Deep education cuts spark backlash

A draft bill emerging from the Wyoming Legislature’s school finance recalibration process has sparked broad opposition across the state, uniting the governor, local school boards, superintendents, legislators and public advocacy groups who say the proposal misuses a constitutionally required process to justify deep cuts to public education.

Critics argue the plan would reduce funding for schools statewide, increase class sizes, eliminate hundreds of teaching positions and accelerate the outmigration of Wyoming graduates seeking opportunity elsewhere.

Governor Mark Gordon issued a blunt warning as lawmakers debate the proposal.

“I call on the Legislature to reject this demolition budget, restore funding to core institutions and remember why we were elected,” Gordon said, “not to perform outrage for cameras, but to protect the people and communities of Wyoming.”

Local school board members say the proposal ignores the realities facing rural districts with declining enrollments and limited flexibility. Wendy Fuller, a member of the board for Big Horn County School District No. 1, said the issue goes beyond spreadsheets and formulas.

“This is about the reality of small towns and schools that have shrinking enrollments and how to provide the best education possible for our kids,” Fuller said.

District leadership echoed those concerns, particularly regarding provisions that would dictate spending decisions at the state level. Jared Boardman, chairman of the District No. 1 board, said local control is essential to effective education funding.

“By dictating exactly how money must be spent universally in every school under every circumstance is not possible and comes with unintentional consequences,” Boardman said. “It is why local elections were and are implemented and important, so the money can be used most effectively for the best outcome.”

The proposal has also drawn criticism from rural lawmakers. Dalton Banks, who represents House District 26, said he has raised concerns with legislative leadership about how recalibration changes would affect small and rural districts.

“I have urged them to increase teacher salaries to market value and to not eliminate incentives or steps that come with experience,” Banks said. “Do not mess with the class size ratio so that we maintain smaller class sizes for better teacher and student individual time, and staffing support based upon lower ratios. And to keep co-located schools funded separately so that our middle school and high school won’t lose those needed dollars by combining them.”

Banks said the fundamental problem is a one-size-fits-all approach. 

“The problem is the big city legislators don’t understand small and rural Wyoming and the school districts that rely heavily on these models,” Banks said. “I understand that some districts in big cities need some restructure, but a one-size-fits-all approach is not the answer here. Local schools are the lifeblood of our communities.”

Public education advocates have accused lawmakers aligned with the Freedom Caucus of acting in bad faith by using recalibration to advance unrelated tax policy goals. In a statement, Betterwyo.org said the process is being misused.

“But the Freedom Caucus is planning to use the ‘recalibration’ process dishonestly,” the statement said. “Instead of figuring out how much it truly costs to deliver a quality education for Wyoming kids, they are planning to use ‘recalibration’ to try and cut tens of millions of dollars per year from public schools to pay for their huge property tax cuts.”

The group concluded with a call for public involvement and constitutional accountability.

“We have to speak up and let the Recalibration Committee know that the people of Wyoming will not accept this,” the statement said. “We demand they do their constitutional duty to properly fund our statewide public school system.”

The Wyoming Education Association echoed those concerns this week, opposing recommendations from the Legislative School Recalibration Committee that would eliminate $88 million in education funding, increase class sizes and cut more than 700 full-time education positions statewide.

“The Wyoming Education Association is clapping back at a select committee that is looking to propose some cuts in funding for Wyoming students in the state,” said WEA President Kim Amen. “They have not followed the consultant’s model recommendations since 2010.”

Wyoming’s funding formula is recalibrated every five years using an independent study conducted by Picus Odden and Associates, which analyzes the actual cost of delivering a constitutionally required education, often referred to as a “basket of goods.” Although the Legislature adopted a bill in 2025 tied to the most recent recalibration model, Amen said the committee’s current draft deviates sharply from those findings.

“So that’s a pretty big difference,” Amen said. “And so we think that’s frankly not acceptable.”

Amen also warned that the proposal risks reopening long-settled constitutional questions.

“It has come back every time that the constitution requires that the state fund public education and that it’s modern and equitable,” she said.

Local officials

Superintendents in the Big Horn Basin say the consequences would be immediate and concrete. Matt Davidson, superintendent of Big Horn County School District #1, said proposed class size increases alone would force staffing reductions.

“Class size is being recommended to increase in grades four through 12,” Davidson said. “That change would reduce the number of teachers in every district, including ours.”

Davidson also cited proposals requiring all districts to move into the state health insurance plan, prohibiting districts from retaining interest earned on savings, and replacing the three-year rolling enrollment average with year-to-year funding.

“That creates more volatility and uncertainty,” Davidson said. “It makes long-term planning extremely difficult.”

He also cautioned against mischaracterizing proposed salary model changes.

“Many are interpreting this as a large raise, but it is not,” Davidson said. “It’s just a change from a base amount to an average salary amount.”

Similar warnings were issued by William Hiser, superintendent of Big Horn County School District No. 2, who said districts like his would absorb the full impact of enrollment losses in a single year.

“If approved, this will result in a reduction of teaching positions,” Hiser said, referring to proposed class size increases.

He added that categorical funding changes, mandatory participation in the state health insurance plan and the elimination of experience-based salary steps would further strain recruitment and retention.

“We would absorb the full financial impact in a single year rather than being buffered by the current three-year rolling average,” Hiser said, “likely resulting in staff reduction.”

The four-week budget session of the Wyoming State Legislature will begin on February 9. In the weeks that follow, several budget committee meetings are scheduled, giving lawmakers time to review concerns, hear from educators and communities and make adjustments before final decisions are reached.