Wyoming
U.S.
Rank
- Opportunity
- Innovation
- Policy Environment
With a weak law that inhibits opportunity and innovation, charters are always fighting to be recognized in the Cowboy state.
Law passed: 1995
Most recently amended: N/A
Number of charter schools: 5
Number of charter students: 1,010 students (doubled from 500 in 2018)
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: Local school districts are the only authorizer. Appeals for denied applications go to the state Board of Education.
GROWTH: While student enrollment has doubled in the past two years, it’s still tiny even for a small state. Despite the lack of a cap, districts simply do not like chartering.
OPERATIONS: Charters do not receive a blanket waiver from typical rules and regulations that apply to traditional district schools. Instead, they are dependent on district authorizers and/or the State Board to exempt them from regulations.
EQUITY: Wyoming law states that charter schools are entitled to 100 percent of the foundation program funding amount computed under state law, based on “average daily membership,” and 100 percent of the charter’s proportion of major maintenance payments. However, there is no way to hold districts accountable to this statute because while the law gives charters rights to equitable funding, it also mandates that charter schools and the district must agree on funding. As a result, charters are not funded equitably. Pre-K charter programs are funded under Wyoming’s law.
There are no choice programs in this state.
“Wyoming does not have any state-approved alternate licensing programs,” nor requires objective student data to be a factor in teacher evaluation ratings.
The Wyoming Department of Education has a few digital learning initiatives in place to expand opportunities for students. The WDOE has a statewide 2017-2021 Digital Learning Plan and Digital Education Guidelines, which are not mandatory for districts but a resource for guidance and digital learning support. To better carry out the digital learning plan, the state adopted The Future Ready Framework, and also offers teachers ISTE certification training so they can effectively integrate technology into their instruction.
Other statewide programs to encourage digital learning are Open Range Wyoming, a state repository of Open Educational Resources that districts and schools can utilize for digital learning, the annual K-12 Digital Learning Innovations Awards for educators granted on school, district, and statewide levels, and the Wyoming Innovations in Learning conference for educators to share digital learning practices. For more information, click here.
Wyoming’s Uinta County School District #1 is a member of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, expanding digital learning opportunities to over 2,700 students. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Wyoming can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
The Wyoming Trust Fund for Innovation Education program gives schools flexibility for curriculum development and new models of learning, modified schedules and seat time, and technical and STEM education to prepare students for the labor market.
Wyoming generally had excellent communications and encouragement for districts to continue instruction. As early as March 13th, the Wyoming Department of Education launched a COVID-19 resources website to support districts and issue guidance for remote learning. The Wyoming Public Service Commission prohibited the suspension of internet services or issuance of late fees by internet providers statewide. In March, the state waived certain statewide assessments, and required all districts to submit Adapted Learning Plans, which all 48 were approved by the WDOE by April 2nd.
“The Adapted Learning Plans include strategies to deliver a combination of virtual lessons, hard copy packets of assignments, phone calls, emails, and limited in-person instruction. Other aspects of plans include details for attendance, student progress, staff utilization, parent and community engagement, compliance with special education law, considerations for graduating seniors, and student privacy.”
WDOE had status check ins to ensure that Adapted Learning Plans were being implemented in districts and students were continuing to learn.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow stated “In the span of three weeks, the WDE and school districts worked together to build and approve these plans that will result in continued teaching and learning for more than 90,000 students and 20,000 staff in every school district across our state.”
July 1, he state also created a website with resources for families and schools and reopening guidelines, which includes a phased approach for districts to determine when and how to reopen for in-person instruction: https://edu.wyoming.gov/educators/covid-19-resources/
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
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Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
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Mark Gordon (R)
1st Term (Term Began in 2019)
Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, was elected in 2019 and at first seemed to be pro-parent power. On the campaign trail, he said he was in favor of expanding education opportunities for families. He was also an elected member of a county board of education, and is a strong believer in local control, both in funding and curricula decisions. Unfortunately, expanding opportunities and creating more Innovations for students who are desperate does not seem to be his priority.
The House and Senate share the Governor’s party. They should be able to build consensus and enact meaningful changes but the power of school districts and school boards, which typically oppose choices and have little pressure to deploy meaningful innovation, keeps Wyoming schools looking the same as they have for over a century, and are unlikely to change without strong leadership.
Wyoming’s constitution contains language that appears to explicitly forbid appropriating money to individuals for educational purposes.
https://ij.org/report/school-choice-and-state-constitutions/wyoming/
State report cards are easily accessible on Wyoming’s DOE homepage under the Data and Reporting tab, however school-level data is harder to find, and under a different site https://wyomingmeasuresup.com/. Once found, school report cards are useful and contain data on enrollment, assessment, per-pupil spending, school performance, teacher quality, and school climate.
Educational options are not readily available from the Wyoming DOE homepage.
School board elections are during the general election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.