(Lander, WY) – At the January 20 Fremont County School Board regular meeting, long-time board member Scott Jensen announced his resignation, following recent policy changes from his employer.
Jensen’s open letter of resignation/candidate endorsement is available to read in full below.
I have been a school board member for Fremont County School District #1 (Lander) for over six years. I have found this service to be both meaningful and worthwhile and I am grateful to our community for entrusting me with the responsibility. I was originally appointed to fill a vacancy in August of 2019 and was subsequently elected in 2020 and again in 2024.
At the same time I have worked in federal law enforcement for over 20 years. In general, my agency does not permit employees in my position to take on any sort of external employment. This includes volunteer positions, but there are exceptions made for things like coaching kids sports teams or serving in non-partisan, unpaid elected positions. Each year I have served on the school board, I have had to request an exemption from my employer, which has been granted every time, including this year.
Recently things changed. Given my history of receiving approval to serve on the board, I was shocked to be notified of a new policy adopted by my agency’s leadership. This new policy explicitly excludes elected positions from those potentially eligible for approval for external employment. I am now left with the choice of resigning from my job or resigning from my position on the board, which is no choice at all. My ability to provide for my family must take precedence. As a consequence, at the conclusion of our meeting on Tuesday, January 20, I will be resigning from my position on the FCSD#1 Board of Trustees.
This past election, I was just behind Taylor Jacobs in receiving the most votes of any school board member in recent history. I believe this is a reflection of the leadership I have provided in our school district and the trust our community has placed in me. As the remaining board members undertake the burden of identifying and appointing my replacement, I encourage them to consider my endorsement of Matthew Keller. Mr. Keller is a long-time member of our community with extensive experience in construction management. He is a problem solver and consensus builder. He is a husband and father, and I know him to be an honorable man and a hard worker. If appointed, he will be an excellent addition to the board and will bring real value through his perspective and background.
Following the announcement, fellow board members shared their gratitude for Jensen’s service to the district.
The board will now begin the process of appointing a successor for Jensen for the remainder of his term.
The two relevant board vacancy/resignation policies are available below.
- Policy BBE: Board Vacancies states, “When a vacancy shall occur on the Board of Education, the remaining members of the Board shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy within 30 days. The appointee shall serve until the next school Board election.”
- Policy BBBC: Board Member Resignation states, “If a board member’s permanent residence ceases to be in the school district or in the member’s trustee resident area, if a trustee resident area is designated, the board member will resign immediately. The board member shall include within his/her resignation an effective date of the resignation and the board shall within thirty (30) days thereafter appoint a successor trustee to fill the vacancy in accordance with law.”
Board Chair Taylor Jacobs stated that in the coming days, a press release will be shared with more details for interested applicants, with letters of interest due by January 30 (the forthcoming release will include more information on where to send those letters).
The board will then pick five candidates from those applications during the scheduled executive session at the board’s February 3 work session, and those names will be made public on either February 4 or 5.
Those five will then be asked to present at the February 17 regular board meeting, and following an executive session discussion, the official vote will be made/announced publicly.