Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District finance director warns of enrollment drop and multi‑million dollar state repayment
Summary
District staff reported a decline in average daily membership and updated the WDE 100 funding estimate, projecting a multi‑million-dollar repayment to the state driven by higher ad valorem receipts and entitlement adjustments.
District finance director warns of enrollment drop and multi‑million dollar state repayment
Laramie County School District No. 2 staff told the board that enrollment trends and a revised property‑tax estimate will reduce state funding and require significant repayment to the Wyoming Department of Education, possibly exceeding $2 million.
At the board meeting the district reported a short-term drop in average daily membership (ADM) and updated the WDE 100 funding form, a required submission to the Wyoming Department of Education that districts may revise before the March 31 deadline.
A district finance presenter said the district reported 1,017 students on April 1 and had gained three additional VACC students since then, bringing that count to about 1,020. The presenter said the district’s ADM is down 33.5 students compared with the current funding model and that the rolling three‑year average — the figure used to smooth funding swings — is down about 11.68 students. The presenter told trustees those shifts could reduce district funding by roughly $100,000 to $150,000 in fiscal 2026–27 if trends continue.
Officials also described a larger effect tied to property‑tax receipts and state recapture rules. The county treasurer’s payment to the district was $2.5 million — an increase the presenter described as 170% from last year — prompting staff to revise the district's ad valorem tax estimate upward by about $665,000. After recalculating the WDE 100, staff said the district now anticipates a repayment to the state of about $1.9 million tied to tax collections and an additional entitlement repayment of roughly $300,000, for a combined potential repayment over $2 million.
“This is our last opportunity to revise the WDE 100; it was due by March 31,” the finance presenter said, noting that next year the district will either have a tax overage or shortage depending on the accuracy of these estimates.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the calculations and the impact of the rolling average; staff answered that the three‑year average had buffered previous highs but that the most recent drop will reduce funding under the state model.
