Issue Position: Education -- Keep education localized. Protect our mineral industry, invest in our future!

Issue Position

We must continue to keep education localized and decentralize education where we have failed to keep our local school districts in control. To stay competitive with the rest of the nation, Wyoming should encourage and foster school choice. Every child in Wyoming should have an equal opportunity to get a great education. No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school.

School funding is about to become one of the most important issues in securing Wyoming's long term financial security. Under our current funding system, when local tax revenue doesn't reach the guaranteed revenue target that is set by the state, the School Foundation Program (SFP) steps in to fund the difference. Much of the SFP comes from Federal Mineral Royalties, much of which is produced on federal lands. Washington's war on carbon fuels has crippled Wyoming, and as a consequence the money we use to fund our schools may soon dry up. We must stand strong against the war on coal. We must be resolute in preserving our way of life in Wyoming! We should also look to strengthen and harness other sources that currently fund the SFP, including the state's investment income and property taxes.

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