After a northern Wyoming school board voted 3-2 Wednesday to terminate its superintendent’s remaining employment contracts, the two members who voted nay resigned.
Two weeks before the board majority terminated his remaining employment contracts for this school year and an upcoming three-year span, Chase Christensen was named the 2026 Advocacy Champion of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
He also was Wyoming's Secondary Principal of the Year for 2025.
Sheridan County School District No. 3 board members are tight-lipped about what sparked the move, with three not returning voicemail requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
School Board Clerk Gina Hackett said she cannot talk about personnel.
Board Treasurer Deborah Guyer declined to comment and told Cowboy State Daily to request her resignation letter. The outlet submitted that request late Thursday.
It is standard in Wyoming that personnel discussions happen generally during executive, or private, meeting sessions.
But after the discussion Wednesday evening a public, 3-2 vote unfolded. The board Chair Kelly Little and Guyer voted nay, then announced they’d leave the board.
That was at least in part because of the termination, Christensen confirmed in a Thursday phone interview.
According to the Sheridan Press, Little and Guyer both quit because of the result of the vote, and Guyer said: “I cannot in good conscience continue to serve on a board that does not consider the successes and growth of our students. Instead personal views that (sic) change the ability to consider the whole picture.”
The firing came just hours after Christensen went on the "Cowboy State Daily Show" with Jake Nichols to talk about winning the national advocacy award.
Christensen said he has a drive "to make sure we have the best public education system in the nation right here in Wyoming."
'The Direction Things Were Going'
Christensen told Cowboy State Daily that he is not at liberty to discuss the reasons behind the move and that it was a “without cause” termination.
“I’m not sure that’s going to be in my best interest in terms of the relationship I’ve still got to maintain with the district,” said Christensen.
While the board terminated his contract, the terms say that the district will pay part of his salary and benefits for the next two years, he said.
Another staffer, school chef Aubrey Holland, told the board she’d resign over the move as well, the Sheridan Press reported.
Holland could not be reached for comment by publication.
Former school board members Karis Prusak and Dusty Hackett left the board earlier this year. In March, Trustee Ernie Miller and Vice-Chair Sam Olsen were appointed in their place.
The writing started to reach the wall then, said Christensen.
“The decisions made by my board, and perhaps the lack of decision-making that’s taken place, has indicated this was probably the direction things were going,” he added.
At the past few board meetings the board has been voting against committee recommendations and tabling “lots of items and pushing action down the road, and that led many to question what the goals of the board were,” said Christensen.
In a Thursday phone interview, Dusty Hackett declined to say why he left the board, but he voiced satisfaction with Christensen’s termination.
“He just wasn’t a fit for our school anymore,” said Hackett. As for giving more insight and context, he said, “Let everything settle down. Get everything nailed down the way it’s supposed to be.”
Prusak could not be reached by publication.
Excited Though
Christensen sounded undeterred Thursday.
“I am excited to continue to support public education in the state of Wyoming via one of many paths that may come,” he said.
Christensen attended parts of this year’s legislative session and participated in education talks with lawmakers.
He said he hopes to keep pushing work-based learning in Wyoming. He may be able to work in the private school sector or partner with other entities like colleges.
He’s also “kicking around” the idea of running for state legislature or another public office and championing school funding measures, he said.
“I think I’ve got a lot to offer both on the education front but also knowledge of the state of Wyoming,” he said, “and representing the true values of the people of Wyoming that have been missing for at least the last two years, if not further than that, in terms of many of the actions that come out of the Legislature.”
Or, Christensen said, he may consider running for the board of Sheridan College.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
