The school year is officially upon us, and as the interim legislative session moves forward, many committees are meeting to discuss several education-related topics.
JOINT EDUCATION
At this meeting, WEA President Kim Amen and Government Relations Director Tate Mullen presented on teacher recruitment, retention and morale. As advocates for educators across Wyoming, the WEA informed the committee of policy choices they could make to help improve those areas, including:
- addressing the issue of class sizes
- expanding collective bargaining rights
- utilizing community school approaches
- no longer proposing or passing legislation that unnecessarily targets educators
- figuring out what can be done to bolster administrators support for teachers and staff
The WEA team reminded the committee that one of the easiest things the committee could do to improve these elements is to fully fund a cost-based model of education. That would allow districts to hire much-needed personnel to support current education staff and address student behaviors.
WEA also provided significant comments on what has come to be known as the Teachers’ Bill of Rights. Ultimately, the committee moved a bill forward that would mandate more administrative support for student behaviors, the tracking of data, and the use of evidence-based intervention systems. The rest of the committee’s work resulted in working groups to explore viable policy options for higher education, reading and assessment, and charter schools.
Next Meeting: November 13-14, Cheyenne
JOINT REVENUE
The committee discussed eliminating property taxes across the state — money that significantly contributes to local education funding. Without those local dollars, the state would be on the hook for the remaining balance of education funding – even during an economic downturn. As it stands, the bills that passed last session created a significant structural deficit in education funding, and it is projected that by the 2029-2030 biennium there will be close to a $700 million deficit in education funding, and additional property tax cuts would only exacerbate this problem. WEA Vice President Dirk Andrews provided public comment on behalf of WEA at this meeting.
Next Meeting: November 18-19, Cheyenne
RECALIBRATION
The committee received an updated report from the consultants on the recalibration work. Right out of the gate, they provided insight as to how they would implement the judge’s orders in the school finance litigation case. Specifically, there were conversations about how to implement the SRO component, food services, mental health counselors for elementary schools, and the 1-to-1 computer/technology issue.
The latter issue sparked significant comment and controversy, with Senate President Bo Biteman sharing that he is unwilling to follow the judge’s orders. His concern, and ask to the consultants, was a need for information that computer learning was not detrimental to student performance, signaling his desire to return to textbooks instead of computers. Several education professionals provided public comment to clarify the error in his logic.
The significant component of salaries, the external cost adjustment (ECA) and the regional cost adjustment (RCA) are still being considered and will be ready for the October meeting.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Senator (and Committee Co-chair) Tim Salazar asked WEA to help bring parents and members of the public to the October meeting. Please consider attending and being willing to offer public comment. Reach out to WEA’s Government Relations Director Tate Mullen, President Kim Amen or Executive Director Grady Hutcherson if you have questions. We hope to have a statewide Zoom training – details to come!
Next meeting: October 28-29, Casper
JOINT JUDICIARY
The committee discussed the most recent version of the “obscenities” bill. Authored by Cheyenne Representative Ann Lucas, the bill would impose $50,000 fines for school districts and libraries for each instance they were found to violate the new definition of “sexually explicit materials.” There are numerous problems with the legislation:
- The language would effectively eliminate sex education in Wyoming
- Materials and classics (such as The Diary of Anne Frank) would violate the definition and would be removed from shelves
- The bill’s language has vague terms and applicability
The committee received close to 900 emails asking them to kill the bill, and public comment went well into the evening. The hours of public comment were provided by teachers, parents, grandparents, students, and even clergy all in opposition. Only two people – members of the Natrona County school board – testified in support. Recognizing they stepped on a proverbial hornet’s nest, the committee tabled the bill until the next meeting.
Next Meeting: October 13, Cheyenne
SCHOOL FACILITIES
While not a specific topic during the August meeting, the committee noted that they were working to secure an outside consultant to help define “suitability” for school facilities. This was a mandate by the court’s order.
Next Meeting: October 27, Casper
AND KEEP IN MIND…
- WEA will co-host a “Labor in the Park” Party on Saturday, Sept. 13. Details coming soon.
- WEA will have a table prior to the start of the Wyoming v. Utah football game on Sept. 13 in Laramie. Stop by the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) and say “hi!” to us.