Revenue for Teton County schools is increasing, which on its face sounds positive.
However, the way Wyomingâs foundation block grant program works, most of that increased revenue ends up leaving the county. The stateâs educational funding model sets the amount each county receives through a complicated calculation based on enrollment numbers, staffing and cost of living, among other things, and it sets the rate of the districtsâ property tax mill levy.
Counties that canât raise the amount promised through the program are called âentitlementâ districts and receive the difference from the state. Those that raise more are ârecaptureâ districts, and the difference between their funding amount and revenue is distributed to the entitlement districts.
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The Wyoming Legislature passed amendments Tuesday morning that could save Teton County schools from deep cuts.
House Bill 61 deals with the quinquennial recalibration of the school funding model, and it originally proposed cutting $100 million from schools around the state for the next fiscal year. However the House Education Committee narrowly passed an amendment that would increase the sales tax by 1% when the rainy day fund dips below $650 million, eventually raising around $164 million each year for schools.
That would decrease the proposed cuts to $22 million.
Without the increased state revenue, school funding is projected to face a roughly $300 million shortfall each of the next three years. Although the original bill would infuse schools with cash from the rainy day fund for a couple of years, it also makes massive cuts to cover the shortfall.
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