Jay Curtis

Park County School District 1 Superintendent Jay Curtis’ contract has been renewed, now running through June 30, 2024.

Curtis has a rolling contract, which means that every January — about 18 months before it’s set to expire — the school board decides whether to extend his contract an additional year. Following a brief executive session at their Jan. 11 meeting, the six trustees who were present unanimously voted to renew Curtis’ contract. Trustee Don Hansen was absent.

Board Chairman Kim Dillivan said the board has “always been comfortable” with extending Curtis’ contract an additional year. Dillivan feels Curtis’ performance has been in line with what the board expects from its superintendent, adding that the board has always given Curtis “excellent evaluations.”

The Wyoming Association of School Administrators also gave Curtis high marks in 2021, naming him the state’s superintendent of the year.

“I feel like I am doing well and making an impact in Powell,” Curtis said in a recent interview, “but you never really know. The life of a superintendent is pretty tenuous.”

According to Curtis the turnover rate for Wyoming superintendents is high, at around 15-20% yearly. However, “this is where I will be, board willing, until I retire,” he said.

Curtis has led Park County School District  1 since summer 2017, coming to Powell from Meeteetse Schools.

“I have made no secret that when I moved to Powell I thought I would like Powell and enjoy working in Powell,” Curtis said. “I had no idea I would fall in love with Powell.”

Following board evaluations in June, the superintendent sets goals in July for the upcoming school years. However, Curtis had to revise his goals after the Delta variant of COVID-19 came to Powell in the summer and fall. Curtis compared this school year to a “revolving door” of students and teachers coming in and out of quarantine.

The list of goals for this year are to improve communication in the district, post a video update on Facebook that covers the state of the school district every two weeks and provide the conditions where all schools can work towards becoming high functioning professional learning communities. Finally, Curtis wants to make an effort to put physical and mental health programs in place for staff members.

“When people are operating their best, kids are doing their best,” Curtis said.

At last month’s board meeting, trustees took a moment to note his recognition as superintendent of the year, as he officially received the award at a Wyoming School Boards Association conference in November.

“It’s a privilege to work here,” Curtis said. “It’s mostly a reflection of where I work, the team I’m on, the board that I work for. It’s easy to be recognized when you work with such great people.”

Curtis’ current salary is $165,883. Trustees will discuss his compensation at a later date.