Letter to House Education Committee from Small School Districts

Posted Date: 03/23/2021

Letter to Legislative Leaders from the Small School Districts of Wyoming

The following is a letter sent on behalf of Small School District in Wyoming:

Good morning members of the House Education Committee.  

As a representative of the 5 smallest districts in the state (Arvada-Clearmont, Dubois, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep, and Upton) I wanted to reach out to you and thank you for the work you continue to do on behalf of the students of Wyoming.  We take great pride in the work that is done in the classrooms across the state and feel that as small districts we are setting the standard in many respects.  

Much of the success of our districts come as a result of allowing locally elected officials the opportunity to be stewards of what they are elected to do, manage the budget.  By categorically funding items, it removes this duty and opportunity from the board.  In our small districts, you will find that our boards focus on funding the direct education of students as their primary concern.  Please keep our block grant in place.  

Most importantly however, our students leave our districts with opportunities that are not always provided in larger districts or even in small schools that are a part of a larger district.  I am encouraging you to listen to our students and bear in mind the positive impact the small districts have on the State of Wyoming.  

Included are several short videos (3 minutes or less) of students in small districts talking to you about the value of small districts.  There is also a link to additional videos.  

Once again, thank you for your service and putting Wyoming Students as a priority