Wyoming select committee will study school maintenance funding formulas and ADM thresholds during interim
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Summary
The Select Committee on School Facilities agreed March 5 to prioritize review of major maintenance funding, allowable square‑footage calculations tied to average daily membership (ADM), and potential statutory changes; staff will draft a letter to management council outlining interim topics.
The Select Committee on School Facilities on March 5 agreed to make major maintenance funding, allowable square‑footage calculations tied to average daily membership (ADM), and related statutory clarifications primary interim work.
Chairman Landon led the conversation and asked staff to bring the committee "up to speed" on how maintenance funding and ADM interact. Senior school finance analyst Matthew Wilmarth told members that ADM is a key driver of allowable square footage and that some school buildings exceed their allowable footprint, meaning they receive less state maintenance funding than their physical size would suggest. "One of the components is the number of students that generates the allowable square footage of a building," Wilmarth said, adding that the committee can request staff to "dust off" prior briefs and run district‑level calculations.
Wilmarth also noted a past committee draft that would have funded 135% of allowable square footage; that proposal failed to advance through the Senate Appropriations Committee this session. He and other staff offered to model the effect of a 135% allocation and other modifications to the major maintenance formula.
Members and department officials also stressed the practical effect of occupancy changes. Delbert McComley, director of the State Construction Department, highlighted districts where buildings are well under capacity — citing Newcastle as roughly 40% full — and urged the committee to consider thresholds or minimum funding levels for low‑occupancy schools.
Why it matters: ADM and allowable square footage shape how the state distributes major maintenance dollars to districts. Committee members said they want a clearer, district‑by‑district view so future budget decisions and potential bills are grounded in consistent data.
Next steps: The committee requested staff run district‑level scenarios showing how much square footage is un‑resourced under current formulas, and the committee asked LSO and department staff to prepare background materials for interim meetings. Staff will prepare a draft letter to management council summarizing the committee's interim topics for the chair and vice chair to review.
