Education

Schools Will Benefit From Revenue Gains

By Christina A. Samuels — May 10, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2004 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.

WYOMING

Gov. Dave Freudenthal

Democrat
Senate:
7 Democrats
23 Republicans

House:
14 Democrats
46 Republicans

Enrollment:
84,000

Flush with state mineral revenues, Wyoming added a substantial amount in supplemental funding to its education budget, which is in the second year of the state’s two-year budget cycle.

Spending on K-12 education in fiscal 2006, the second year of the biennium, will be funded at about $839.6 million, an increase of about 10.5 percent over what had been originally budgeted for fiscal 2006.

The largest chunk of the new money, about $33.3 million, will be used to help local school districts pay for employee health insurance.

The Wyoming legislature also plans to investigate the feasibility of including school district employees in the group health plan offered to other state employees.

Another $22.7 million of the increased state funding will go to one-time bonuses for teachers, classified personnel, and professional-staff members as a part of a recruitment and retention effort. The money will also pay for other teacher incentives, including an expansion of the state teacher-of-the-year program and the Wyoming Teacher Policy Institute, based at the University of Wyoming.

At the institute, teachers study issues or practices that have been shown to improve student achievement, and work to develop policy recommendations for state leaders and their own districts.

About $10.7 million will be used to partially reimburse districts for providing full-day kindergarten and summer school programs.

The programs represent “critical funding for Wyoming school districts,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Trent Blankenship said in a statement.

“The health-insurance adjustment and education programs will both have a positive impact on education,” added Mr. Blankenship, a Republican who was elected to the post.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Rethinking STEM Assessment: Strategies for Administrators
School and district leaders will explore strategies to enhance STEM assessment practices across their district, within schools and classrooms.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Federal Webinar Keeping Up with the Trump Administration's Latest K-12 Moves: Subscriber-Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
Artificial Intelligence Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Math & Technology: Finding the Recipe for Student Success
How should we balance AI & math instruction? Join our discussion on preparing future-ready students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: June 11, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read
Education Quiz What Is the #1 Factor Boosting Students' STEM Motivation? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 4, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz Why Did A Court Dismiss the Lawsuit Against Lucy Calkins? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read