In October 1993, four of Wyoming’s larger school districts and the Wyoming Education Association (WEA) sued the State of Wyoming (Campbell County School District, et al., v. State of Wyoming), asserting that the state’s formula for funding public schools was unconstitutional. An initial district court decision partially upheld the state formula, but in November 1995, the Wyoming Supreme Court unanimously struck down the entire state system for funding public schools.

Following the Wyoming Supreme Court decision, the Legislature embarked on a study of the existing school finance system and possible ways to change it. The 1997 General Session saw little action on education as this study was proceeding.

A comprehensive school finance reform bill was enacted during a special session on education held in June 1997. The new legislation was challenged by the plaintiffs in Campbell as well as small school districts. A district court decision in December 1997 upheld the new funding formula, but also said it was not yet complete, and that the Legislature had not adequately funded it.

This decision sent the Legislature back to the drawing boards during the 1998 combination budget/special session. Although the Legislature enacted three bills dealing with school finance, it failed to resolve many of the issues pending in the litigation, so both large and small school districts and the WEA renewed their legal challenges after the session. These will be heard in district court in August 1998.

This section provides: (1) background information on Wyoming’s school finance system; and (2) bill descriptions and key votes on school reform legislation enacted during the 1997 special session and the 1998 special/budget session. The bills were lengthy and complicated, so the descriptions contain only the main points, particularly those where votes were recorded. (Recorded votes were taken on only a few amendments.)