[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6675191,"mediaKeyId","2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca","parentId",2132216,"title","Sponsor outlines Hathaway scholarship changes to include certificate programs, proposes post-graduation work requirement","audioSeconds",352,"startMs",2869000,"endMs",3221000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca&start=2869&end=3221","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca/thumbnail_2869000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6675191/Wyoming/Sponsor-outlines-Hathaway-scholarship-changes-to-include-certificate-programs-proposes-post-graduation-work-requirement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675191-3fa846d1d0bedd0c2adccab909d74c52/orig.mp4?Expires=1777094376&Signature=K6fiYuT2uXwRvZAgnq-mpSMRV7v79GBAGgvbxS-9EO9PqlM4y6PHR-mn1aeIXbrgplVFOVkraMK2B1dnIWa6~kKPZTnYYaaxlxlIJQZUogsmfEZLvoNpziDpaMkTVk7WSgoLRxZ0gVF2sO12g7hCxJkpoatlU30NdkPvgTzJhR10lmrcgwHDHlip7-pFdkuS8-OYGeSl020r6O0~PkjE7ZFHdgOcs2flazXzTxrx0l8U-xo2OO65482FsafldtN-DciZPkscD8XT6r-Nxy5r85zqnbTgrLdb5S0MQVEN8gFVSHrtoqP8JJGIlttXPdK10zRTI-CybNrT3SWvix7Qaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Education Committee","date","2025-01-20T21:02:37.937Z","article","CHEYENNE — Representative Harshman brought House Bill 36 before the House Education Committee on Jan. 20, 2025, proposing two principal changes to the Hathaway scholarship program: (1) broaden the eligible definition of \"certificate\" so community-college journeyman and other multi-year certificate programs can qualify when students are not full-time, and (2) add a one-year post-graduation work requirement in Wyoming (or one year to enroll in graduate school) as a condition for certain scholarship elements.

Harshman said the first part was prompted by a constituent whose son entered an electrician program at Central Wyoming College that spans one class per semester over multiple years. The sponsor said the bill would allow rules to be developed so students in those programs could remain eligible for Hathaway support even if not full-time students. The sponsor also described the second provision as a measure to encourage students who receive Hathaway support to remain and work in Wyoming after graduation.

The Department of Education provided technical comments but no formal position. A department representative, Dickey Shane, said Superintendent Megan Degenfelder had no official position but asked the committee to note that existing Hathaway eligibility already accommodates many community-college programs. The department cautioned that the statute's satisfactory academic progress requirement (definitions for credit hours and GPA) would need a clear mechanism to assess eligibility for nontraditional or part-time certificate programs if the bill expands statutory language.

The sponsor said each section could stand alone if the committee preferred, and that rules would be needed to implement the extension for multi-year certificate programs. Committee discussion did not produce a committee vote on the floor record during the time covered by the transcript; department staff recommended further review of how credit hours and GPA would be applied under the amended definition.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education Committee, January 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Harshman presented House Bill 36 to allow certain certificate programs to qualify for Hathaway scholarship eligibility and to add a one-year in-state work or graduate-school requirement; the Department of Education said key academic-progress rules would need clarification.","taxTitle","Education Committee, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61350,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675196,"Committee advances statutory cleanup to constrain school facility lease costs",376,47000,423000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca&start=47&end=423","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca/thumbnail_47000.jpg","/articles/6675196/Wyoming/Committee-advances-statutory-cleanup-to-constrain-school-facility-lease-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675196-3e3f77f63e8fb56f599e5989a289aabf/orig.mp4?Expires=1777094376&Signature=beIPPsBMfdHKlnwzVAhOvsH0N840VDH444ScTi0J-P6GiXywO~uLAZmHRggIHtVcn9DzE90VNUl8hgAL7Iqmhsqn4-oPljuSlcuWTlEvZ8jhuFaGhKgrzD6ALkM7fbC0nR2nycQZTfw5UR6kebAJX4-jUwe6nypL460WFwQh0wMW9dk-kzb4-RfiDVSKPGTvpUqzMON43T27E9Ae1pP9MtVF9zkGgmc0lZPNZqmrq22Upfqfx2UmWyK7PBtwbCVDhiO-L~9t7i6b2uG6OM8IdihvpyDsDH1DhU~piGy2ltlYMgzuTEdUmZtO32xTdbI16T7Zq04KuAamcgyHpy10Lg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","CHEYENNE — The House Education Committee on Jan. 20, 2025 advanced House Bill 20, a statutory cleanup measure intended to clarify how the state calculates allowable lease costs for K-12 school facilities, including charter school leased space.

Representative Brown, appearing as chairman of the Select School Facilities Committee, told members the bill largely restates existing law with one substantive change: it adjusts the statutory language to require state payments for leased school facilities to be \"equal to the lesser of the amount of the total lease agreement or the cost per square foot of the lease,\" rather than allowing payments that could \"exceed the average cost per square foot,\" according to his presentation.

Representative Brown said the change was designed to prevent the state from paying \"extremely high\" lease amounts and to ensure leased facilities for charter schools and other schools are paid at the same square-foot basis as other facilities. He said the bill was prepared by the Legislative Service Office and that the Department of Education supported it; he also said there was no anticipated fiscal impact because the change is intended to reflect \"business as usual.\" Ken de Kerria of the Wyoming School Boards Association told the committee he \"just wanna speak in support of this\" and that the bill \"provides clarity in these charters.\"

Committee members asked clarifying questions about how allowable square footage is calculated. Representative Brown explained that \"the allowable square footage is based off of the ADM calculation,\" meaning the model for allowable space uses average daily membership rather than actual building square footage in some districts, and that some districts'like Gillette'have excess square footage in older buildings that are not counted under the model.

Vice Chair Lalley moved the bill; Representative Erickson seconded. The committee approved the bill 9-0 on a roll call. The transcript shows no amendments and no fiscal note change resulting from the committee action.

","The House Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 20, a statutory cleanup that narrows lease-payment language to ensure state payments for leased school facilities do not exceed a specified per-square-foot or total-lease threshold, the committee was told.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675201,"House Education committee advances bill to lift cap on state-authorized charter schools",2406,413000,2819000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca&start=413&end=2819","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132216-b59d38e76634a63787e9ec66fe79d6ca/thumbnail_413000.jpg","/articles/6675201/Wyoming/House-Education-committee-advances-bill-to-lift-cap-on-state-authorized-charter-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675201-3c57839ab5f016db6079354d9ba8fcef/orig.mp4?Expires=1777094376&Signature=aKzNtDggyIgrW2Zoi2F3EEGO-aoEsvM2kPUQv6NyQEg-tT-sA0OC-e53DMqU3DjtJv7VZYBDX89SxEmjMJ5Vu~v7Uh81wPGbeC-HmtaNanjTuoD60k087leFxDisncmac0LJmUJSsbRm7ykwL9EIx6YZYHxfic4tb9rUZ973PamYz9KLNwsjxUQXgI~uhxqY~nkFGuUtImB8cjfjV3ntl6y~gj6MuNLLlIF2WaVMqFwqIC47giiDYZwD4LieJZSoUMMs0N1F4XBrKZrcuHn-D1kx~lCrNHxWQeQX1l5lLausVLd3q05h8gOGSTscdD4i6g2AFOhuiDMJ0-Bd0Zuotw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","CHEYENNE — On Jan. 20, 2025, the House Education Committee voted 9-0 to advance House Bill 94, which would remove the statutory cap on the number of state-authorized charter schools that the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board may approve. Representative Singh moved the measure; Representative Ewing Moss seconded it.

Supporters told the committee the cap is an arbitrary bottleneck that prevents the authorizing board from carrying out its duties and limits parental school choice. Wanda Maloney, speaking for State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder and the Wyoming Department of Education, said Degenfelder \"is in support of this bill\" and described the cap as \"arbitrary\" to negotiations around authorization.

The bill would eliminate a numerical limit on approvals by the state authorizer but would leave the board's application standards and contract processes in place. Carrie Klein of the Wyoming Public Charter Schools Association said the board \"was created to be the gatekeeper of authorizing high quality applications\" and warned that if the moratorium remains in place, \"we face a risk of potential bottleneck\" when multiple applicants apply in the same period.

Public testimony included a mix of charter supporters and local-education representatives. Christian Winger, chief executive officer of Prairie View Community School in Chugwater, said the state-authorized option made his school possible and gave specific enrollment figures: \"When our charter school or the year before our charter school started, there was 28 students in the public school system in Chugwater. Today we have 104 students in the public school system,\" he said, adding that the school remains a public school and hosts community events.

Opponents and cautioning witnesses raised potential fiscal impacts for districts. Tate Mullen, government relations director for the Wyoming Education Association, said the association supports school choice but warned the bill \"will increase the overall cost on a yearly basis for public education\" because charter schools often operate with lower pay and because districts remain responsible for maintaining schools and services. Boyd Brown of the Wyoming Association of School Administrators cautioned that funding formulas and per-pupil costs can increase when multiple schools operate in a district.

Representatives asked for clarity on local demand and impacts on small districts. Representative Kelly said decisions about whether a charter school is a good fit should be left to \"local community schools, parents, and taxpayers to decide.\" Representative Singh framed the committee's action narrowly: the bill removes the numerical cap, not the board's authorization standards.

The committee record includes testimony from charter operators and advocacy groups arguing the state option provides a path for communities that could not secure district authorization. Several speakers described the statutory timelines in the current authorization process: an application window in early March and a statutory 90-day approval period, followed by contract negotiations and additional lead time; Carrie Klein and other witnesses said the entire timeline to open a new school typically spans about 18 months from application to opening.

The committee did not amend the bill and voted to advance it to the floor. The official committee record shows a unanimous committee vote to recommend passage to the full House.

Votes at a glance
House Bill 94 (Charter school authorizations) — Committee action: do pass (9-0). Motion moved by Representative Singh; seconded by Representative Ewing Moss.

","The House Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 94 to remove the statutory cap on state-authorized charter schools, a move supporters said would restore the authorizing board's ability to consider applications and opponents warned could increase costs for some school districts.","actionData","errors"]

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Sponsor outlines Hathaway scholarship changes to include certificate programs, proposes post-graduation work requirement

Committee advances statutory cleanup to constrain school facility lease costs

House Education committee advances bill to lift cap on state-authorized charter schools