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Book-banning officials begin removing Wyoming public agency leaders
Wyoming’s public sector has struggled to retain quality workers in recent years as lawmakers have slashed wages and the political climate has grown toxic. Now, officials driven by radical religious agendas are removing experienced local leaders, including a longtime public library director and an award-winning school superintendent.
Why is getting support for public preschool in Wyoming like pulling teeth?
The benefits of preschool are clear, but middle-class and rural Wyoming families face huge hurdles enrolling their kids. Most states have public preschool, but not Wyoming—and trying to encourage lawmakers who are busy arguing over hot-button national issues to do something about it is an exercise in frustration and disappointment.
“Voucher” proposal would give Wyo. parents money to enroll children in private, religious schools
So-called “school vouchers” or “education savings accounts” hand over taxpayer money to parents who pull their kids out of public schools and instead enroll them in private, religious, or home schools. The Legislature’s Joint Education Committee will hear such a proposal this week, despite the fact that the Wyoming Constitution prohibits public money from being spent at religious institutions or given to schools that have zero oversight.
Cheyenne Starbucks baristas poised to unionize for better schedules and workplace
Workers at a Starbucks in Cheyenne will vote on Monday whether to join more than 340 other stores across the U.S. and become the first unionized location in Wyoming. The baristas allege a hostile workplace and erratic scheduling, but also are part of a new uptick of organized labor in Wyoming.
Wyoming barriers: Young families struggle to find childcare
More than one third of Wyoming’s population lives in a “childcare desert,” and the cost for those who can find it can equal a second mortgage. While other states take steps to address this nationwide issue, Wyoming lawmakers drag their feet finding solutions.
Wyoming barriers: The high cost of neglecting preschool
Early childhood education sets kids up for success. Children who go to preschool do better in K-12—requiring less help and driving down overall education costs—and they go on to earn more and require less government assistance. But two-thirds of Wyoming kids don’t attend preschool, and the state does not invest a dime in it, creating an early-life hurdle for many children that is both costly and difficult to overcome.
Wyoming barriers: Suicidal students don’t learn much
In the first of a three-part series on barriers to opportunity that young people and families face in our state, Better Wyoming looks at the Legislature’s recent efforts—and failures—to address the growing problem of mental illness among Wyoming K-12 students.
Wyo. Freedom Caucus megadonor subpoenaed for election crimes
Susan Gore, founder of the Wyoming Liberty group and one of the state’s wealthiest political donors, is under investigation by the FBI for making campaign contributions via spies she hired to secretly record her political enemies.
Session recap: The day the ‘Freedom Caucus’ voted for the biggest govt. expenditure in Wyo. history
The “small government” group voted to spend nearly a billion dollars each year of Wyoming taxpayer money to prevent private businesses from requiring masks or vaccines.
Session recap: How Chip Neiman killed dozens of “boring” problem-solving bills
Making sure electricians are safe? Yawn. Training more rural nurses? Booo-ring. Scholarships for community college students to learn trades? What a snooze fest!
These are just some of the bills that House Majority Floor Leader Chip Neiman singlehandedly killed by not allowing them to proceed to the House floor for debate.
Session recap: The good, the bad, and the ugly of Wyoming’s 2023 state budget
With a windfall of tax revenue from high gas prices, the Wyoming Legislature increased state employee and teacher pay and funded some economic development. But lawmakers failed to meaningfully address the state’s growing housing crisis, and they still would rather invest billions in Wall Street than our own local communities.
Session recap: Legislature falls flat confronting Wyo’s mental health and suicide crises
Lawmakers acknowledged in 2023 the problems of Wyoming’s crushing suicide rate (including teen suicide) and lack of basic mental healthcare access for rural communities and uninsured people. But resistance by the Freedom Caucus to any form of government program whatsoever helped defeat several proposals that could have saved lives.
Session recap: Relief and reform for rising Wyo. property taxes
Rising home values have increased Wyoming property tax bills. The Legislature responded with targeted relief that will benefit nearly 10,000 households while untangling complicated issues with the state’s tax structure to allow for further reforms. They managed this while avoiding the slash-and-burn approach favored by the Freedom Caucus that would have gutted funding for local towns and counties.
Session recap – Lawmakers bravely confront Wyoming’s hottest non-issue: transgender student athletes
Four transgender students participate in Wyoming high school sports. For a decade, a policy governing trans student eligibility in athletics has gone unused, because local communities have handled situations on a case-by-case basis. But the so-called Freedom Caucus shares the national media’s obsession with transgender people. So, confronting this trendiest of boogeymen became a priority during the 2023 session, while other issues that affect tens of thousands of Wyoming residents went ignored.
Session recap: “Crossover voting” is banned in Wyoming. Now what?
After years of attempts, the Wyoming Legislature passed a law banning voters from switching parties to cast a ballot in the primary of their choice. The result will be confusion, disenfranchisement, and a whole herd of RINOs joining the GOP.