Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opinion@county10.com
Dear Editor,
The community of Lander has strong public schools. My two daughters, graduates of the schools of FCSD #1, had tremendous opportunities in academics, athletics and with special projects. They encountered smart, passionate and committed educators and staff every step of the way.
Right now, Wyoming’s public education system is taking a beating. There are several bills from the Wyoming House of Representatives crossing to the Senate for further consideration. A large number of these bills do not support our teachers, our public education funding model or our desire for local control.
House Bill 100 will allow school districts to hire people without a teaching certification. As a strategy to address the shortage of qualified teachers, this one is short-sighted. It undermines and devalues our professional, certified teachers. A number of our teachers not only have Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board Certification but National Board Certification. These professionals have studied and worked to attain the highest levels of training possible – and guess who benefits? Our students. They receive instruction from expert educators. By eliminating this requirement, we will likely see declining student performance and an overall drop in the quality of public school education.
House Bill 199 establishes a universal Educational Savings Account program using funds traditionally earmarked for public schools. This bill will give public tax dollars to parents to educate their children in any “qualified school”. This can be any “non-governmental” microschool, homeschool or online program. It will be nearly impossible for the state to track whether these public funds, in the form of ESA dollars, are actually helping students learn. Though the text of the bill states students “shall be assessed on academic progress”, specifics are missing.
HB 172 undermines local control. This bill allows any individual permitted to conceal/carry a gun to be able to bring a weapon into our schools. FCSD #1 and this community spent one year debating the place of guns in schools. Policy CKA, passed in 2019, allows only carefully vetted and trained individuals to carry weapons into our school facilities. This is an example of local control: our district crafted a policy that the school board believed represented the desires and interests of the local community. This careful, local work will be undone if HB 172 becomes law.
I serve on the FCSD #1 school board and my comments reflect my views and opinions, not those of the board as a whole. Wyoming consistently ranks among the top 5 states in the nation for academic performance and for public education funding. We have a system that strives to provide children in Wyoming with the very best opportunities for an accessible, equitable education.
Please contact your state legislators to express your concerns and share your thoughts. The following link is to the website of the Wyoming Legislative Services Office: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislature/ContactUs
Stand up for our educators, staff and the strong public education system we enjoy in Lander.
Aileen Brew
Lander, WY