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HB0094 • 2025

Charter school authorizations-amendments.

AN ACT relating to education; removing a limitation on the number of charter schools that the Wyoming charter school authorizing board may authorize; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Andrew
Last action
2025-03-06
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official bill text does not mention specific funding provisions or reporting requirements as detailed in the candidate explanation.

Amendments to Charter School Authorizations

This act removes a limit on the number of charter schools the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board can approve and makes other changes related to charter school funding.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the cap that limits the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board from approving more than three charter schools before July 1, 2026.
  • Allows the board to authorize any number of charter schools starting on July 1, 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board
  • School districts in Wyoming
  • Charter schools and their applicants

Terms To Know

Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board
A board responsible for reviewing applications and approving the creation of charter schools.
Foundation Program Payments
Money given to school districts based on student enrollment, used to support education programs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify how many new charter schools will be approved.
  • It is unclear what the exact fiscal impact of removing the cap will be for different school districts.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB0094H3001

3rd reading • Representative Harshman

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to limit the number of charter schools that can be authorized by the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board to two per year, adds funding for new charter schools, and extends certain deadlines.

  • Limits the number of charter schools the board can authorize each year to not more than two (2).
  • Adds an appropriation of $18 million for increased foundation program payments to school districts for newly approved charter schools from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028.
  • Includes a separate appropriation of $2 million for lease payments to school districts for new charter schools during the same period.
  • The amendment text is complex and includes technical language that may be hard to understand without additional context about Wyoming's education funding system.
HB0094VT001

Veto Override

H Adopted, S Adopted

Plain English: This amendment overrides the governor's veto of a bill that allows for changes in charter school regulations.

  • Removes a limit on how many charter schools can be authorized by the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board.
  • The provided text does not specify all details about the original bill's content or other conforming amendments mentioned, so more context is needed for full understanding.
HB0094S2001

2nd reading • Senator Schuler

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill by setting a limit on new charter school authorizations and specifying when this limit will end.

  • Changes 'removing' to 'amending' in the title of the bill.
  • Adds a deadline of December 31, 2027, for certain provisions.
  • Limits the number of additional new charter schools authorized after July 1, 2025, to no more than three.
  • The amendment text does not explain what happens after the deadline or how existing limits will be affected beyond December 31, 2027.
HB0094S2002

2nd reading • Senator Schuler

Failed

Plain English: The amendment removes a limitation on the number of charter schools that can be authorized, adds reporting requirements for fiscal impacts, and makes other conforming changes.

  • Removes the word 'a' before 'subsection (k)' in the bill text to include both subsections (k) and (m).
  • Adds a new requirement for annual reports on the fiscal impact of charter schools starting from October 1, 2025.
  • Modifies the existing section reference to include two subsections instead of one.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about how removing the limitation on the number of charter schools will be implemented or enforced.
HB0094SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Education Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes specific dates in the bill from March 15, 2025 to July 1, 2025.

  • Changes 'March 15, 2025' to 'July 1, 2025' on page 2, line 1.
  • Changes 'March 15, 2025' to 'July 1, 2025' on page 2, line 16.
  • Replaces 'immediately upon' with 'July 1, 2025' on page 3, line 7.
  • The amendment does not explain the specific effects of changing these dates and why July 1, 2025 is chosen over March 15, 2025.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-06 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 127

  2. 2025-03-04 Governor

    Governor Vetoed HEA No. 0047

  3. 2025-02-27 Senate

    S President Signed HEA No. 0047

  4. 2025-02-27 House

    H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0047

  5. 2025-02-26 LSO

    Assigned Number HEA No. 0047

  6. 2025-02-26 House

    H Concur:Passed 53-6-3-0-0

  7. 2025-02-26 House

    H Received for Concurrence

  8. 2025-02-26 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 28-3-0-0-0

  9. 2025-02-25 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2025-02-24 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  11. 2025-02-24 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  12. 2025-02-24 Senate

    S04 - Education:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0

  13. 2025-02-10 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education

  14. 2025-01-24 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  15. 2025-01-24 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 45-16-1-0-0

  16. 2025-01-23 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2025-01-22 House

    H COW:Passed

  18. 2025-01-20 House

    H Placed on General File

  19. 2025-01-20 House

    H04 - Education:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  20. 2025-01-17 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education

  21. 2025-01-02 House

    H Received for Introduction

  22. 2024-12-30 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 25LSO-0271

Bill No.:

HB0094

Effective:

7/1/2025

LSO No.:

25LSO-0271

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0047

Chapter No.:

127

Prime Sponsor:

Andrew

Catch Title:

Charter school authorizations-amendments.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Removing a limitation on the number of charter schools that the Charter School Authorizing Board may authorize.

Summary/Major Elements:

In 2023, the Legislature created the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board to review applications and approve the creation and operation of charter schools. The 2023 law also specified that not more than three charter schools could be approved before July 1, 2026 by any entity other than a local school district board.

This act removes the approval limitation and specifies that, beginning July 1, 2025, the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board may authorize any number of charter schools in accordance with the laws governing the Board and charter schools.

Comments:

The Legislature overrode the Governor's veto of this act.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
25LSO-0271

ORIGINAL House

ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0094

ENROLLED ACT NO. 47,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session

AN ACT relating to education; removing a limitation on the number of charter schools that the Wyoming charter school authorizing board may authorize; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
302.2 by creating a new subsection (k) is amended to read:

21
‑
3
‑
302.2.

Wyoming charter school authorizing board; number of charter schools that may be authorized.

(k)

Beginning on July 1, 2025 and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Wyoming charter school authorizing board may authorize any number of charter schools in accordance with the requirements of this article.

Section 2.

2023 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 179, Section 4(b) is amended to read:

Section 4.

(b)

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, not more than
three (3)
four (4)
charter schools shall be authorized to operate by an entity other than a school district board, prior to
July 1, 2026
July 1, 2025
. The three (3) charter schools authorized by the state loan and investment board shall count towards the
three (3)
four (4)
schools authorized to operate under this subsection. In the event a charter school previously authorized by the state loan and investment board closes for any reason, the Wyoming charter school authorizing board may approve a new charter school.

Section 3.

2023 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 179, Section 4(c) is repealed.

Section 4
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1