CHEYENNE — The committee received a broad cross‑section of public comment from librarians, school counselors, business managers, superintendents, parents and students.

Certified librarians and paraeducators urged statutory support for library staffing, saying frequent aide turnover undermines access to books and information literacy. The Wyoming School Counselor Association and counseling advocates pressed for school‑based mental‑health staffing (the association recommended a 250:1 student‑to‑counselor guideline) and asked the committee to fund counseling as a core part of a ‘‘thorough and efficient’’ education.

ESP representatives described substandard pay (food service, paraeducators, bus drivers), chronic vacancies and the need for living wages. Business managers and superintendents testified about severe cash‑flow timing issues caused by delayed property‑tax and federal‑grant reimbursements, and the practical limits of a three‑month carryover for some districts. Several leaders urged changes to bus reimbursement rules and a re‑examination of the state’s practice of reimbursing bus purchases over multiple years.

Multiple speakers also said the committee should protect and invest in CTE programs because local labor markets and employers value the training; SkillsUSA and other CTE leaders urged continued or higher weighting for CTE resources and additional categorical funding for equipment.

Committee members said they would preserve avenues for more public comment during the draft bill process and asked staff for follow‑up on contract splits, loan approvals, and facility/capacity consequences of any class‑size adjustments.

— Reporting for the Select Committee on School Finance