WYOMING – Governor Mead signed House Bill 140 yesterday, reducing K-12 funding by $27 million for the state’s two-year budget cycle.
Mead noted in the session that quality education is at the core of efforts to diversify and build Wyoming’s economy, though cuts to public education seemingly undermine his efforts to get Wyoming back on its feet. The governor’s budget proposal, rejected by the legislature, contained no cuts to public education.
“We did want to hear from people, Wyoming education folks, who had concerns about some of it and from some who are supportive, take time to look at [the bill] and make sure it’s solid,” Mead told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle Editorial Board on Monday.
According to Wyoming Education Association (WEA), the Senate refused to pass House Bill 194—State Funded Capital Construction, which provided hundreds of millions of dollars in statewide construction projects—unless the House gave way to the cuts to public education demanded by the Senate through House Bill 140.
“There was a lot of tension between the House and Senate in terms of where to go,” Mead said.
The cuts will impact approximately $8 million for fiscal year 2019 and $19.3 million for fiscal year 2020. $77 million in school funding cuts have already been imposed in recent years. The bulk of these cuts will be felt through changes to the funding formulas for Average Daily Membership (ADM) and school groundskeepers, and institution of a cap on special education funding.
“Escalators,” or costs like insurance and special education that increase beyond the control of K-12 school districts, are expected to increase by at least $12 million over the next school year.
“We were hopeful that Governor Mead would be able to hold to his initial plan of not cutting education this session,” said WEA President Kathy Vetter. “However, with overwhelming pressure and compromise from both the House and the Senate, the Governor still upheld the cuts to education. WEA is grateful for the work of many lawmakers, who have steadfastly fought for public schools. We are disappointed with the rigid approach of some, particularly in the Senate, who refuse to seriously address the real problem of finding a stable funding stream for public education.”
