News
Kinskey sees hard times ahead for funding Wyoming schools
Published
4 years agoon
By
Pat Blair
Dave Kinskey, who represents Sheridan and Johnson counties in Wyoming’s state Senate, said the state’s education fund is currently being backstopped by the state savings account.
Kinskey made the comments during a meeting earlier this week of Sheridan County’s state legislative delegation with trustees and administrators of Sheridan County School District 2.
He said the evaporation of K-12 education funds isn’t expected to happen for six years. But, he said, something has to be done well before then to get a handle on Wyoming’s finances.
Kinskey said the main cause of the state’s financial crisis is the precipitous decline in coal. He said over the next four to six years, the state is looking at a loss of 30 percent of revenues because of the energy decline.
He said one proposed solution has been raising or implementing taxes.
Kinskey said his commitment to Wyoming’s schools is that he will protect the classroom and protect the teachers.
He said he doesn’t know what the impact of cutting the budget will be on K-12 schools in Wyoming, but he thinks every district in the state is prepared for a 10 percent reduction in funds.
Kinskey said other areas in the general fund can also expect cuts. He said the budget is a big challenge, one he doesn’t think Wyoming has faced since the Great Depression.
Clyburn
November 19, 2020 at 5:02 pm
Sounds to me like we better cut…… AND CUT BIG SOON!
mark steingass
November 20, 2020 at 7:40 am
How about making I80 into a toll road and earmark a portion of those funds toward schools…how about the legislature work with the lottery commission and promote new gaming within the current lottery system or move unclaimed lottery prize money into the schools K12 account…how about consolidation of K12 administrative positions in the school districts through retirement and attrition?…how much money would an additional one cent tax on all hard goods sold within the state generate?…there may be additional options such as contract labor in specific departments
Fred Osborn
November 20, 2020 at 11:17 am
Remember all those new schools that people wanted in every other town?Some of the older ones were still usable…but Wyoming was rolling in the dough then,where did it all go? Now that the fiddler has played his tune…pay up.
Wesley Worden
November 20, 2020 at 12:40 pm
How about legalizing pot, Mary Jane, or Gods healing plant. News flash “To all of Wyoming elected officials, Coal , Oil, and natural gas is NOT a stable income for the state anymore. It can contribute again some day, but it will be some time. Legalize marijuana for some VERY stable income sources you are putting your brains together to see what direction our beautiful state will be heading.
I have a background in special/hazardous waste and years ago, Mr. Bebout was running for office in this state and proposed a hazardous landfill down around Shirley Basin I believe. I was for it then and for it now. Grassy Mountain landfill, a hazardous landfill in Utah, has produced hundreds of millions of dollars for that site. Add a medical waste incinerator and you have anther VERY steady revenue stream. But again, START with legalizing marijuana NOW.