Amid teacher exodus, Wyoming eyes $68M to cover rising K-12 costs, inflation

Teacher pay in Wyoming has seen little growth over the last decade, leaving educators struggling to keep pace with inflation, which spiked in 2021 and has remained high since.
The number of teachers leaving the field has also spiked. At 12% this year, the teacher exit rate is at the highest level recorded since 2010, Wyoming Department of Education data shows.
Teachers leave for many reasons, but money is a major factor. Teachers ranked higher salaries as their top priority relative to retention in a survey administered by the Wyoming Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force.
The Joint Appropriations Committee Wednesday threw its support behind a Joint Education Committee proposal to increase K-12 education funding by $68 million, enabling that measure to continue moving through the budget approval process.
Responding to concerns that school districts are struggling to hire qualified teachers, as well as cover other rising costs, the education committee last month proposed spending 3.8% more for professional staff, 14.7% for energy, 21.8% for educational materials and 4.2% for non-professional staff.
The budget increase, known as an external cost adjustment, is a decision the education committee is statutorily required to make on an annual basis in response to variables like inflation. The panel can recommend a funding increase good for one year, or a funding increase that would remain in place until lawmakers adjust the overall school funding model through a process called “recalibration.”
But before an external cost adjustment can be considered by the Legislature, it must get approval from the appropriations committee.
On Wednesday, the committee voted in favor of forwarding the $68-million recommendation to Gov. Mark Gordon for consideration in the draft budget he’ll present to the Legislature during the upcoming budget session.
Sen. Tim Salazar (R-Riverton) was the lone dissenting vote.
Speaking in support of the external cost adjustment, Laramie County School District No. 1 Business Manager Jed Cicarelli told the appropriations committee that “school districts certainly have not been immune from a lot of the same things that we see in our personal lives as consumers.”
He’s seen significant increases in the cost of essential items like a 20% price hike for paper towels and a 60% jump in the cost of standard paper. The cost to replace a student desk is up 27%, he said. Rising energy costs are yet another concern for Cicarelli, who said gas jumped 56% in his district.  
The Legislature’s 2024 budget session is slated to start Feb. 12.