Neighboring states school funding-constitutional amendment.

2018
STATE OF WYOMING
18LSO-0193
Numbered
1.6

Senate
Joint Resolution
NO.
SJ0001

Neighboring states school funding-constitutional amendment.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Driskill and Representative(s) Clem, Hunt, Lindholm and Winters

A
JOINT RESOLUTION

for

A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing to amend the Wyoming Constitution to index public school funding to the public school funding of Wyoming's neighboring states and providing a ballot statement.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING,
two-thirds of all the members of the two houses, voting separately, concurring therein:

Section 1.

The following proposal to amend Wyoming Constitution, Article
7, Section
9
is proposed for submission to the electors of the State of Wyoming at the next general election for approval or rejection to become valid as a part of the Constitution if ratified by a majority of the electors at the election:

Article 7, Section 9
.

Taxation for schools
; index funding to that of neighboring states
.

(a)

Subject to
the limitation
s
provided by subsection (b) of this section,
t
he legislature shall make such further provision by taxation or otherwise, as with the income arising from the general school fund will create and maintain a thorough and efficient system of public schools, adequate to the proper instruction of all youth of the state, between the ages of six and twenty-one years, free of charge; and in view of such provision so made, the legislature shall require that every child of sufficient physical and mental ability shall attend a public school during the period between six and eighteen years for a time equivalent to three years, unless educated by other means.

(
b)

Notwithstanding any provision of this constitution to the contrary, t
he legislature shall establish by law a mechanism to determine the
on-going
five

year average of the

annual per pupil
public school funding for the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah.
This calculation shall include funding
,
from any source,
for: school operations;
major and minor school maintenance
; capital construction
; and any other public school funding deemed appropriate by the legislature
.

B
eginning in the 2019-2020 school year and continuing each
school
year thereafter, t
he legislature shall
ensure this
state's
system of
public schools

receive
s
not less than one hundred percent (100%)
and not more than one hundred ten percent (110%)
of
the on-going five

year average of the annual
per pupil
public school funding for the states of Colorado
, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah
multiplied by the number of students in
this
state.
The legislature shall not reduce
funding
for public education
by
more than
seven percent (7
%) in any one year
to meet the
requirements of
this subsection
.

Section 2.
That the Secretary of State shall endorse the following statement on the proposed amendment:

This amendment would require the legislature
, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year,
to
fund the state's public schools at

one hundred percent (100%) to one hundred ten percent (1
1
0%) of the

per pupil funding average of public school

s
ystems

in
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah
multiplied by the number of Wyoming public school students
. The funding average would be a five

year funding average, determined on an on-going basis.
Any funding r
eductions

would be limited to
not more than
seven percent (7%) per year.

(END)

1
SJ0001