All posts by tgabrukiewicz

Remembering Sen. Hank Coe

Superintendent's Update

We said goodbye to a friend, a leader, and a colleague last week. Senator Hank Coe, or, “Mr. Chairman” to many of us, passed this week after a brief battle with cancer. This is a true loss. Senator Coe led the Senate Education Committee for many years. He approached every topic with a wealth of wisdom and thoughtfulness. Senator Coe’s legacy and impact on education will last for generations to come.

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Senator Coe, Representative Freeman, and Representative Roscoe escort me into the House Chambers at the beginning of the 2019 legislative session.

UPDATES

The WDE Communications Team is making much-needed updates to our website and branding. Thank you for your patience if you encounter a temporary glitch or two when you visit our website. Note the new template for this update – all WDE branding will transition to this look with the tagline, “Opportunity Through Education.” We truly appreciate working with each one of you to provide opportunities for Wyoming’s young citizens.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) released two new resource guides: the Teacher Digital Learning Guide and the School Leader Digital Learning Guide. The guides provide strategies to help teachers and school leaders effectively incorporate digital learning strategies both inside and outside the classroom.

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Inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20

Memos to be released today:

Blue Balow Signature

SPECIAL STATEMENT: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow’s Comment on the Passing of Senator Hank Coe

Superintendent's Update

CHEYENNE – Today I, alongside many in Wyoming, grieve the loss of Senator Hank Coe. He was my friend, a mentor, and a colleague. To my family and I, Hank is remembered as a friend and a supporter – always generous, always kind. Professionally, Hank was a mentor to me – infusing wisdom, history, and thoughtfulness into all of our work together.

Among Hank’s many legacies, he was key in developing and overseeing Wyoming’s equitable funding model. This work transformed Wyoming education. Hank led the Senate Education Committee with a keen sense of the business that would keep Wyoming schools moving in the right direction. My heart goes out to Hank’s family today, and in the days to come.

WDE Media Conference Tuesday to Discuss 2020 Graduation Rates

News Releases

January 21, 2021

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) will host a virtual media conference at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 to discuss the 2019-20 Wyoming high school graduation rate. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow and other WDE staff will be available to discuss the graduation rate and answer questions.

Media may register in advance here. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the press conference.

Full graduation rate statistics for the 2019-20 school year will be available Tuesday morning. Since the 2009-10 school year, the WDE has calculated graduation rates using the Federal Four-Year Adjusted Cohort methodology established by the U.S. Department of Education, which complies with federal law that requires all states to calculate graduation rates exactly the same. Students are counted in the four-year (or “on-time”) high school graduation rate if they earn a diploma by September 15 following their cohort’s fourth year. Five- and six-year graduation rates are also calculated, and can be viewed with the rest of the graduation rate data.

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

Wyoming Broadband Survey

Superintendent's Update

Dear Superintendents,

Attached to this week’s memo, 2021-003, is the flyer pictured below. The flyer is printable – please consider sharing and displaying the flyer to promote completion of the survey by Wyoming families.

Wyoming Legislative Session

The 2021 legislative session kicked off this week for a one-day session. Here is Governor Gordon’s message. The session will reconvene January 27.

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Memos to be released on Tuesday, January 19 (The WDE will observe Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18):

Important Federal Updates

Superintendent's Update

Dear Superintendents,

There are several important updates from the federal level and two memos from our department. Welcome to 2021!

U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

As you likely know U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, resigned. In her resignation letter, Secretary DeVos clearly expressed the reasons for resigning and outlined several successes during her tenure.

Looking forward, President-Elect Biden has nominated Dr. Miguel Cardona as his pick for U.S. Secretary of Education. Dr. Cardona is the current State Superintendent in Connecticut.

CARES II FUNDING FOR STATES

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CARES II) was signed into law on December 27, 2021. The Wyoming Department of Education is working to set up the state allocation and distribution process for the new Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funds. Here are a few stats about the new funding:

  • $81.9 billion in the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) for higher education, K-12, Bureau of Indian Education, and other education entities.
  • $54.3 billion (67% of the total ESF) for K-12 education (new ESSER II funds).
  • $21.7 billion for higher education (HEER).
  • $4.1 billion for governors (GEER).
  • Wyoming’s allocation for K-12 schools is substantially higher than last spring (approximately $135 million for K-12).
  • Allocations are based on relative share of Title I, Part A.

CARES II funds are to be used for emergency needs to address issues responding to the coronavirus, including measuring and addressing learning loss, which may be addressed through the use of grants and contracts.

Allowable use of funds is similar for ESSER I and ESSER II with key differences, including the period of availability, equitable services to non-public schools, maintenance of effort, and a report on efforts to measure and address learning loss. ESSER I funds should be expended before ESSER II funds are used. Here is a fact sheet that offers further details.

Our staff at WDE can provide technical assistance and will offer a webinar once we receive adequate information about the funds, purpose, timeline, and process.

SCHOOL NUTRITION

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted nationwide waivers, through June 30, 2021, to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to COVID-19. These waivers relate to the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Seamless Summer Option, and the Summer Food Service Program.

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I spent time with family over the holidays and took this photo of my great nieces and nephew at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.

Memos to be released today:

Temporary Federal Accountability Changes Open for Public Comment

News Releases

January 8, 2021

CHEYENNE – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wyoming Department of Education seeks public comment on temporary changes to its federal accountability plan. Public comment is being accepted from January 8-25, 2021. A summary of the changes, copy of the draft document and waiver can be found here.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancelation of statewide assessments in the spring of 2020. Wyoming’s accountability system requires multiple years of assessment data, which means that even if students are able to be assessed in the spring of 2021, some adjustments are necessary in order to meet federal requirements for the 2020-21 school year because of the absence of assessment data.

Wyoming plans to submit an addendum to its federal accountability plan, which would allow long-term goals in academic achievement, graduation rate, and English language acquisition to be pushed one year. The addendum would also allow Wyoming to – for one year – not calculate measures for which there is not adequate data, not calculate overall scores for schools, and delay identification of low-performing schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement . Additionally, Wyoming plans to seek a waiver from the annual requirement to identify schools for Targeted Support and Improvement based on the performance of specific student populations.

These temporary changes to Wyoming’s ESSA plan do not waive the federal assessment requirements. For the 2020-2021 school year, Wyoming will assess its students to the extent possible.

Comments can be submitted to the WDE through January 25, 2021 via an online survey, or by mail. Two online public meetings will be offered, one at noon and another at 5 p.m. MST on January 14. Anyone wishing to participate can register online here for the noon session and here for the 5 p.m. session.

Comments can be mailed to:
Wyoming Department of Education
Attn: Linda Finnerty
122 West 25th Street, Suite E200
Cheyenne, WY 82002
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

SPECIAL STATEMENT: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow’s Statement on the Events of January 6

News Releases

January 6, 2021

CHEYENNE – “Like most Wyomingites right now, I am deeply saddened and concerned at the events that transpired in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. As an educator, I cannot help but recognize the complexity of the situation and how difficult it must be for thousands of kids across Wyoming to sort through. As parents, state leaders, educators, and adults, we all have a responsibility to lead by example. The example made by some adults yesterday rioting at our nation’s capital was disgraceful.

“This is a teachable moment, an opportunity to reiterate to our youth that violence against people and property is never acceptable. Our founding principles have been tested over the last year in many unprecedented ways, culminating in yesterday’s tragic events. It is more clear than ever that we must strive to restore civility, transparency, and trust in our nation’s founding and institutions.”

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

Student Enrollment Down 1,894 for 2020-21 School Year

News Releases

CHEYENNE – Fall school enrollment in Wyoming’s 48 school districts dropped from 93,832 students in the 2019-20 school year to 91,938 during the 2020-21 school year – the first time enrollment has dipped below 92,000 students since 2012. Fall K-12 enrollment data for Wyoming public schools for the 2020-21 school year is available online.

Wyoming’s public schools lost a total of 1,894 students. While 10 districts saw an increase in enrollment, 38 districts decreased enrollment from the previous year.

Wyoming school districts that saw the largest increases in enrollment offer statewide virtual education programs:

  • Niobrara County School District #1 with a 76.8% increase, or 607 students.
  • Park County School District  #16 with a 75.5% increase, or 74 students.
  • Big Horn County School District #1 with a 68.1% increase, or 729 students.

“Wyoming had a structure in place to offer full-time virtual education to students before the COVID-19 pandemic began,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. “I am proud of Wyoming educators for their commitment to offering in-person instruction and I’m grateful that parents and families had a range of public, home, virtual, and private options.”

The Wyoming Department of Education has prepared the following reports that break down the enrollment statistics:

This data was gathered from all school districts throughout the state in a snapshot performed on October 1, 2020. The agency does not collect numbers of students enrolled in home or private school.

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

Superintendent Balow’s Update – December 21, 2020

Superintendent's Update

Dear Superintendents,

THERE WILL NOT BE AN UPDATE THIS WEEK. Enjoy the holidays.

U.S. DEPT OF EDUCATION TRANSITION

Earlier this week I, along with colleagues from other states, met virtually with the Biden transition team. During the meeting, convened by the Council for State School Officers (CCSSO), we discussed our top federal priorities for the coming year, including equity, assessment and accountability, broadband Internet access, school nutrition programs, and flexible federal funding to meet the needs of all students. 

COVID RELIEF

Relief package negotiations are moving swiftly in Congress. As of writing this update Congressional leadership continues to work on details for a bipartisan COVID relief package. Language of the bill has not been released yet and work will likely continue into the weekend and next week. It is probable that a new relief package for states will include funding for education.

NOTABLE READS

UW, Ellbogen Foundation Create Endowed Deanship in the College of Education

ISTE 2020: Expanding Computer Science…

Why More Families Need Afterschool Programs…

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Wyoming students compete in the state We The People contest

Memos to be released today:

  • 2020-186:   2021-22 & 2022-23 Alternative Schedule Requests
  • 2020-187:   2020 PAEMST State Finalists
  • 2020-188:   Release of 2019 Census Data for FY21 Title I, Part A Allocations

Operation Reverse the Loss

Superintendent's Update

Dear Superintendents,

For several months I’ve been reading a blog authored by Mark Schneider, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). He recently launched a project called Operation Reverse the Loss and his thoughts about how to address pandemic-related learning loss are compelling. Here is his latest blog post. In it, he noted that the OECD estimates that the United States will lose $30 trillion in net present value GDP if COVID-19-related learning losses are not overcome. Our efforts in Wyoming have never mattered more.

Holiday Tidbits

As in the past, WDE asked a Wyoming school to submit one student-created ornament to be displayed as part of the America Celebrates display at the United States White House. This year, an ornament made by a student at Wheatland’s West Elementary was selected. Here is a link to the lighting ceremony, ornaments from across the nation, and the 98 year history of the display.

Also, the United States Census Bureau published  Holiday Season Fun Facts which has a teacher’s guide and activities for every grade.

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Lilah Knight’s ornament was selected and is displayed now at the White House

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Ornaments made by other students at West Elementary in Wheatland

Computer Science Education Week Wrap-up

On Thursday, Governor Gordon proclaimed December 7-13 Computer Science Education Week.

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Computer Science Education proclamation signing by Governor Gordon

Other News

  • President Trump and Vice President Pence held the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit. Here is a fact sheet about the impending vaccine against COVID-19. Wyoming Representative Landon Brown, who sits on the House Education Committee, attended the summit.
  • The CDC issued an updated COVID-19 Toolkit for K-12 Schools this week.
  • Congressional education leaders hope to reach a deal soon to simplify applying for student aid, a major priority for Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Senate education committee, who is retiring shortly after the new year. Here is a related article Inside Higher Ed.

Memos to be released today:

  • 2020-184:   Alternative Schedules – Chapter 21 Emergency Rules
  • 2020-185:   DRIVE: Developing Rewarding Integrated Vocational Experiences