2010 Wyoming Statutes
Title 21 - Education
Chapter 22 - Wyoming Education Trust Fund

CHAPTER 22 - WYOMING EDUCATION TRUST FUND

 

21-22-101. Trust fund established; corpus inviolate; investment by state treasurer.

 

(a) A fund is established which shall be referred to as the Wyoming education trust fund. The Wyoming education trust fund shall consist of those funds appropriated or designated to the fund by law or by gift from whatever source.

 

(b) Funds deposited into the Wyoming education trust fund established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section are intended to be inviolate and constitute a permanent or perpetual trust fund which shall be invested by the state treasurer as authorized under W.S. 9-4-715(a), (d) and (e) and in a manner to obtain the highest return possible consistent with preservation of the corpus. Any interest earned from investment of the corpus of the trust fund shall be credited by the state treasurer into a separate account and distributed in accordance with W.S. 21-22-102.

 

(c) Until the balance in the account established under subsection (a) of this section reaches fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00), the governor shall annually recommend to the legislature specific revenue sources for a ten million dollar ($10,000,000.00) appropriation to that account.

 

21-22-102. Disposition of trust fund investment earnings.

 

(a) Revenues deposited into the separate account established under W.S. 21-22-101(b) shall be distributed by the state treasurer as follows:

 

(i) To the department of education for distribution in accordance with W.S. 21-22-103 through 21-22-107 to Wyoming school districts for programs benefiting school districts.

 

(ii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(iii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

21-22-103. State advisory council for innovative education; established; membership; terms; compensation; initial terms.

 

(a) The state advisory council for innovative education is established, to consist of the following members:

 

(i) Four (4) members appointed by the state superintendent of public instruction as follows, provided the state superintendent shall review but need not appoint members from the list of nominees submitted by the designated entities:

 

(A) A school district superintendent. A list of five (5) nominees shall be submitted by the Wyoming association of school administrators;

 

(B) A public school principal. A list of five (5) nominees shall be submitted jointly by the Wyoming association of secondary school principals and the Wyoming association of elementary school principals;

 

(C) A curriculum specialist employed by a school district. A list of five (5) nominees shall be submitted by the Wyoming association for supervision and curriculum development;

 

(D) A Wyoming public school teacher. A list of five (5) nominees shall be submitted by the Wyoming education association.

 

(ii) The Wyoming public school teacher holding the state department of education Wyoming teacher of the year award;

 

(iii) A representative of business or industry active in education issues and appointed by the governor;

 

(iv) A parent of a student enrolled in a Wyoming public school appointed by the governor;

 

(v) The state superintendent of public instruction serving as an ex officio member;

 

(vi) The governor serving as an ex officio member;

 

(vii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(viii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(ix) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(b) Except for initial terms pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, terms of voting members shall be for one (1) year. Annual appointments shall be made and reported to the state superintendent by January 1 of each year. Any vacancy shall be filled by the designated appointing authority for the remainder of the unexpired term within not more than thirty (30) days following the date on which the vacancy occurred. Any voting member may serve not more than three (3) terms. The state superintendent shall coordinate appointments and notify each designated appointing authority of the requirements imposed under this section.

 

(c) Voting members shall receive per diem and travel expenses in the same manner and amount as authorized under W.S. 9-3-102 and 9-3-103 for state employees when on or conducting official advisory council business.

 

(d) Membership terms for voting members of the initial advisory council are subject to the following:

 

(i) Appointments shall be made and reported to the state superintendent on or before July 1, 1991, shall commence July 1, 1991, and shall expire December 31, 1992;

 

(ii) The membership term for the Wyoming public school teacher holding title to the 1991 Wyoming teacher of the year award under paragraph (a)(ii) of this section shall commence July 1, 1991 and expire December 31, 1991.

 

21-22-104. Advisory council; required meetings; duties.

 

(a) Except as specified under subsection (c) of this section, the advisory council shall meet not less than two (2) times each year, as follows:

 

(i) On or before April 1, the advisory council shall meet to organize for the term, select a chairman, initiate innovative program planning pursuant to W.S. 21-22-105, review innovative program grants awarded for the current or academic year, review evaluation reports on previous programs awarded grants and consider other necessary matters;

 

(ii) On or before July 1, the advisory council shall meet to:

 

(A) Review proposals and plans recommended and developed pursuant to W.S. 21-22-105, determine those proposals to be awarded grants for the succeeding school year in accordance with W.S. 21-22-106 and 21-22-107, initiate program evaluation funding under W.S. 21-22-107(c) and develop its report to the governor and the legislature required under W.S. 21-22-107(g).

 

(B) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(C) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

(b) The state department of education shall organize meetings of the advisory council and shall provide administrative support services necessary for the conduct of advisory council meetings and the preparation of required reports and other documents.

 

(c) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

21-22-105. Annual innovative education meeting; expense reimbursement.

 

(a) Before July 1 of each year commencing in 1992 and prior to the second meeting of the advisory council held each year under W.S. 21-22-104(a)(ii), the state department of education shall hold a conference on innovative programs in Wyoming public education involving representatives designated by each school district, and open to other educators and interested citizens to:

 

(i) Establish and annually review a long-term plan for innovative programs;

 

(ii) Review innovative programs funded and operating pursuant to this chapter and the dissemination of those programs to other districts;

 

(iii) Review and coordinate proposals for innovative programs developed and submitted pursuant to this chapter and the consolidation of similar proposals into single proposals for the benefit of multiple districts;

 

(iv) Discuss proposals and the availability of funds from nonstate sources complementing innovative programs in public schools.

 

(b) District representatives shall receive per diem and travel expenses in the manner and amount as authorized under W.S. 9-3-102 and 9-3-103 for state employees when on official business pursuant to this section.

 

(c) The state department of education shall provide necessary administrative assistance required to carry out duties prescribed under this section.

 

21-22-106. Distribution of trust funds available to public schools; innovative program grants; criteria.

 

(a) Revenues available to the department of education from the separate account under W.S. 21-22-102 shall be annually distributed to school districts as innovative program grants to fund programs providing innovation in or improvement to public education through the creation of new, different and improved educational opportunities in elementary or secondary schools, including:

 

(i) Curriculum development activities such as initiatives in foreign languages, mathematics, social studies, English and the sciences, programs to develop critical or creative thinking, programs involving the private sector and programs providing parental and family training;

 

(ii) Operational initiatives such as modification to class schedules, school day, week, month or year calendar and scheduling of extracurricular activities;

 

(iii) Administrator and staff development and improvement programs such as performance incentives, awards for excellence, professional training and development programs and performance evaluation programs;

 

(iv) Acquisition of technological equipment for programs expanding curriculum, enriching student education, enhancing staff development and providing community service;

 

(v) Applied science and technology programs designed to meet future labor market demands and to integrate public school programs with needs of business and industry;

 

(vi) Technical preparation programs integrating specific public school programs with community college programs and working with business and industry to prepare students for technical and academic careers;

 

(vii) Evaluation programs designed to determine the effect and achievement of innovative programs previously funded or currently provided within the district;

 

(viii) Regional developmental programs, including those designed to better prepare children for elementary school, and to improve parents' skills in developing their children's learning skills.

 

(b) In addition to criteria specified under subsection (a) of this section, priority shall be given to those programs which supplement not supplant existing courses and curriculum, are easily transferred to or duplicated by other districts, provide matching funds from nonstate sources and demonstrate the ability of the recipient district to continue the program after expiration of innovative program grant monies.

 

21-22-107. Innovative program grants; application; selection by advisory council; classification of districts; distribution; report on grants awarded; initial grants.

 

(a) Except as provided for school year 1991-1992 under subsection (h) of this section, proposals for innovative program grants authorized under W.S. 21-22-106 may be submitted annually by any Wyoming school district to the department of education on or before June 1. Submitted proposals shall be in a form provided and prescribed by the state department, which shall require the minimum information necessary to describe the proposal without unduly burdening the applicant, including target populations and objectives, compliance with criteria prescribed under W.S. 21-22-106 and proper grant expenditures including program budget and evaluation.

 

(b) Each school district, either separately or in conjunction with another school district, shall be given the opportunity to submit a proposal for innovative program grants authorized under W.S. 21-22-106 at least once every five (5) years.

 

(c) For the purposes of this section, school districts shall be annually classified based upon average daily membership for the previous school year, as follows:

 

(i) Classification I, less than five hundred (500) average daily membership;

 

(ii) Classification II, five hundred (500) but less than one thousand (1,000) average daily membership;

 

(iii) Classification III, one thousand (1,000) but less than two thousand (2,000) average daily membership; and

 

(iv) Classification IV, two thousand (2,000) or greater average daily membership.

 

(d) The state advisory council shall award a grant authorized under this section to at least one (1) district from each classification pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the advisory council from awarding grants to more than one (1) district under each classification or more than one (1) grant to the same school district under criteria established under W.S. 21-22-106.

 

(e) Subject to available funding, the state advisory council for innovative education shall select those proposals it determines best fulfill criteria established under W.S. 21-22-106 and promote excellence in public education. The advisory council may use available funds to support innovative program evaluation projects and may through the state department, contract with the University of Wyoming to conduct program evaluations.

 

(f) In accordance with determinations of the advisory council, the state department shall annually distribute funds to selected proposals on or before August 15. In no event shall grants awarded exceed funds available for this purpose within the separate account. Innovative program grants received under this subsection shall only be used for the purposes for which the grant is awarded and shall not be expended for any other program, activity or purpose.

 

(g) The state department shall on behalf of the advisory council, annually report to the governor and the joint appropriations interim committee and the joint education interim committee on selected proposals as well as all proposals submitted but not selected, and on the success and accomplishments of all programs funded by innovative program grants and evaluate the programs funded, and their impacts, according to state and national educational goals of excellence.

 

(h) The state superintendent shall coordinate and assist applicants and the advisory council to effectuate scheduling.

 

21-22-108. Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.

 

 

21-22-109. Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.