Editor:

Recently, our school district has had to make cutbacks. Not so much money cutbacks, but people cutbacks. Our school system let go of some great employees who contributed a lot to our schools. Our mom, Bobbee Rudy, was one of those people.

She has been the athletic director assistant for the past nine years. She has bent over backward and gone above and beyond in her job. She was the backbone of the athletic department. Our mom loved her job and she loved going to work each day.

She truly cared about the school and wanted to see it thrive and did everything in her power to try and make that possible.  She was not only a great employee but a great example to students and staff alike.      

But let’s backtrack a bit. A few months ago our mom was told that, due to budget cuts, they would be combining her job with the attendance position, and that she and the attendance secretary would have to interview to see who kept her job.

She was asked what she wanted to do, meaning would she like to resign at the end of the year. Our mom loved her job and would have done anything to keep it. She took pride in it and wanted to remain a part of the Lincoln County School District No. 1.

After she said she wanted to keep her job, they were both asked to write up their job descriptions. Our mom had three pages detailing her position. We are sure the attendance position was just as long. In the meantime, our mom lost her dad in December, a very close uncle in February and her sister in March.

Her interview was scheduled for a week after burying her sister (it was originally scheduled for the day after her sister passed away but they rescheduled it). The day after the interview, she was told that she didn’t get the position because the other person answered a question better than our mom did.

Our question is this; shouldn’t actions speak louder than words? Shouldn’t what our mom has done for the school the past nine years mean something? She taught herself everything and she did it without complaining. She did it for the school and for the betterment of the district. She did it because she loved her job and the staff she worked with.

Couldn’t they have shown her that same amount of respect? We understand that people get laid off — it’s just how to the world works. But we also feel that nine years of hard work should count for something.  

We aren’t writing this article to badmouth or to make excuses. We understand that times are tough. We are writing this letter to let our mom know how much she is appreciated and respected, how much she is loved and how much she is looked up to. We couldn’t ask for a better role model for ourselves and our children.    

Lincoln County School District No. 1 lost one of its best employees. They lost an employee who took pride in her work and was proud of the school. They lost an employee who figured out a way to get things done and get them done the right way. They lost an employee who truly cares about the students, staff and the school.  

Aarika Walker

and Abby Housley

Kemmerer