It will take a conference committee to determine whether the State Board of Education may adopt the Next Generation Science Standardsfor Wyoming schools.The standards say students should learn about climate change — and last year the House passed a budget amendment barring the State Board of Education fromconsidering the standards.
A bill this year would remove that budget amendmentand put the standards back on the table. While both houses have passed this year’s bill, things hit a snag last week when the Senate added an amendment that said the state board may consider NGSS or other standards in an effort to… quote…"develop quality science standards that are unique to Wyoming."
Speaker of the House Kermit Brown says that amendment gives improper directions to the board of education.
"We looked at that language and it does contain a mandate. The argument is that it contains the word may, but it says you may to some things in order to have standards that are unique to the state. And I just think that’s not right. Science is science and it cannot be unique to the state."
Brown is optimistic that the House and Senate can reach a compromise in a conference committee. He says if they fail to reach an agreement and the bill dies, the budget amendment would only last one more year.