The Wyoming House and Senate reached agreement on a state budget bill and sent it to the Governor.
The biggest budget compromise was on K -12 education funding. The Senate proposed cutting education funding by nearly 46 million dollars while the House wanted to cut substantially less. Casper Representative Tim Stubson told House members Monday that their version of the budget would instead cut about 34 million dollars from education in the next two years.
“And so not only did we get all the money out back into education that the House wanted, we actually got more money put back into education than was the House position.”
House Appropriations Chairman Steve Harshman says the budget conference committee agreed to study the impacts falling enrollment could have on school district budgets and could adjust that cut if it appears some districts are struggling. Lovell Representative Elaine Harvey is especially concerned about smaller school districts. The budget bill now goes to the governor who has three days to act on it.