Education Proposal Doesn't Get Committee Support

Cheyenne, WY – The proposal to change the way school districts receive money for teacher salaries suffered a major defeat Thursday. The legislature's education committee opted not to sponsor a bill that would give rural districts more money to help recruit teachers. It came out of a report the state paid University of Wyoming Professor Rob Godby to draft. It drew fire from Teton and Albany counties because it would have cut funding to school districts there. Senator Hank Coe, Education committee Co-chair, says he doesn't know exactly what will become of that proposal now. He says an individual lawmaker can still introduce a bill, but the Education Committee will not this session. The committee did vote to sponsor a bill containing a plan to give small schools more money. If the entire legislature passes that bill small schools will get $17 million more a year.