degree doesn't mean they need one. Often by the time a student finds out what they actually want to do they are too far down the path to make a change.

Do away with the "No child left behind" theory. There is another theory, "You can drive a horse to water but, you can't make it drink." I had a classmate who was popular and outgoing. So, she never applied herself. Years after we graduated something must have happened as she went back to school and graduated with honors. When I was writing résumés, I often ran across people who never finished high school. They didn't think they needed a diploma. Then they discovered that education was important and got there GEDs and went on to school and better careers. Hence, people have to be self motivated.