Committee hears testimony on bill to restore administrative funding for charter schools

Senate File 73, which would restore portions of charter school funding tied to central‑office personnel and non‑personnel expenses, received testimony at the Jan. 20 Senate Education Committee hearing but was not concluded and will be continued.

Sponsor Senator Brennan described the bill as restoring two elements omitted during earlier charter school legislation compromises: (1) proportional central‑office personnel funding (for district central office administrative staff) and (2) central‑office non‑personnel funding (supplies, materials and related operational costs). Brennan said the bill would allocate to charter schools a proportional share of those items tied to average daily membership calculations so that statewide charter schools and other charters not served directly by a district’s central office would receive equitable support.

Witnesses from charter schools, including leaders from the Wyoming Classical Academy, Prairie View Community School and Cheyenne Classical Academy, urged passage, saying the schools currently cover administrative costs out of instructional funds and lack the same access to central office services as district‑authorized charters. Russ Donley, chairman of Wyoming Classical Academy, and Diane Galloway, a charter school administrator, described needs for middle‑school staff, athletics coordination and music programming that additional funding would support.

Laramie County School District 1 staff explained the district provides central office services — reporting, special education compliance, federal grant administration and other supports — for district‑authorized charters and noted that a statutory administrative fee (3 percent) exists but would be insufficient to cover the district’s costs if applied broadly. Committee members and witnesses discussed differences between state‑authorized charters and district‑authorized charters and whether a single funding change for all charters would raise constitutional or practical concerns; members asked staff to review distinctions and potential accounting and contractual fixes.

The committee paused the hearing and announced the bill will be continued at a later meeting to allow additional review of implementation details and potential language to distinguish statewide‑authorized charters from district‑authorized charters where appropriate.