Laramie County School District #1 warned recalibration bill could shrink local budget and reshuffle staff

Janet, a district presenter, told the Laramie County School District #1 board that proposed changes to Wyoming’s school-funding model could materially alter the district’s budget, staffing and benefit structure if enacted this year.

Janet said the state’s consultant produced an evidence-based funding recommendation (presented in this briefing as “just shy of $1,900,000” in the slide deck), a separate current-law baseline remains in place if the legislature does nothing, and the Legislature’s recalibration committee has produced a third model that narrows the gap between consultant and statute. “That difference was about $88,000,000,” she said, summarizing earlier committee actions, “and revisions brought that to about $51,600,000” compared with the evidence-based model.

Why it matters: the recalibrated model changes how the state counts students, how many model-generated teaching positions a district receives, and how salaries and benefits are modeled. Those changes together can shift hundreds of FTEs, constrain local flexibility on how certain funds are used and alter the district’s revenue picture ahead of next year’s budget.

Major points from the presentation

• Teacher pay benchmark: The state consultant recommended a statewide average teacher salary of $70,560. Janet explained the consultant adjusted comparable professional wages to account for shorter teacher contract days (a 79% adjustment), and that the district’s regional adjustment produces a…