A new kindergarten teacher is beginning at Parkside Elementary School this month, after family circumstances led an instructor to resign and move mid-year.

Tessa Eller was hired Dec. 10 to replace Kaylyn Ramsey, who decided to leave her kindergarten position after her husband lost his job as a chemical engineer at Cody Laboratories; the company’s owner decided earlier this year to shutter its operations and lay off roughly 80 employees.

“With the news of it [Cody Labs] closing, we started to explore every opportunity possible to try and get our family to stay in the Powell/Cody area,” Ramsey said. “However, we couldn’t seem to make it work.”

She said the family was “very fortunate” that her husband, Patrick, found a job as a chemical engineer for Sinclair Oil in the Rawlins area. However, with a baby, “we made the hard decision that it would be in our family’s best interest to keep our family together.”

Ramsey decided to stay in Powell until the mid-year Christmas break, so it would be an easier transition for her students.

“I am so heartbroken over this. I love working for Park County School District No. 1, and am really sad to be leaving Parkside,” Ramsey said. “I am so thankful for all of the support the district has given me in making this choice, and am going to miss everyone so much.”

Ramsey has taught in Powell for five years, and said she’s thankful for the opportunity to be part of “so many students’ educational journeys.”

Eller started teaching with Ramsey last week, to help make the transition easier for students.

Since Ramsey is leaving her position mid-year, the Powell school board had to decide whether to waive a $1,000 penalty.

The district’s policy says an employee’s early release from a contract is contingent on the district’s ability to find a suitable replacement and liquidated damages of $1,000. However, the policy says the board can waive the fee for reasons that the board deems “to be in the best interest of the professional staff employee and/or district.”

Trustee Don Hansen said during a November meeting that he didn’t agree with waiving the $1,000.

“I think she needs to be charged for it,” Hansen said. “I’ve been in the situation … it’s not good, but it happens. These are legal contracts that these teachers sign.”

He said if you don’t abide by a contract, there could be a lawsuit down the road when another employee resigns.

“They could use any reason they wanted to have the $1,000 waived, too,” Hansen said. “You do it for one, you’ve got to do it for them all.”

Superintendent Jay Curtis recommended the board waive the liquidated damages.

“I don’t disagree with Don [Hansen] that a contract is a contract, however, I do think there are life circumstances that occur,” Curtis said.

He said the policy clearly allows the board to waive the fee for certain reasons.

“This does not set up any type of liability for the district with regard to lawsuits, as long as we’re acting within policy, which you are,” Curtis said.

The superintendent said it isn’t in Ramsey’s best interest nor the district’s for the family to be separated until the end of the school year.

“That is six months that her baby will not get back with her father, that is six months that we have an employee who is basically being a single mother,” Curtis said, adding later that, “we are in the people business, and I will always recommend taking care of people as long as they’re taking care of us. This is through no fault of her own.”

Chairman Greg Borcher also noted that Ramsey’s husband didn’t choose to leave his job. “They are put in a hard position, and if we could help them out, that would be good,” he said.

Other trustees agreed, and the board voted 6-1 to waive the fee, with Trustee Hansen casting the dissenting vote.

Parkside Principal Jason Hillman agreed with the board’s decision.

“I think it’s fair if the policy allows to not charge them [the Ramseys] that fee, because they really did try to avoid this situation,” Hillman said. “... She wanted to stay — they tried a bunch of different ways to figure out how to stay, but in the end, it wouldn’t be good for their family.”

Hillman and Curtis both said Ramsey will be missed.

“This is a tremendous loss for the district,” Curtis said. “She is a phenomenal teacher, and wherever she goes, she’s going to be phenomenal.”

He said the district had “excellent candidates” to replace Ramsey, and said it will be treated as a temporary position through the end of the school year. The district will re-advertise the position, with Eller having the opportunity to apply for the permanent position.