Director Comey and school facilities staff told the Joint Appropriations Committee the department manages roughly 61 capital construction projects, about 48 smaller component projects and approximately $350 million in ongoing major maintenance work across state and K–12 portfolios. The department said Mercer (most‑cost‑effective remedy) studies are now performed under contract by four consultants and that timelines range from six months to more than a year depending on complexity.

Agency staff described concrete cost savings from Mercer studies and reported reversions of $25,993,338 this year. Two transportation projects re‑scoped after Mercers produced early reversions of about $7.1 million and $8.3 million, saving roughly $15.4 million across those two projects alone, the director said.

To support data and project delivery the department requested two new positions funded through the School Foundation Program: a higher‑paid operations/data position to back up the AIM (asset/inventory) database CFO and handle reporting ($274,139), and a school‑side position to manage Mercer studies, design standards and rule changes ($371,080). The governor recommended both positions.

The department also asked for a one‑time $750,000 consultant contract to develop a statewide strategic plan for facilities, forecasting capital needs, tracking facility‑condition improvements and improving transparency. LSO noted table coding should treat the consultant funding as one‑time.

Design requests included Moorcroft Junior High component work ($1.71M), a design addition at Cheyenne East High School to add capacity (design: $4.35M; construction to follow), replacement of Hobbs Elementary on its existing site ($3.68M), a Fremont County consolidation and new right‑sized school (design and construction requests included), and immediate design funds for Jackson Hole High School (design: $2.81M) tied to a 2024 construction appropriation. Agency staff emphasized that making some design funds effective immediately reduces inflation exposure in construction seasons.

Committee members asked for timelines and expressed interest in prototype strategies for transportation facilities and repeatable plan sets to control costs; the agency said it has pursued prototypes and will continue value‑engineering reviews with districts to stay within budget.