Wyoming court finds state school funding unconstitutional; local superintendent calls ruling a “massive win”

Dr. Libby, the district’s education presenter, told the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 board on March 10 that a Feb. 26, 2025 court order found the state’s school finance system constitutionally deficient and ordered the state to modify funding and school facilities finance systems to achieve constitutional compliance.

The ruling, Dr. Libby said during the board’s Education Corner, concluded the state had not properly funded the “basket of quality educational goods and services,” had failed to adjust for inflation, had not funded salaries sufficient to recruit and retain staff, and had failed to provide adequate funding for elementary mental health counselors, school resource officers, nutrition programs and computers for every student. The order kept the court’s jurisdiction open until the violations are remedied, he said.

The finding comes during a 2025 statewide recalibration year, Dr. Libby told trustees, and he described an immediate legislative response: “after this announcement came out on a Thursday, the next morning, there was a senate bill that reinstituted $22,000,000 into the foundational funding of public education.” He said the Senate restored the funding that had been proposed to be cut and that the bill was moving through the House.

Why it matters: the court’s order could require the state Legislature and budgeting process to increase operational and facilities funding for school districts statewide. Dr. Libby told the board the ruling could restore “a significant amount of money back into the school system so that we can operate and we can provide opportunities for all of our students K‑12 across the state.”

Dr. Libby credited local participants whose input appeared in the court summary and thanked staff and local counsel during his report: “Without these people being dedicated to public education here in the state of Wyoming, we wouldn't be sitting on this precedented outcome.”

The board did not take formal action on the court order at the March 10 meeting. Dr. Libby said the ruling is expected to drive legislative and budget changes this year and that the district will monitor developments as the state implements changes ordered by the court.

Board members and staff did not provide additional details about district-level budget impacts at the meeting; Dr. Libby said the outcome “is huge news across the board for public education in the state of Wyoming.”