Read the full stored bill text
25LSO-0674
ORIGINAL House
ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0316
ENROLLED ACT NO. 68,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session
AN ACT relating to school finance; creating the select committee on school finance recalibration; providing for a study to recalibrate the education resource block grant model; authorizing the use of consultants; providing funding for an external cost adjustment to the education resource block grant model; providing funding for school district entitlement payments and special education payments; requiring a report; appropriating funds; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
(a)
There is created the select committee on school finance recalibration consisting of the following members:
(i)
Six (6) members of the senate appointed by the president to include one (1) member from the senate minority political party;
(ii)
Six (6) members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker to include one (1) member from the house minority political party.
(b)
The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall each select one (1) co
‑
chairman of the select committee. The legislative service office shall staff the select committee.
(c)
The select committee shall undertake a study to recalibrate the education resource block grant model as required by W.S. 21
‑
13
‑
309(t) to determine if modifications are necessary to ensure the model remains cost
‑
based in light of changing conditions, including modifications to law and potential responses to court directives. The select committee shall study virtual education funding models in other states and offer suggestions on a funding formula for Wyoming virtual schools that is both equitable and predictable. The select committee may work with professional consultant experts for model recalibration.
The legislative service office, subject to the approval of management council, may retain professional consulting experts for the purposes of this act.
(d)
The select committee shall report its recommendations and any associated legislation to the legislature. The select committee may introduce legislation as provided in W.S. 28
‑
8
‑
104(e).
(e)
Appointments to the select committee shall be made under this section not later than March 31, 2025. The select committee shall remain in existence until February 9, 2026. Any vacancy occurring on the select committee shall be filled without delay by the president of the senate or the speaker of the house, as appropriate.
(f)
The department of education, other state agencies, school districts and the school data advisory committee established under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
203(d) shall collect and provide information requested by the select committee or professional consultant experts working with the select committee.
Section 2.
Nine hundred twenty thousand dollars ($920,000.00) is appropriated from the general fund to the legislative service office to fund the model recalibration study in accordance with section 1 of this act and for the purposes of providing salary, including salary for the chairmen under W.S. 28-5-101(e)(i), mileage and per diem to members of the select committee on school finance recalibration and for other expenses of the select committee authorized by law or policy of the legislature. Funds appropriated under this section expended to conduct the recalibration of the education resource block grant model shall be in accordance with a contractual agreement entered into between the management council and professional consultants. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
Section 3.
(a)
There is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education-school finance fifty-two million three hundred thousand dollars ($52,300,000.00) for an external cost adjustment to the education resource block grant model in accordance with this section. If 2025 Senate File 0001 or 2025 House Bill 0001 is enacted into law, the appropriation in this subsection shall be reduced by one dollar ($1.00) for every one dollar ($1.00) appropriated to the department of education-school finance for an external cost adjustment to the education resource block grant model in 2025 Senate File 0001 or 2025 House Bill 0001.
(b)
In accordance with W.S. 21-13-309(o), the appropriation in subsection (a) of this section provides funding for an external cost adjustment to the education resource block grant model, effective beginning with school year 2025-2026, computed as follows:
(i)
Eight and one-half percent (8.5%) for the "professional labor" category of model components inclusive of those components defined by 2012 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 99, Section 3 [Attachment "A"(a)(vi)];
(ii)
Eight and one-half percent (8.5%) for the "nonprofessional labor" category of model components inclusive of those components defined by 2012 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 99, Section 3 [Attachment "A"(a)(v)];
(iii)
One and sixty-seven thousandths percent (1.067%) for the "educational materials" category of model components inclusive of those components defined by 2012 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 99, Section 3 [Attachment "A"(a)(iii)];
(iv)
Negative six and two hundred eighty-five thousandths percent (-6.285%) for the "energy" category of model components inclusive of those components defined by 2012 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 99, Section 3 [Attachment "A"(a)(iv)].
(c)
The appropriation in subsection (a) of this section shall be for the period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026. The appropriation in subsection (a) of this section shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026. It is the intent of the legislature that the appropriation in subsection (a) of this section be doubled and be included in the department of education-school finance's standard budget for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.
Section 4.
(a)
There is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education-school finance sixty-nine million two hundred thousand dollars ($69,200,000.00) for Wyoming school district entitlement payments made in accordance with W.S. 21
‑
13
‑
313(c) and special education reimbursement payments made in accordance with W.S. 21-13-321(b). This appropriation shall be allocated by the department of education-school finance for school district entitlement payments, unit 4101, and special education payments, unit 4102, consistent with the requests from the state superintendent of public instruction made to the joint appropriations committee in letters dated December 6, 2024 and January 16, 2025.
(b)
If 2025 Senate File 0001 or 2025 House Bill 0001 is enacted into law, the appropriation in subsection (a) of this section shall be reduced by one dollar ($1.00) for every one dollar ($1.00) appropriated to the department of education-school finance for district entitlement payments and special education payments in 2025 Senate File 0001 or 2025 House Bill 0001.
(c)
The appropriation in this section shall be for the period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026. It is the intent of the legislature that the appropriation in this section be doubled and included in the standard budget of the department of education-school finance for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.
Section 5.
(a)
Subject to subsection (b) of this section, there is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education-school finance eighty-four million four hundred thousand dollars ($84,400,000.00) for Wyoming school district entitlement payments made in accordance with W.S. 21-13-313(c). This appropriation shall be for the period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
(b)
This section shall only be effective if 2025 Senate File 0069, 2025 Senate File 0153 or 2025 House Bill 0169 is enacted into law.
Section 6
.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(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