Teachers, superintendents and parents warn recalibration could force staff cuts; urge rolling‑average and co‑located protections

Public testimony at the Jan. 23 Select Committee on School Finance hearing emphasized potential harms to small and co‑located schools from the proposed recalibration. Speakers urged retaining a three‑year rolling average for ADM, protecting small‑district adjustments, preserving realistic class‑size assumptions and extending mental‑health grants while the committee studies counselor staffing.

Superintendent Teresa Chalk (Lincoln County SD #1) told the committee the draft's class‑size increases and removal of rolling averages could cause layoffs across districts. "In Lincoln County School District number 1 alone, we anticipate the potential loss of up to 8 certified teaching positions," she said. Tristan Green (Albany County #1 business manager) said losing the rolling average would translate in her district to a loss of 178 students and roughly $2.7 million next year and could force elimination of dozens of staff.

Parents and educators from rural, co‑located schools stressed that shared buildings do not mean shared needs and that minimum staffing floors are necessary to preserve electives, interventions and grade‑specific programming. Bridal Davidson, a Burlington parent, urged adoption of Dr. Pikus's co‑located minimum‑staff recommendation to prevent a near‑halving of teachers in her community.

Behavioral‑health advocates and school social workers pressed the committee to maintain and expand counselor and mental‑health funding. Lindsay Simoneau (Wyoming Behavioral Health Alliance) noted federal SAMHSA grants expire Sept. 29 and said that Wyoming cannot rely on uncertain federal support.

The committee responded by adopting targeted protections: a 5% maximum year‑to‑year ADM reduction cap; minimum teacher allocations for co‑located schools; class‑size adjustments that moderate proposed increases; and a placeholder to fund counselors and pupil supports at evidence‑based model levels in 2027–28, plus a one‑year extension of the current mental‑health grant.

Quotes: "The benefit of the 3 year rolling average... it was instituted to help us with the ebb and flow of kids," Tristan Green said. "Elective classes are not just extras. They're essential to well rounded education," said a parent speaker from Bighorn County.

The committee incorporated many of those public concerns into amendments it adopted while working the bill; LSO will publish updated district‑level modeling so districts can see the quantitative effect of the adopted changes.