[Editor’s notes: I’ve learned a bunch today. Its worth the two minute read.]
Howdy folks, thought I’d mention HB-106.
HB-106 Wyoming education options act does a lot of good things. Most importantly gives poor kids (and really their parents) the ability to send their kids to private school.
I’m the product of a Catholic high school and I have no doubt that the values I learned serve me to this very day. I also know I never would have been exposed to the discipline I needed as a teenager had I been left in a public school.
That said even if you don’t have faith in the benefits of Catholic education, we can at least agree that capitalism is good, and the competition it thrives on is good for everything. Especially those things the government is most involved in. If you hadn’t noticed education and health care are the two most regulated industries in the country and neither are doing well.
If we can agree on that then please help me support HB-106.
I’d ask you to write your legislators to support it, but please join me in asking for two changes:
- Change the private school payout of the per-student amount received by the school district as computed under W.S. 21‑13‑309(p) and less adjustments made under W.S. 21‑13‑309(m)(v)(E).:
- The price school student’s parents would receive 33% of the per-student amount
- The school district in which the student resides gets 34% of the per-student amount and ;
- The remaining 33% gets returned to the state general fund for spending in an emergency or in the next fiscal year.
- Change the payout to homeschoolers:
- Set a fixed amount, say $750 per child, to cover home school expenses, without the need to present any form of documentation.
- As above the school district in which the student resides gets 34% of the per-student amount and ;
- The balance is returned to the state general fund for spending in an emergency or in the next fiscal year.
Why these changes?
First, we need to save money at the state level to help pay for things and this will help that while ensuring more kids can take advantage of private/parochial schools or homeschooling.
Second, it protects homeschoolers from the very things they want to get away from, which is government control of their child’s education while still providing some benefit to the school district and the family to help cover costs.
These two changes are pretty straightforward and will gain broader support, especially those that like me that are looking for meaningful budget cuts and are happy to see true school choice coming to Wyoming. The changes might also earn the support of the homeschoolers.
