School board trustee steps down
School board trustee steps down
Albany County School Board Vice-Chair Mark Bittner announced his resignation in a letter Wednesday. Bittner’s as-of-yet undecided replacement will join the board amid a contentious semester.
Citing personal health reasons, Mark Bittner is resigning from his elected position as Albany County School Board Trustee.
Bittner represented Area A — essentially, the city of Laramie — for more than a term, having been first elected in 2016 from a large field of candidates. He was reelected in 2020, again receiving the most votes, this time on a ballot that also included current trustees Jamin Johnson and Emily Siegel-Stanton.
Bittner, who was serving as the board’s vice-chair, announced his resignation in a letter to his fellow board members.
“This is something I don’t want to do, but it is simply something that I must do,” Bittner writes. “Based on my current health condition, I don’t think that it would be wise for me to push forward on Board work. I do regret this because I think we have so much more to tackle as a Board, and I was very much looking forward to some of our discussions and policy work.”
According to state statute, the vacancy must be filled within 30 days. The board is now accepting applications and will discuss details of the replacement process at its retreat Nov. 3. Though Bittner’s term would have extended through the 2024 election, his appointed replacement will serve only through 2022 — the next time there is an election for board trustees — although the appointed individual would be free to run in that election cycle.
The vacancy could draw a lot of interest. There are usually far more candidates than seats in Area A, but the past semester especially has brought significant focus to the board and its actions.
When Gov. Mark Gordon left decisions about mask mandates to individual districts, those individual school district board meetings became political battlegrounds. Pediatricians, medical professionals and scientists — many of them parents — have passionately advocated for the district’s mask mandate each time it came up for a vote.
But other parents opposed to the mask mandate have protested as well, going so far as to shut down board meetings by yelling, swearing and howling over the Albany County Public Health Officer or by refusing to wear a mask for the short duration of their public comment.
The board and school administrators even started receiving threats and “vitriol” from across the country when an incident related to masks at Laramie High School hit national media.
In his resignation letter, Bittner praised both School Board Chair Janice Marshall and Superintendent Jubal Yennie.
“I thank Janice for her leadership, her patience, and her mentorship as I learned the ropes of the district,” Bittner writes. “I also appreciate each and every one of you for the unique skills that you all bring to the table. And above all — thank you to Dr. Yennie for all the amazing, difficult, and important work that he has led the district with. There is no more important work than what all of you do to support the teachers and students of this district.”
Anyone residing in Area A who wishes to fill the vacancy and take a seat on the board is invited to apply. The district will accept letters of interest sent to boardofeducation@acsd1.org until Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.