Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/827301
SPRING 2017| WEAnews 4 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Kathy Vetter WEA President kvetter@wyoea.org Summer is almost here: time for sun, fun--and interim legislative meetings that will determine how schools will be funded in the future. I know summer is a time to slow down and relax a little after the long school year, but I hope you will take some time this summer to be involved in the interim legislative meetings on education. In this very important interim, the Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration will be looking at the future of K-12 education funding. The members of this committee are: Senators Hank Coe – Co-Chairman, Dave Kinskey, Bill Landen, Ray Peterson, Chris Rothfuss, and Drew Perkins – Alternate; and Representatives Albert Sommers – Co-Chairman, Cathy Connolly, Steve Harshman, Bob Nicholas, and David Northrup. They are tasked with doing a complete recalibration of our K-12 education resource block grant model. This involves looking at what must be taught in our schools to ensure every Wyoming student receives a high-quality education, then determining what it costs to deliver these classes to every student around the state and how they will fund schools to ensure that every student receives this high-quality education. Education is a fundamental right in Wyoming, and it is their job to find a way to fund it. As education employees who work with our students every day, you are the experts on education here in Wyoming. We need you to be a voice for education and the students you work with every day, by attending as many interim meetings as you can this summer. If you are willing to testify at any of the Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration meetings, please contact WEA Government Relations Director Ken Decaria at kdecaria@wyoea. org or WEA President Kathy Vetter at kvetter@wyoea.org, and we will work with you on messaging and how to testify at these meetings. We really need to have the educator's voice in the room so this committee understands the real impact of their decisions. Remember, you are the true experts on education in Wyoming. The first Joint Revenue Committee and Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration meeting is set for June 12 at 8:00 a.m. at Central Wyoming College, 2660 Peck Avenue, ITECC Room 116, in Riverton. They will be looking at ways to fund K-12 school operations, school capital construction, and major maintenance. The agenda for this meeting, when it becomes available, can be found on the legislative website: http://legisweb. state.wy.us, under "Interim Committee Activities," then "Select Committees." I encourage you to try to attend this meeting as it will be the first time these two committees meet jointly to talk about education funding needs. I hope I will see some of you there. Additional meeting dates and locations have not yet been announced, but once they are scheduled, you will be able to find them listed on the same website. The school year may be over or almost over for most of you, but our work on school funding is just beginning. So, take some time to relax; then consider being a voice for the future of education in Wyoming by attending and maybe even testifying at one or more of the interim legislative meetings on education funding. Together we can make a difference for the students of Wyoming. Remember, you are the true experts on education in Wyoming, and your voice can make a difference. 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