Posted: Sunday, May 8, 2005 12:00 am
Cheyenne schools mull $5,000 teacher salary hike
CHEYENNE - Teacher pay would increase an average of $5,000 next school year under a tentative agreement.
The proposal would boost wages for a starting teacher from $28,650 to $33,150 in 2005-06, said Robin Inman, a Cheyenne Teachers Education Association representative, adding that the increase would help the district compete on a nationwide level for teachers.
The proposed salary and benefit package costs slightly more than $6 million, the highest amount ever for the teachers' unit, she said. "It's a healthy raise," Inman said.
A negotiations team outlined the proposal Thursday for members of the association. The team is made up of teachers, administrators and a Laramie County School District 1 trustee.
John Lyttle, the district's assistant superintendent of human resources and a member of the negotiations team, said the raises would range from $4,700 to $5,500. Some money would come from a $1,600 raise the Legislature approved this year.
Teachers association members will vote next week. If approved by teachers, the package will be voted on by trustees May 16.
Yellowstone cutthroat face extinction levels
JACKSON - Few options remain for reviving Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations in the upper reaches of the Teton River on the west side of the Tetons, a hydrologist says.
"We're looking at numbers that are close to extinction numbers," said Lyn Benjamin, executive director of Friends of the Teton River.
In 2003, biologists documented a 95-percent drop in the Yellowstone cutthroat population in the river. That coincided with a 319-percent increase in nonnative rainbow trout and a 166-percent increase in nonnative brook trout.
The nonprofit group has completed several habitat restoration projects along the river to improve conditions for trout. Volunteers have restored eroded riverbanks and built islands in the river and its tributaries to speed water flow.
Faster water helps cleanse silt from gravel bottoms, which trout use for spawning habitat. Moreover, silt is known to harbor whirling disease, which is caused by a parasite and is typically deadly to young trout.
Benjamin is pinning her hopes on the possibility of rebuilding a native fishery. This summer, Friends of the Teton River plan to launch a population assessment of Yellowstone cutthroat in the headwaters on the west slope of the Tetons in Wyoming.
WyDOT plans work near Bondurant
GREEN RIVER - A $5.6 million road reconstruction project near Bondurant north of Pinedale is under way, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
WyDOT spokeswoman Laura Grossnickle said US 191/189 will undergo major reconstruction beginning near the Hoback Ranches entrance at milepost 136 and ending near the Fire Station in Bondurant at milepost 142.
Resident engineer Bob Maxam said crews will start work on the southern end of the project first and work in one mile sections at a time. He said motorists can expect periods of one-way traffic controlled by flaggers and pilot car during construction.
The new highway will be widened to allow for 12-foot driving lanes and 8-foot shoulders, according to plans. A project board has been placed at the Bondurant Post Office to allow area residents to access the most up-to-date information about the project.
Grossnickle said Cook-Harriet Construction, Co. of Buffalo is the prime contractor for the project. The partial completion date is Oct. 4, with the final contract completion scheduled for July 31, 2006 after the final chip-seal top coat is added.