Losing an educational fixture

The Carbon County School District #2 will have another new member following its Monday meeting where board member and clerk Tonya Bartholomew of Saratoga announced her resignation from the board.

Bartholomew announced her resignation and it was accepted by the CCSD No. 2 board unanimously. The board will solicit letters of interest from members of the public who wish to finish out Bartholomew’s term and is planning to elect her successor at the board’s July meeting. The board also recognized several others retiring from the district.

Bartholomew resigned her place on the board effective June 20. She and her family are leaving Saratoga to move to Powell in order to help care for her husband’s parents.

“I have loved my time on the school board,” Bartholomew told the Saratoga Sun. “I think right now actually is a very smooth time: Dr. Copeland has done an amazing job of creating unity in the district and also managing the district so the board can do what it’s supposed to do which is write policy and govern the district.”

She is also sad to be taking her children out of CCSD No.2 schools due to the family’s move, she said, because of the quality of the schools.

Board chair Joe Gaspari thanked Bartholomew for her service, recalling significant issues the pair had worked on together during Bartholomew’s tenure. Other board members echoed Gaspari’s sentiments, as did several teachers and other school officials in attendance.

“(Her moving to Powell) is a great loss for the community in many, many ways, not only professionally, but her service on the board and also just the loss of a great family that is very well thought of in this community,” CCSD No. 2 Superintendent Jim Copeland said.

Because Bartholomew was the clerk of the CCSD No. 2 board, the board also had to appoint a member to fill that position.

After some discussion, board member KayCee Alameda was nominated as clerk of the board, and was chosen unanimously by board members.

The board also recognized five other employees who are retiring this year: Saratoga Elementary School (SES) Principal Dave Rangitsch, SES secretary Peggy Lorenzen, CCSD No.2, Director of Curriculum and Facilities Larry Uhling, SES cafeteria manager Cindy Hill and Lynn Grant.

The board then covered routine business and adjourned before holding a special budget amendment session. During that session, the board acted to approve budget amendments raising the general fund budget from $18,300,000 to $18,540,000. The food service fund budget was increased from $514,000 to $554,000 and the depreciation reserve fund was increased from $455,000 to $655,000.

The next regular meeting of the CCSD No.2 board will be 6 p.m. July 19 at the CCSD No.2 central office in Saratoga. A special budget hearing will be held immediately after.