Dear Superintendents,
A number of bills that attempt to deal with school finance have been introduced or await introduction. Some are piecemeal bills, others attempt to comprehensively address school funding now and in the future. My hope, articulated in a memo to the legislature, was that this legislature would stay away from an overhaul to the school funding model during the session. In short, we have made wise investments in education over the last two decades and we ARE getting our “bang for the buck” in student achievement and equity. A different story is often being told by others right now. With inevitable reductions to education funding, this is a critical time for superintendents, educators, parents, the employer community, and citizens to weigh in on ensuring that education remains our state’s funding priority.
On Monday, January 30, at 6:00pm, the House Education Committee will hold its meeting at the East High School Auditorium. The sole bill for disucssion is HB236, the School Finance “Omnibus” bill. Here are several links of interest:
HB236–http://legisweb.state.
SF114–Education Reform–http://legisweb.state.
Public Comment Link for HB236–http://legisweb.state.
There are a number of bills still in “play” related to school accountability and programming including the accountability bill that aligns Wyoming’s system with ESSA, leader evaluations, Indian Education for All, Civics Education, CPR in high schools, virtual education–state infrastructure, and more. You can follow the progress of bills at: http://legisweb.state.wy.us/
Memos to be released on Monday, January 30, 2017:
- 2017-016: Wyoming Advisory Panel for Students with Disabilities
- 2017-017: 2017 WyTECC Conference
- 2017-017a: WyTECC Flyer
Jillian