Keeping Wyoming kids in Wyoming — School superintendents discuss future workforce 

CHEYENNE — Laramie County’s K-12 education leaders urged local business leaders on Friday to build relationships with Wyoming’s young people.

Educating the future workforce in Wyoming has unique challenges in the era of cellphones, modern technology and an ever-shifting workforce, Laramie County School District 1 Superintendent Stephen Newton told attendees during the monthly Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Laramie County School District 2 Superintendent Justin Pierantoni added that the state is struggling to keep people in Wyoming, which impacts not only businesses, but schools as well.

“My long-term vision for education in Laramie County is to get Wyoming kids back in Wyoming,” Pierantoni said. “We have declining enrollment across the state. We have a declining population of families, and we have a declining population of people.”

He said that for the sake of self-preservation, Laramie County has to figure out how to address the current staffing shortage.

“There is not a better staff member that I can find than a Wyoming kid,” Pierantoni said. “My long-term goal is to figure out how we get Wyoming kids back to Wyoming, and I think that benefits all of us.”

Business owners in attendance are also trying to navigate the state’s declining workforce.

The superintendents’ advice? Kids can’t pursue jobs they don’t know exist.

“Eighteen-year-olds are not reading your trade journals,” Newton said. “And so how do they know you exist? I’m telling you, the door’s open.”

Business owners in construction, finance, plumbing or any other trade that may have a corresponding career and technical education course could come to LCSD1, assist teachers and connect kids with companies in town, Newton said.

“We need your expertise, and my guess is you might be able to set us straight on a few things,” Newton said. “Perhaps we’re teaching our kids to weld in a way that the industry says, ‘I really wish it wouldn’t; that’s not quite right.’ How would we know?”

Schools are often these young kids’ first introduction to the workforce, Pierantoni added. 

“We had this very unique situation with High West Energy about two to three years ago, where someone just asked a question, and the next thing you know, we’ve got three interns,” Pierantoni said. “And those students didn’t even know that High West offered those types of positions.”

Kids are in their own world, the same way adults are, Pierantoni added. Sometimes they just need to know what their options are.

Newton told attendees that despite perceptions that young people aren’t interested in the trades, LCSD1 turns away 30% of students interested in welding because the class is at capacity.

“I think some of our stories need to be retired,” Newton said. “We do not need to convince kids to take welding, we need more welding booths.”

Another challenge that schools are facing is the constantly evolving workforce, Newton said. It’s become difficult to teach kids workforce skills that may not be relevant in five years; Newton pointed to coding as an example.

While technical skills can be difficult to maintain relevant curriculum around, one area where public schools can prepare their students is interpersonal skills.

“I’m a believer in public education, and I do believe one of the strengths of a public education system is the opportunity for kids to work with other kids, and the opportunity for students and staff to work together in a big group,” Pierantoni said.

He added that schools are also businesses, so they are not only educating the future workforce, but seeing the current workforce in action.

“There are basic skills that you probably would assume would be natural,” Pierantoni said. “Post-COVID, they’re not as natural. Thanks to devices and electronics, some skills just aren’t natural anymore.”

LCSD2 is able to dedicate time in group settings to teach kids collaboration skills, conflict resolution skills and how to politely dissent, all skills that are useful in most jobs, Pierantoni said.

“How do we figure out a way to help kids say, ‘I believe this, but I’m not going to tell you how much I hate you to do that?’” Pierantoni asked attendees. “How do we have civil conversations and work through those things? And I believe that those skills right there, while you may assume are natural, they’re not.”

This story was published on Sept. 8, 2025.