This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series brings you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
The Wyoming Supreme Court partly affirmed and partly reversed a lower court’s finding that the state has chronically and unconstitutionally underfunded public schools.
In a ruling released Thursday, the court said the Wyoming Education Association and eight school districts proved the Legislature violated students’ rights by failing to address inflation and the true cost of teacher salaries in school funding models.
This created a disparity between school districts in a way that violated equal protection and did not fulfill students’ fundamental right to an adequate public school education, the majority wrote.
The court reversed a mandate for the Legislature to fund computers for every student, nutrition services and school resource officer programs. It also said the state does not have to do a statewide assessment of school facilities for educational suitability. Instead, the court found the state has discretion when determining priorities for school facility repair and replacement.
The Supreme Court justices said they assume the Legislature will make required changes to the school funding model.
This is the latest and highest ruling on the lawsuit filed in 2022. It comes as lawmakers are recalibrating the state’s school funding model as part of a regular update.
In a statement, Gov. Mark Gordon said, “Today’s decision by the Wyoming Supreme Court provides important clarity … We also have to build a system that Wyoming can sustain. A school finance model must work in years of strong revenues and in years when revenues decline. We cannot continue to revisit the same fundamental questions every few years. We need a durable, transparent and constitutionally sound system that provides predictability for schools while protecting Wyoming taxpayers.”
“The Court has provided the Legislature with clear guidance,” Gordon continued. “Now it is time to do the work. I am confident that the Legislature can approach this issue in the same spirit that has guided Wyoming through previous school finance challenges - carefully, collaboratively and in good faith.”
