 |
| ESPC Home | | | 2006 LAP* Book | | | Background | | | Legislator Profiles | | | Key Votes | | | LAP* Book Home |
|
|
| Numeric List |
|
|
| Budget |
|
|
| Accountability |
|
|
|
Health & Human Services |
|
|
| Justice System |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
| State Employees |
|
|
|
Taxation & Revenue |
|
|
|
Wildlife & Environment |
|
|
|
Worker & Public Safety |
|
|
| Tribal Affairs |
|
|
| Senior Citizens |
|
|
2006 Budget Session
HB 139 was developed based on the recommendations contained within the 2005 recalibration study, which was submitted by the Select School Finance Committee. The bill contained the recalibrated components of the school finance funding model and mandates for model administration and future studies.
The Joint Education Interim Committee modified several of the recommendations of the 2005 recalibration study as they refined HB 139 into the form in which it was introduced in the 2006 legislative session. After the bill was introduced in the House, the House Education Committee significantly amended it and ended up preparing a substitute bill to incorporate all their amendments. The House Appropriations Committee passed the substitute bill without further modifications.
When the full House began debate on HB 139, highlights of the bill included the following. Teacher salaries would be based on average statewide salaries for each staffing category, adjusted for each district based on district experience, education and responsibility level relative to the statewide average for that category. District-adjusted average salaries for teachers, administrators and media technicians would be further adjusted for regional cost differences as measured by the Wyoming cost-of-living index. The statewide average teacher's salary was set at $42,621 by the Joint Education Interim Committee, but was increased to $46,000 by the House Education Committee.
Funding for full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools was included in the model. Funding for instructional facilitators was offered as a pilot program outside the funding model. Funding for extended day school and summer school programs was offered outside the funding model, expanded to include enrichment (instead of just remediation), and funded at almost twice the level as was allocated for the 2005-2006 school year. Model class sizes were 16 students for kindergarten through grade 5 and 21 students for grades 6 through 12.
The Wyoming Education Association and educators across Wyoming supported the substitute version of HB 139 as it was introduced in the House.
The House passed HB 139 on third reading (final vote), unanimously.
The Senate amended the baseline teacher salary back down to $43,938, or with five extra professional development days, $45,036. They also modified the teacher to student ratio for small schools with fewer than 49 students. With these changes, the Senate passed HB 139, 27-3. The three senators who voted NO were Cale Case (R-S25, Lander), John Schiffer (R-S22, Kaycee) and Kathryn Sessions (D-S7, Cheyenne).