Enrollment at Fremont County School District #24 was down to around 320 students in 2013, 40 short of the benchmark that would provide more state funding to expand programming for students. Then newly-hired Superintendent Bruce Thoren set out to build a climate that the school community—which covers 2,000 square miles—would come to call the “Wrangler Family.”
Now, enrollment is up and almost half of the students who attend Fremont County School District’s #24’s K12 building come from outside the district. “Through honest, open communication with staff and students, a culture of belonging and a growth mindset has become the norm,” says Thoren, Wyoming’s 2024 superintendent of the year. “The family mantra has spilled over into the community and neighboring communities in such a manner that student enrollment has climbed to almost 400.”
Thoren’s K12 career began in 1991 as a CTE teacher but he soon moved to the Wyoming Department of Education, where he managed the network that ties all of the state’s schools together. After spending some time working in the private sector, he returned to K12 as Fremont County School District #24’s technology director and also continued teaching career and technical education. The previous superintendent resigned in the midst of the K12 building’s redesign 10 years ago, and Thoren took the helm of the school system where the primary economic drivers are farming, ranching and the mineral industry.
Thoren spoke to District Administration about taking a “middle-of-the-road” district on a journey of continuous improvement and why facts and truth-based communication have become a top priority for K12 leaders.
1. What are the things that are you most excited about that are happening in Fremont County School District #24?
Thoren: The things I am most excited about are our great staff and administrators that have built a culture of learning and family. The mantra for our elementary last year was “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” We have made great strides in identifying and addressing learning deficits at the elementary level and our statewide tests reflect those efforts.
2. What achievements over the last year led to your being chosen as Wyoming’s superintendent of the year?
Our staff, our processes and our culture. The district was a good school with middle-of-the-road results, an average school that provided an education for the students in the central rural part of Wyoming it serves. Our new facility and some changes in personnel provided a needed platform to begin the journey from an average school to a school that continues to improve and work its way up the list with a goal of being one of the top-performing schools in the state.
Through changes in building-level administration, staff and data-driven decision making the district has been able to improve student achievement and improve high stakes test scores. Data-driven decision-making has made our PLC processes part of our DNA. Staff communication around students provides facts so that people are able to make informed decisions in the best interest of students.
3. What are the keys to your leadership philosophy, and how do they contribute to Fremont County School District #24’s success?
I grew up in a large family. My father was a banker and my mother was a teacher. My dad taught us the value of a dollar, choosing wisely, and saving for a rainy day. My mother taught us respect, the dignity of others, and caring for your fellow man. These early childhood experiences and lessons have molded me into who I am today.
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I attribute those lessons to the manner in which I treat my colleagues and my students. Working together for the greater good, having tough conversations, and working through the bumps in the road have built a culture of respect and rapport.
4. How have the superintendent’s responsibilities changed over the last few years?
I will say that as the superintendent I rely on the experiences and expertise of many of my colleagues, community members and staff. This is more true than ever before. Factual and truth-based communication has become paramount to informing our staff, parents and stakeholders in the age of social media.
The old adage of “it takes a village to raise a child” couldn’t be more true today. We must work with our communities, and our local and state agencies to accomplish the well-being and growth of our children. We must communicate well and often. Our collective leadership must advocate for our children and instill a sense of self-worth, belonging and high expectations.
5. What are the biggest challenges Fremont County School District #24 faces right now?
A small rural community doesn’t always attract numerous applicants for job openings. Our applicant pool for certified openings has dwindled to 0-3 applicants per job. In an attempt to combat this, we developed a program to grow our own teachers and administrators. The school board set aside funds to reimburse employees for tuition and we have joined the Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship program as a pilot district in the process.
We continue to look at opportunities for staff and benefits that will improve their quality of life. We have added numerous benefit options and implemented a daycare in the school as part of our benefits package to retain employees.
6. Have there been changes in the challenges the rural districts face?
This last year proved to be tougher than most because of Mother Nature. We had record snowfalls, high winds and closed roads from December through March. District staff and students rose to the occasion by coordinating with county road plows, delivering classes virtually at a moment’s notice and showing compassion for each other.
7. What’s at the top of your district’s list of must-have-ASAP?
Continued improvement. We all have room to grow and improve whether it is pedagogy, mapping of curriculum, formative assessments, relationships or a host of other social-emotional venues.
We have our students for a very limited time and we must make sure that time is well spent, impactful and leads to a productive member of society.
8. Have you seen an increase in student misbehavior over the last few years? If so, how are you responding? How is social media influencing students; behavior?
We have taken a proactive approach to our students’ social and emotional needs by hiring additional counselors, utilizing our SRO to work with classes on “Cowboy Ethics,” and providing leadership camps in the summer for students grades 7-12.
9. Do you have a good relationship with your school board and what are the keys to collaborating effectively?
Yes, I have a very good relationship with my school board. The building of that relationship started nine years ago when we implemented a leadership governance model and utilized the Wyoming School Boards Association to bring in a trainer to work with the board and myself on leadership governance and roles and responsibilities. That training continues each election year when we have new board members elected to the board.
Every month the board members evaluate themselves and the superintendent on one or more aspects of leadership governance. These monthly evaluations provide opportunities to discuss everything from labor relations to budgeting to strategic planning.
