Lillian Brazelton

Longtime board member Lillian Brazelton is running for re-election for Park County School District 1.

“During an interview when I first ran, they asked ‘why do you want to be on the board?’ I said ‘Well, who wouldn’t want to be on the board?’” Brazelton said. “It really is a strong board and we have a strong district that I’m very proud of.”

Brazelton, originally from Shoshoni, has been a member of the Powell community since 1988 when she began studying at Northwest College. She has served on the board since 2016 and holds the position alongside working as an office manager for the Powell Public Health office.

She has seen three of her own children graduate from Powell High School and has one grandchild currently in the district with two more to begin in the coming years.

Brazelton supports the work the district has put into ensuring student activities are preserved and maintaining the quality of staff that the schools have. She is also intent on the board continuing to work on communicating with the community and keep students as the board’s top priority.

“I think you can never over communicate and that it’s incredibly important to continue to talk with the community about what's going on in our schools,” Brazelton said.

Brazelton appreciates the mostly apolitical nature of the board’s mission despite how much has changed in the 10 years that she has served on the board. Although it may come up when advocating policy to legislators and representatives, she doesn’t see any need for the position to need to be a political one.

“There was never any political aspect to it when I first got on and then it just got crazy during Covid and when other national issues became items of discussion,” Brazelton said. “One of the first things we learned on the board is that you’re one of seven members. Even if you come on thinking you have an agenda, you’re quick to learn that it doesn’t do you any good to approach it like that.”

While serving on the board, Brazelton was encouraged to finish her bachelor's degree through Northwest College. She recently celebrated her own graduation back-to-back with her youngest daughter who graduated from Eastern Wyoming Community College in Torrington as a vet tech.

“When I first got on the board, one of the admins made the statement ‘lifelong learning’ and it really stuck with me. I don’t know if I hadn't been on the board if it would've even occurred to me to go back to school,” Brazelton said. “This job has taught me that you get what you put into it and if you’re willing to put in the work, it’ll come back tenfold.”

One of her favorite parts of the job has been getting to know administration and staff and having the chance to build relationships within the district.

“There is a pride factor when we’re celebrating our schools’ teams and individual students who are champions or come to us asking for funding to send them on national trips,” Brazelton said. “There is a sense of real pride that this is our district and these are our kids.”