District braces itself for budgetary woes

A voluntary separation program initiated by Sweetwater County School District No. 2 has drawn some interest from employees.

During an update last week, Jason Fuss, director of human resources for the district, said 19 employees have applied for the program. That number consists 11 certified professional staff, seven support staff and one administrator. Fuss said those applications can be withdrawn, but if everyone who has applied follows through with the agreement, the program would cost the district approximately $700,000, but would save between $1 million and $1.5 million.

“The reason why we give a parameter is because we would have to analyze and make sure that we could potentially have attritional savings of everyone who took it,” he said. “Maybe some of those folks we would be forced to replace.”

The program is seen as a means of cutting back costs without resorting to layoffs at a time when the district is projecting losses in revenue. While the district is already facing an $855,000 loss for the 2022 fiscal year due to decreased student enrollment, concern about what the Wyoming Legislature will do to school funding also remains high.

Chris Dean, the district’s business manager, said the select committee on school recalibration met late last month to propose a new bill to go to the legislative funding model and add a $100 million cut to the model.

“That equates to about $1,000 per student,” she said.

“Wow, a $1,000 a kid. Think about that,” board chairman Steve Core said as he processed the information.

Core said he testified before the committee, but didn’t get anywhere with them “like everyone else.”

Core also mentioned a recent editorial in the Casper Star-Tribune by Senator Charlie Scott (R-Casper) in which Scott anticipates the state will be sued by school districts, but believes the Wyoming Supreme Court would rule in the legislature’s favor.

“We need to do what’s right for kids in this state and we all know what that is,” Core said. “It just makes no sense to me that we’re spending money on lawyers to get what the Constitution and the Supreme Court says they have to supply.”