CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Education Association, with the help of the University of Wyoming, released a study in May 2022 regarding why teachers in Wyoming were leaving the profession. It found the primary reasons for leaving had to do with their own mental health as well as feeling that they had a lack of support.
Within Laramie County School District 1, there have been efforts to retain faculty by providing them with the resources needed to succeed.
Assistant Superintendent Vicki Thompson said many efforts have been made in the district in order to help the faculty and staff during this time, including offering online counseling and support services through Supportlinc, a confidential service for faculty and staff to use that offers in-the-moment support and short-term counseling.
“We don’t know who is going to get that support. We want to make sure that is kept confidential and separate,” Thompson said.
“We also have an employee wellness program in the district. We have a wellness manager and she provides a lot of other support, such as eating a well-balanced diet, exercise and making sure you get your flu shot. So we do have a very robust wellness program in the district to help staff.”
Teachers also have up to 12 days a year for sick leave and personal circumstance leave to take off if there is an issue for them.
Correction, June 14, 2022: A previous version of this story attributed the report to the Wyoming Teaching Association. It has been corrected to the Wyoming Education Association.
