A proposal to slash the number of school districts in Wyoming by more than half in order to save money doesn’t appear it will make the grade in the state legislature this year.
Consolidating the state’s 48 school districts into 23, or one per county, is among a number of ideas suggested to help address the state’s K-12 funding crisis.
Lawmakers meeting in Cheyenne are expected to draft legislation soon on dealing with the shortfall. Consolidating school districts would save an estimated $7.5 million, mainly by eliminating well paid district administrators.
However, the idea isn’t expected to get anywhere as lawmakers begin to tackle the issue.
Opponents and even supporters say district consolidation is politically toxic because it erodes local control and would save relatively little money.
