Wyoming students and the state’s public education system scored a massive court victory on Wednesday, in a case brought forth by the Wyoming Education Association.
Following a four-week trial that concluded in July 2024, District Judge Peter Froelicher ruled that the state has failed to provide appropriate education funding per the Wyoming Constitution and now must take steps to modify the funding model.
“This is a great victory for Wyoming students and families,” WEA President Kim Amen said. “It’s a step forward in ensuring that every student in Wyoming has the visionary and unsurpassed education that they are entitled to by our state’s Constitution.”
Several school districts across Wyoming served as intervening plaintiffs in the case.
In his 186-page ruling, Froelicher writes in part that the state has “failed to maintain a constitutionally compliant finance system by” the following:
- Not properly funding the actual costs of school districts to provide the basket of quality educational goods and services;
- Not properly adjusting for the effects of inflation;
- Not providing for salaries adequate for the school districts to recruit and retain personnel to deliver the basket of quality educational goods and services;
- Not including funding for elementary level mental health counselors, SROs, nutritional programs, and computers for every student;
- Not adequately and evenly assessing school facilities for educational suitability; and
- Allowing unequal and inadequate school facilities to exist for too long of a period.
The WEA filed the lawsuit against the state in 2022, claiming the Wyoming Legislature has not sufficiently funded its public school system, as required in the state Constitution.
In its court filing, WEA claimed that the Wyoming Legislature failed to:
- adjust the funding model for inflation and keep salaries competitive
- add funding for new components and increase funding for certain new components of the educational program, and
- appropriately measure the adequacy of facilities.
Froelicher added the following to his ruling:
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the State shall modify the Funding Model and the school facilities financing system in manners consistent with this Order to assure the school financing system for operations and for school facilities are constitutional. The Court notes, because 2025 is a recalibration year, there is an excellent window of opportunity to address these issues.
“Meeting the constitutional requirement means giving every student the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances,” Amen added. “It’s about empowering educators with the resources, support, and respect they deserve, and ensuring that students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and critical thinking abilities necessary to succeed.”
The full decision can be found here.
