Wyoming lawmakers met in Cody this week to continue their work updating the state’s school funding model. School funding is updated every five years in a process called recalibration.
Members of the legislature’s Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration spent much of this week’s meeting discussing teacher salaries.
Senator Chris Rothfuss of Laramie says lawmakers were presented data showing that Wyoming teacher pay remains above average.
“Our salaries are still strong relative to the region and strong relative to the country as well, which is positive,” says Rothfuss. “We’ve lost some of the ground that we’ve had in recent years in regard to those salaries. In other words, the region is catching up to us a little bit.”
The most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that Wyoming’s average teacher salary is about $58,000. That’s compared with a national average of $56,000.
The recalibration committee is in fact-finding mode at the moment, gathering testimony and information about what should be included in the state’s school funding model.
Falling mineral revenue means less funding for Wyoming’s K-12 education down the line, but Rothfuss says it’s not really up to the recalibration committee to address that reality.
“We’re being sensitive to the changing revenue picture,” says Rothfuss. “I don’t think anybody is going to try and come up with any new massive expenditures or programs, recognizing that it might not be the best time to do that. But, at the same time, it’s not our responsibility to come up with cuts or proposals in that manner. We are trying to design and recommend the best educational model for the state of Wyoming.”
The group met Monday and Tuesday. Its next meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 6 and 7 in Casper.