Local educators watching recalibration changes

The mood among administrators, school boards and teachers across Big Horn County is one of “cautious concern” as they begin working through the details of the school recalibration bill passed by the Wyoming Legislature this week.

While local leaders say the final version of the bill improved during the legislative process and avoided some of the deeper changes proposed earlier in the session, many are still trying to understand what the long-term effects will be for local schools.

Several months ago, an early proposal from members of the Freedom Caucus suggested deeper structural changes and funding reductions. Compared to that plan, the final legislation offers some relief.

Even so, significant questions remain.

Superintendents across Big Horn County say they are still studying how the recalibration model will affect budgets, staffing and programs. Many of the precise details on how funding will be distributed may not be clear until after April 15 — the date Wyoming school districts must offer contracts to returning teachers.

Matt Davidson, superintendent of Big Horn County School District No. 1, which includes Burlington and Rocky Mountain schools, said the bill raises concerns.

“In my opinion, it improved over time through draft changes and bill amendments but still has some significant flaws in its final form,” Davidson said.

One of the biggest changes involves how school funding will be distributed. For years, Wyoming has used a “block grant model,” where districts receive funding in a large sum and local school boards determine how to allocate those funds.

“This has allowed districts to pay for expenses currently not funded in the Wyoming model,” Davidson said, including school resource officers, insurance costs, additional counselors, employee benefits and student activities.

“With the new recalibration law, the block grant has been siloed,” Davidson said. “A majority of a district’s budget will now be placed into specific categories and cannot be used for other expenses outside of that category.”

Another major change involves how the state funds employee health insurance.

“In the past, districts were funded based on the number of employees who qualified to take insurance,” Davidson said. “In the future, districts will only be funded based on the number of employees who actually take insurance.”

“This change will reduce funding by a significant amount,” he added, noting that previous reimbursements helped districts cover more of employees’ insurance costs and increase base pay.

The legislation also increases allowable class sizes at every grade level, which could potentially reduce the number of classroom teachers statewide. Another provision allows the state to claim half of the interest earned by school districts from reserve funds.

Davidson said the bill does include some positive elements.

“Positive aspects include additional funding for instructional facilitators, additional summer school dollars and funding for school nurses and elementary counseling services,” he said.

Keith Campbell, superintendent of Big Horn County School District No. 4 in Basin, said districts are still trying to understand how the new system will work.

“At this time, we do not have a clear understanding of how the new funding model will function in practice, and it may take some time before the state provides additional guidance,” Campbell said.

Campbell said many districts had hoped lawmakers would follow recommendations from the state’s school finance consultants.

“We had hoped the Legislature would follow the recommendations of the state’s school finance consultants, which called for maintaining the ‘block funding grant model,’” Campbell said. “When the powers and duties of local school boards are significantly limited, it raises concerns about the ability of districts to respond to local needs. Local flexibility has historically been a key driver of school improvement.”

Campbell said districts across the state will now have to carefully evaluate operational decisions.

“All districts will now have to make some pretty big decisions on the operational side of the budget,” Campbell said. “I don’t want to take any guesses yet as to what those decisions are.”

William Hiser, superintendent of Big Horn County School District No, 2, said the new model represents a major shift in how education funding is handled.

“The new recalibration model significantly reshapes how education funding is allocated to school districts in Wyoming,” Hiser said. “Under the previous block grant system, local school boards had the flexibility to address the unique needs of their communities. The new model moves away from that approach and instead introduces funding silos that limit how funds can be used.”

Hiser said districts are hoping to receive guidance from the Wyoming Department of Education soon.

“As we transition to this new model, we hope to receive guidance from the Wyoming Department of Education in the coming weeks,” Hiser said. “This guidance is especially important as we begin making staffing and instructional decisions for the 2026–27 school year.”

For now, educators across Big Horn County say they are continuing to analyze the legislation while preparing for decisions that will need to be made in the coming weeks.

With teacher contract deadlines approaching and many details still being clarified, school leaders say they are proceeding carefully as they work to understand how the new recalibration model will shape local schools in the years ahead.