Particularly in light of the extraordinary opposition to the voucher program by the majority of Wyoming’s residents, we are disappointed by Gov. Gordon’s decision to sign HB199 into law. The district court’s ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required, and the choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision.
We know from the detailed and well-documented experiences of other states who have implemented such programs that they do not improve student performance; that there are significant and costly incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse; and that these disproportionately harm rural students and communities. Unconstitutional universal voucher programs serve as a taxpayer-funded welfare handout to wealthy families whose communities have access to such schools and whose students already attend private schools.
We look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure that Wyoming’s public education system is funded to the level required by our state’s Constitution, and that our students, teachers, education professionals, and communities receive all the benefits that a healthy and robust public education system provide.
