Select Committee unanimously sponsors K‑12 recalibration bill after amendments on class size, RCA and mental‑health supports

The Select Committee on School Finance voted unanimously on Jan. 23 to sponsor a recalibration bill for K‑12 funding, adopting a slate of member amendments that its leaders said reflect public testimony and technical fixes.

The 95‑page working draft (26LSO0161) moves many school‑finance model components into statute, updates salary and benefit calculations and includes new statutory language on retirement and health insurance. Tanya Heitrich, operations administrator and legal counsel for LSO, told members the draft also includes appropriations placeholders, including $500,000 to continue committee work and $14,000,000 for bus purchases.

Why it matters: The changes alter how Wyoming calculates resources for districts and will affect staffing, class sizes, special‑education payments and district budgets statewide. Committee members emphasized the bill is a starting point; the draft will be refined and publicly posted with updated modeling and fiscal estimates.

What the committee changed: Members adopted a series of amendments by voice vote or roll call. Representative Yin's amendment adjusted the regional cost adjustment (RCA) calculation to smooth extremes that produced cliff effects. Senator Schueller amended class‑size assumptions (K–3 moved to 16:1; grades 4–8 adjusted to 22:1; 9–12 retained at 25:1). Speaker Nyman added minimum teacher allocations for co‑located schools (6 elementary, 7 middle, 9 high, prorated under 50 ADM). Representative Andrew added a maximum year‑to‑year ADM reduction of 5% to protect districts with sudden enrollment drops. The committee also agreed to include nurses, elementary counselors and pupil‑support staffing at EB‑model recommendations beginning school year 2027–28 as a placeholder and extended the existing mental‑health grant for one year.

On technical issues: LSO staff and the committee fixed internal cross‑references and agreed to clarify a provision that limits instructional‑silo funds to instructional purposes; members asked staff to add a clearer definition to ensure paraeducators and contracted instruction are treated as instructional when intended.

Fiscal and process notes: Matt Wilmarth (LSO) said the bill's funding is supplemental to the legislature's budget bill and highlighted a placeholder for retirement/health insurance costs that staff will fill once amendment impacts are estimated. LSO will post an updated funding model and district‑level impacts online and prepare an updated fiscal note.

Roll call and next steps: The committee took a roll call on sponsoring 26LSO0161 as amended; the chair announced the motion carried and the committee will send the bipartisan, committee‑sponsored bill to the full legislature. LSO will finalize bill language, update fiscal estimates and the model, and the bill will face additional votes during the budget session.

Quotes: "We want a recalibration bill," Co‑chair Salazar said, thanking staff for producing a draft that the committee could unanimously endorse. Matt Wilmarth of LSO noted the changes will make future statute and amendment work more transparent by codifying model components.

The committee adjourned after directing staff to post updated modeling and fiscal information and to draft final bill language for consideration in the upcoming budget session.