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Media
Release
February
5, 2008
WEA Prepares for Legislative Session
Cheyenne – In less than a week, the Wyoming Legislature will convene for its
2008 budget session. The Wyoming Education Association represents over 6,000
Wyoming teachers, support staff, administrators, higher education employees,
retired education employees, and students preparing to become teachers.
“Legislators have told us they value the real-life expertise our Association
brings to the Capitol during the session,” said Kathryn Valido, president of
the WEA. “Almost everything that happens in our classrooms is the result of
decisions made in the Legislature,” stressed Valido. “This includes class
size, teacher quality, and school buildings, just to name a few.”
Valido said she and the rest of the WEA lobbying team look forward to working
with legislators to take advantage of opportunities created as a result of the
school funding equity lawsuit. “We are very pleased with what was achieved
through the lawsuit.” she said. “Together with the Legislature we have created
a school funding system that is the envy of the country. Our goal now is to
continue this improvement and to deliver the best education system possible so
that all Wyoming students succeed,” she stressed.
Valido said the WEA always monitors all proposed legislation before the
Legislature and offers assistance to legislators seeking input regarding the
impact on Wyoming public education. This year there are many items already on
the “radar” for the WEA to monitor, including the following:
K-12 Issues
· Due Process for
all ESP in School Districts
The WEA is working with Representative Del McOmie on a bill
that will extend due process rights to all Educational Support Professionals
in K-12 schools. This has long been a goal of WEA.
·
School Facilities Funding
The WEA supports the School Facilities Commission (SFC)
proposal to the Legislature that will get much needed schools built faster.
The proposed budget from the SFC is $479 million for the biennium.
·
External Cost Adjustment
In order for the school funding formula to remain
constitutional, the Legislature must continue to adequately make adjustments
for inflation. The Joint Appropriations Committee has chosen the Education
Cost Index, which is currently 4.3 percent.
·
Hathaway Scholarship
The WEA supports SF0021, which allows the reinstatement of
Hathaway Scholarships that are lost due to failure to make satisfactory
academic progress, providing the student meets certain applicable
requirements.
·
Graduation Rates
The WEA supports measures that will increase the number of
students who graduate from high school. Rep. Debbie Hammons is working on a
bill that raises the mandatory age of attendance from 16 to 17 and requires a
parent signature for a student to drop out. We support her bill and her
efforts.
Community
College Issues
· New Community College Funding Formula
The WEA supports the Community College Commission’s
proposed funding formula, but will suggest changes to address concerns
including:
·
Colleges that
have been able to put funds into reserve accounts are penalized in the first
year of funding.
·
An additional
$15.4 million is needed to fund this new model. The Governor and Joint
Appropriations Committee denied the funding needed to complete the
implementation of this model.
· Cost of Living Adjustment
The WEA supports a four percent cost of living adjustment
(COLA) for all Community College employees. The Governor included a four
percent salary cost-of-living increase in his budget, but it does not provide
the funding needed to provide this increase to all community college
employees. His increase funds a four percent increase on 62% of the fund 10
employees only. The WEA believes that the state needs to fully fund these
increases for all employees, as campuses do not have the additional resources
needed to provide these raises to those employees who are not included in the
Governor’s recommendation.
· Workforce Development
The WEA supports a majority of the 40 recommendations from
a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Workforce Development, most of which are included
in bills the Joint Education Committee passed in the interim.
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