WYOLA - The Wyola school board hired a new interim superintendent on Wednesday night.
After a few minutes of deliberation, the board chose Trivian Rides The Bear from a list of three candidates.
Big Horn County Superintendent John Small had been serving that role as interim, after replacing Dr. Robert Smith, who is also a teacher at the school.
Smith was the interim before the board decided to terminate Ken Deputee.
Deputee had child endangerment charges against him for closing the school in the fall.
As for the new superintendent, there was not much opposition from those attending the meeting.
“It's important to for the Wyola school district to have a full-time superintendent,” Small said.
Rides The Bear has been an educator for 33 years working as a superintendent and principal at Lodge Grass and as a principal at St. Labre.
The board agreed to pay her $60,000 for the rest of the school year and will have to decide later if she will be more permanent as superintendent.
“We’ve got a C.E.O. on site all day long, every day,” Small said about the new superintendent. “And so as a school district address all functions of the school.”
During public comment, Smith, who was the interim superintendent before the board voted to put Big Horn County Superintendent John Small in that position, asked for the letter from the Office of Public Instruction on Small's appointment.
“I'm just requesting the board and the superintendent that could be provided,” Smith said at the meeting.
“I will present that,” Small said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Rides The Bear will start her new job on Monday.
