Paxton honored for commitment to education

In the Platte Valley, it seems the name Jerry Paxton is synonymous with education.

Paxton, who served as House District 47 representative from 2013 until 2022, has been involved in education since the early 1970s. For five decades, he has been involved with education with nearly 30 of those years as a teacher at Encampment K-12 School. After teaching for 27 years, Paxton became principal before retiring in 2005.

Along with serving four terms in the Wyoming Legislature, Paxton also served as House Education Committee Chairman. On February 15, Paxton was presented an award by the Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees for his service on the House Eduction Committee.

Paxton said he was very flattered and appreciative of the recognition. He  said,

"It gave me an opportunity to thank the school board members for all that they do for us". said Paxton. "Being in the House of Representatives allowed me to extend my career and stay involved in education. It was an opportunity to provide the resources and support you all need to keep our schools moving forward."

Paxton said Wyoming spent half of their biennial budget on education and he feels that is money well spent. He said some of his colleagues see dollars while he sees kids, so the struggle to maintain a level of support is real. 

"There is no doubt in my mind that you have the most important elected position and the most thankless elected position in the state. We are so lucky to have quality people that step up and accept the challenges of being a school board member," Paxton said to the Board of Trustees. "The last few years have challenged the school boards, with COVID, our new found wokeness, the 1619 project, gender identity, critical race theory, social media bullying, drugs and guns in school, and the list goes on and on."

Paxton reiterated that the school board is the first line of defense to make sure kids have a safe learning environment and that they are being educated and not indoctrinated.