The Wyoming House of Representatives has passed two bills aimed at reducing the state’s overall spending, including significant cuts to education funding.
The bills, approved on Tuesday, will decrease available funding for education by tens of millions of dollars annually.
Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who chaired the House Appropriations Committee and sponsored the bills, emphasized the need for the state to control its spending.
“Folks, we don’t have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem,” Bear stated during the third and final reading of the bills.
He expressed confidence that the state would be able to handle the proposed $28 million reduction in education funding each year, advocating for the state to live within its means and build up its savings.
However, Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, raised concerns about the state’s revenue situation, arguing that the cuts would lead to future financial challenges.
“We’re going to have a revenue problem, a very serious revenue problem,” she said.
Provenza pointed out that the combined cuts from the bills total over $370 million, including proposed property tax cuts.
House Bill 270 and House Bill 271 both propose reductions in the state’s spending from key funding accounts. Specifically, HB 270 reduces the withdrawal from the Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust Fund from 5% to 4.5% of a five-year rolling average market value. HB 271 introduces a similar reduction from the Common School Account.
Rep. Ken Clouston, R-Gillette, added an amendment to HB 271 that would lower the spending rate to 4.75% in the first year, with the 4.5% rate taking effect in subsequent years. Clouston argued that this gradual approach would allow the state to assess the impact of the change before fully implementing the reduction. The amendment would reduce the projected $24 million cut to about $12 million for the 2026 fiscal year.
While some lawmakers, including Bear, supported Clouston’s amendment, others, like Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, raised concerns about the bills’ potential impact on K-12 schools. Harshman warned that the cuts could “pull the rug out” from public school districts, equating the revenue loss to the funding of an entire small district. He also attempted to introduce amendments that would slow down the spending reductions, but these were rejected.
The combined effects of both bills will reduce funding by approximately $30 million per year for education. The funds in question support the School Foundation Program, which covers costs like teacher salaries, classroom supplies, and energy expenses. The Permanent Mineral Trust Fund is a primary source of revenue for education in the state.
Both bills have now passed the House and will be considered by the Wyoming Senate. If approved, the changes will take effect starting in the 2026 fiscal year.
With input from Longview News-Journal and Gillette News Record.
