2012 Wyoming Statutes
TITLE 21 - EDUCATION
CHAPTER 13 - SCHOOL FINANCE
21-13-307. Eligibility to share in distribution of money from foundation account; mandatory financial reporting.

(a) Each district which meets the following requirements is eligible to share in the distribution of funds from the foundation account:

(i) Employed and compensated teachers for not less than nine (9) school months during the previous year and has actually employed and is compensating at least one (1) teacher for the current year, except that a newly organized district need not have employed any teachers during the previous year in order to qualify for its first year of operation;

(ii) Operated all schools for a term of at least one hundred eighty-five (185) days or the number of days or equivalent hours authorized under an alternative schedule approved by the state board during the previous school year. If the school term of any school in a district was less than one hundred eighty-five (185) days or less than the total number of days authorized under an alternative schedule approved by the state board, the amount allotted per average daily membership (ADM) under W.S. 21-13-309 for the school shall be in proportion to the length of the term the school actually operated, unless caused by closures of schools:

(A) Due to fuel shortages, fire, construction problems, weather, civil disturbance or threatened civil disturbance, days of national recognition, widespread illnesses; or

(B) Whenever necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of students, teachers and other employees and closures are approved by the state superintendent or are the result of presidential or gubernatorial executive orders.

(iii) Furnishes to the state superintendent statistical data and information as reasonably required to compute a district's entitlement to share in the foundation account and the extent of the entitlement;

(iv) The district shall provide evidence to the state superintendent that the district has maintained an average student-teacher ratio of not greater than sixteen (16) to one (1) for the aggregate of all classes in kindergarten through grade three (3) in the district in the preceding school year. The requirement of this paragraph may be waived by the department of education for any district that demonstrates insufficient school facility capacity, positive school performance, positive student achievement or for other reasons related to the delivery of the education program to students. This paragraph shall not apply to charter schools established under W.S. 21-3-301 through 21-3-314. The department shall compute the student-teacher ratio and report it to each district not later than March 1 of each year. To obtain a waiver under this paragraph, a school district shall apply to the department not later than March 15 of each year. The application shall be based on the student-teacher ratio reported by the department of education, together with any other information required by the department. The department shall approve or deny an application for a waiver under this paragraph not later than April 10 of that year. A waiver approved under this paragraph shall be effective for the school year immediately following the application and approval.

(b) Each district shall provide financial reports to the department on forms and in such manner required by the department under W.S. 21-2-203 and by rules and regulations promulgated by the state superintendent of public instruction pursuant to this article. In administering this article, the state superintendent may conduct audits of information submitted by districts under this article as necessary to administer and perform computations pertaining to the cost components within the education resource block grant model, and may, after consulting and negotiating with the school district, correct the information reported by districts under this article to fairly and accurately reflect the data type, classification and format necessary to perform computations required to administer the school finance system established under this article.