Recently introduced legislation would empower every family in Wyoming with education freedom. HB 199 would expand Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to all families in Wyoming, and SF 109 would empower students to enroll in any public school within their resident school district.
“We applaud the Wyoming Legislature for taking bold steps to empower students and families,” said Alice Kerce, government affairs director, yes. every kid. “Wyoming legislators are demonstrating a commitment to putting students first by introducing legislation to expand the state’s ESA program to all students and expand public school options. Thanks to the leadership of Speaker Chip Neiman, Senate President Bo Biteman, Rep. Ocean Andrew, and Sen. Evie Brennan, Wyoming is one step closer to being a leader in education freedom. We look forward to continuing to work with the entire legislature to pass and enact these transformative policies.”
These two critical policies also align with the legislative priorities announced by Megan Degenfelder, Superintendent of Public Instruction, earlier this week.
Background:
HB 199:
- Expands eligibility from students living in households at or below 150% of the federal poverty level to any student eligible for public school that has not graduated high school
- Increases the scholarship amount from $6,000 to $7,000 and ensures the scholarship remains adjusted for inflation each year
- Increases the appropriation for the program from $20 million to $50 million
- Renames program from Wyoming Education Savings Accounts to Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Program
- Removes testing requirements for participating students and certification requirements for education providers
SF 109:
- Starting in the 2026-27 school year, school districts must adopt policies allowing students to enroll in any public school within their district
- Provides priority for students who reside within a school’s attendance zone and for siblings of enrolled students
- Requires districts to post available enrollment vacancies for each grade level on their website at least once every 12 weeks
About yes. every kid.
yes. every kid. is a leading advocacy team with a families-first approach to transform America’s education policy landscape. We work to transform education away from the current top-down standardized model to a bottom-up approach that enables every family and student to customize an education that best matches their values and priorities.
###
