Wyoming to debate cutting K-12 funding by $100 million to help avoid budget shortfalls By Brendan LaChance on February 9, 2021
(Dan Cepeda, Oil City)
CASPER, Wyo. The Wyoming Legislature will reconvene their 2021 General Session in March and one of the may topics of debate will be what should be done with K-12 education spending.
House Majority Floor Leader Albert Sommers (Sublette County) said during a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 9 that the legislature will debate a proposal to cut K-12 education funding (provided through the School Foundation Program Account) by $100 million per year.
Wyoming Senate and House majority leaders said during the press conference that they expect the work of the legislature this session will be able to ensure a balanced budget for the remainder of the 2021-2022 biennium.
Green River Star -
February 3, 2021
Wyoming’s public schools have long been a subject of derision for many Republican state lawmakers who claim they underperform. If such scrutiny leads to the constant improvement of our K-12 system, then I’m all for it.
But that’s not the solution the Legislature is considering. Instead, a committee charged with determining how much the state spends on education wants to cut funding by an estimated $250 million over the next three years.
That’s like complaining of a headache and then “solving” the problem by cutting off your head. If the topic wasn’t so serious, their response.
It s going to hurt. We re preparing for it, District Superintendent Mike Jennings said during the district s work session on Monday.
The state is looking at a budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars from the collapse of energy prices and the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Jennings outlined the process for crafting a budget by May 15 and budget hearings and adoption on July 9. The district s fiscal year begins July 1.
The Legislature s actions will greatly affect the budget, he said.
Two committees the Select Committee on School Finance and the School Finance Recalibration Committee met in December and worked on two bills, Jennings said.
By Tom Coulter
Via- Wyoming News Exchange
CHEYENNE – State lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday [December 22] to renew the funding model for Wyoming’s K-12 education system but included both a $100 million cut and a provision that could eventually lead to an increase to the state’s sales and use tax.
The Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration, made up of several high-profile lawmakers, held a two-day meeting [last] week as part of the recalibration process, which the Legislature goes through every five years to review what constitutes an equitable education system in the state.
During meetings earlier this year, legislators heard from hired consultants, who provided a rundown of recommendations for an effective, cost-based funding model for the state’s schools.