Senate passes cuts public education funding

(AP) — Wyoming school districts would see a 5 percent reduction in their state block grants by the end of the decade under a bill that has passed the Senate.

Senate File 165, which passed on a 27-3 vote Tuesday, now goes to the state House for debate.

The state hires consultants who examine the funding model for public education here and tell lawmakers how much money districts need for certain areas, like classroom sizes.

The bill represents one of the most wide-ranging attempts in the Legislature to address the state's education funding crisis caused by a prolonged downturn in the energy economy.