SPRING 2014 | wyoea.org
SPRING 2014 | WEAnews
15
K-12 Employees Will Receive Raises
One of WEA's and the Education Coalition's highest priorities this session was for an External Cost
Adjustment (ECA) for K-12 schools, which is an adjustment for inflation in the cost of providing students
with a quality education. We are pleased that the adopted Budget Bill includes a two-year ECA: for 2014-
15, it is approximately 1% (different components are adjusted in different amounts, but this is the final
outcome); for 2015-16, the ECA will be approximately an additional .625%. The ECA will be part of the
block grant funding that goes to districts for all operations, including salaries.
In addition to the ECA, WEA fought to obtain pay raises for education employees at all levels. The Budget
Bill includes $12 million over two years that is earmarked specifically for K-12 salary increases for all state-
funded employees. The Legislative Services Office estimates that this will be about a 0.6% salary increase.
Six million dollars will be allocated for the 2014-15 school year, with no strings attached other than that the
money can only be used to increase salaries. In 2015-16, there will be another six million dollars available;
however, that year, the district must prove to WDE that they don't pay more of the employee's share of
the retirement contribution than the state pays for its employees—that figure is 2.055%. So in 2015-16,
if the district doesn't make the employee pay at least 2.055% of the employee portion of the retirement
contribution, the district will not receive any of the salary increase funds from the state.
The Legislature's Management Council voted on
Wednesday, March 7
th
, to assign the Joint Education
Committee to study the impacts of the recent Supreme
Court ruling regarding the constitutionality of last
year's Senate File 104, and map out what to do next, if
anything.
Priority #: 1 Review Organizational Structure of
Education Administration.
The Committee will study and present to the
Management Council recommendations for
a legislative response to issues arising from
litigation involving 2013 SF0104, including any
recommendation regarding the need for a special
session. The Committee shall provide in its rules
that any recommendation under this topic shall
require a majority vote of both the Senate members
and the House members of the Committee. The
Committee shall provide to the Management Council
alternative draft bills including a bill implementing
state education duties prior to enactment of 2013 SF
0104. The Committee's goal shall be to provide the
alternatives prior to April 30, 2014. [Study added by
Management Council]
Several issues related to SF104 remain unresolved
because the district court still needs to finalize the
Supreme Court's decision.
Joint Education Committee
Members Include:
House Education Committee Members
Matt Teeters - Chair
Matt.Teeters@wyoleg.gov
Cathy Connolly
Cathy.Connolly@wyoleg.gov
John Freeman
John.Freeman@wyoleg.gov
Hans Hunt
Hans.Hunt@wyoleg.gov
David Northrup
David.Northrup@wyoleg.gov
John Patton
John.Patton@wyoleg.gov
Jerry Paxton
Jerry.Paxton@wyoleg.gov
Garry Piiparinen
Garry.Piiparinen@wyoleg.gov
Albert Sommers
Albert.Sommers@wyoleg.gov
Senate Education Committee Members
Henry H.R. "Hank" Coe - Chair
Hank.Coe@wyoleg.gov
Jim Anderson (SD02)
Jameslee.Anderson@wyoleg.gov
Paul Barnard
Paul.Barnard@wyoleg.gov
Bill Landen
Bill.Landen@wyoleg.gov
Chris Rothfuss
Chris.Rothfuss@wyoleg.gov
The Still-Undecided Future of
Ed Management in Wyoming
Spring 2014 working.indd 15 3/14/14 4:31 PM
