The Wyoming Education Association cannot support any bill that would draw money away from the School Foundation Program, nor tax exemptions. This bill would reduce SFP dollars in 2025 by $6.6 million and $6.8 in 2026. Loses in education funding have direct negative measurable impacts on employment, personal income, state GDP and state population. These considerations are heightened given the states failure to provide adequate funding for K12 utilizing a cost-based model.

This approach to property tax relief expands an already existing program. This approach provides relief while at the same time, not reducing dollars to the School Foundation Program. This bill would add additional tiers to the existing program based on the higher of the state median gross income or the median gross income of the county.

The Wyoming Education Association cannot support any bill that would draw money away from the School Foundation Program. This bill would reduce SFP dollars in 2025 by $2.94 million and $6.9 in 2026. Loses in education funding have direct negative measurable impacts on employment, personal income, state GDP and state population. These considerations are heightened given the states failure to provide adequate funding for K12 utilizing a cost-based model.

This voucher bill is unconstitutional, violating numerous provisions of our state constitution prohibiting tax payer dollars going to private or parochial institutions. The bill, like most voucher bills, lacks transparency, accountability, and standards for education service providers. These services produce fraud and waste without positively impacting student performance all while drawing much needed dollars away from K12.

While the bill's intent is to provide data for an up-to-date assessment of the regional cost adjustment in the states next recalibration effort, the data that is being asked for in this bill would be invaluable. This data would help to fill a massive hole in our states education data tracking including unfilled vacancies. This data would help provide evidence-based policy solutions for teacher attraction and recruitment as well as salaries.

The bill will set a 5% cap on assessed value property tax increases. While the October CREG projection is that future years statewide assessed value growth will be at the 5% level or less, these are averages. There will be properties that will come in at an assessed value higher than 5%. This amount is indeterminable, but there will be some negative impact to local education funds. Due to the indeterminable amount, this bill is scored appropriately given WEA's positions on exemptions

The bill provides targeted relief for specific property owners depending on age and contingent on property being the primary residence. There are dollars provided from the General Fund to reimburse local governments for losses in revenue. However the bill will decrease local revenues for education and increase the necessity for an entitlement increase. This means that more state dollars will be necessary to fulfill a fully cost-based approach to education funding.

The bill establishes a statewide holiday dedicated to the importance of childhood literacy.

This bill would provide for the Wyoming Retirement System (WRS) to adjust contribution rates to the Public Employee Pension Plan (PE Plan) based on an actuarially determined contribution rate. The bill would limit rate adjustments to no more than a 0.5 percent increase or decrease every two years, starting July 1, 2026. The proposal would help sustain the WRS and help fend off efforts to move to a 401k.

The WEA does not support public education employees carrying firearms and/or other weapons due to the demonstrated threat to school safety should staff become overpowered, should weapons be accessed by students, or should weapons in schools accidentally discharge. Weapons in schools have a chilling effect on academic freedom and free discourse, thus threatening free expression. Other problematic issues include insurance liability, and improper training, and impacts on retention and attraction

This bill is yet another example of proposed property tax relief that would short local education dollars. The total impact on a year over basis is over $16 million annually. WEA scores fiscal bills with a +/- rubric of $5 million, $10 million and $20 million. This puts this proposal at a -2. Property taxes fund education at the local level.

This bill provides an inflation adjustment for the Hathaway for our Wyoming students to make college, at the University of Wyoming, more affordable and accessible.

This bill is an example of evidence-based policy solutions that address recruitment and retention. while there is no silver bullet to this issue, this bill is a step in the right direction showing vision and support for our educators and students in the education program.

while short term, the bill is a positive step in the right direction to address student mental health as well as staffing in our schools to address this issue. The proposed bill allocates $37 million for a grant program through the department of education to address student mental health services. This includes hiring of school psychologists, counselors, nurses and other positions that help provide services to students in need. The bill has a sunset date of June 2026.

This bill attempts to repeal the gun free zones such as schools. While the data around whether or not gun-free zones increase safety in schools is inconclusive and/or mixed, Claims that 90% of mass shootings happen in gun free zones are false and miss important methodological information.

This voucher bill is unconstitutional, violating numerous provisions of our state constitution prohibiting tax payer dollars going to private or parochial institutions. The bill, like most voucher bills, lacks transparency, accountability, and standards for education service providers. These services produce fraud and waste without positively impacting student performance all while drawing much needed dollars away from K12.

This bill is a smart approach to ensuring that our students are safe and healthy in their schools. As educators must go through a criminal background check, so too should volunteers who "may have regular contact with or unsupervised access to minors." This bill mandates that volunteers also go through a background check.

while this bill would reduce local revenue for education significantly, it does provide a backfill by implementing a statewide 2% sales and use tax that would flow back to locals to make up all of the revenue that was lost. However, WEA's legislative platform states that WEA does not support any property tax exemption. For that reason WEA rates this bill accordingly.

WEA believes parents should have a role in their child's education as well as their mental health and well-being. However, this bill attempts to circumvent local control over a policy area that districts handle on their own. This proscriptive measure raises issues regarding the health and well-being of students who may be experiencing abuse or neglect in the home, as well as our LGBTQ student population.

This bill increases the amount of dollars paid to preschool service providers for students birth through 5 years of age with developmental disabilities who are eligible for and placed on an individualized education program or individualized family service plan. This is an increased investment for students who benefit from increased investment.

WEA's rubric for school finance bills provide 3 different levels established by specific dollar amounts. Those amounts are $5 million, $10 million, and $20 million on a per annum basis. WEA does not support any property tax exemptions for property tax that fund our schools. On a per annual basis, this bill would decrease education funding in the state of Wyoming by roughly $15 million dollars.

This bill will increase employee/employer contributions to the big plan by .5% each. This is a step in the right direction to make the fund actuarily sound.

The intent behind the bill is altruistic. It is a means to address our educator and student happiness by providing flexibility in school calendar year scheduling. However, WEA has concerns regarding completing the same amount of work in less time as well as implications for district negotiations that may reduce pay.

while legislation was passed in 2017 that would permit district to adopt policies for educators to carry in schools, this bill simply provides an allocation of funds to help provide the training to those educators who wish to do so. WEA opposes the measure as funds could be used better elsewhere. WEA does support funding necessary and ongoing training that will bolsters safety, however not while we are currently underfunding operations and facilities.

When the state passed legislation to authorize three additional charter schools they capped the number of charter schools that could be authorized until the legislature could fully understand the impact of charter schools on student performance as well as our existing K12 system. We don't have enough data to understand how charter schools impact our system. This bill is irresponsible and will increase the cost of education in the state.

The bill establishes a statewide holiday dedicated to the importance of childhood literacy.

This bill provides an inflation adjustment for the Hathaway for our Wyoming students to make college, at the University of Wyoming, more affordable and accessible.

This bill is an example of evidence-based policy solutions that address recruitment and retention. while there is no silver bullet to this issue, this bill is a step in the right direction showing vision and support for our educators and students in the education program.