An education bill will provide private and homeschool families with funding to help cover education expenses if it passes through the state Legislature and is signed by the governor.

The Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act, HB-199, cosponsored by Reps. Paul Hoeft (R-Powell) and Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody) and Sen. Dan Laursen (R-Powell), would see some money previously allocated to the public school foundation program account go into a separate education savings account (ESA) for private school students. 

“I believe parents should get to decide how they want their child educated. Every child is unique,” Rodriguez-Williams said. “The state should allow education funds to follow the student, whether it is a public school, private school, charter school, virtual school or home school. House Bill 199 is Universal School Choice.”

The bill passed its third reading in the Senate and will be heading to conference committee for final changes.

In its current form $7,000 would be issued per student to families who applied for funding provided the student is enrolled in private schooling and the schooling meets certification from the State Superintendent’s office. The bill does not require specific curriculum or testing but does stipulate students receiving the money must receive education “in reading, writing, mathematics, civics, including studies of the United States Constitution and the constitution of the state of Wyoming, history, literature and science.”

In Powell, this could be a win for families who opt not to use the public school system. 

Shane Legler, the administrator and head teacher at Powell Christian School, anticipates that Powell Christian families will be able to use the funds without having the funding affect the school’s curriculum.

“That would open it up to a lot of parents who could benefit … that would otherwise not be able to benefit from that,” Legler said. “So I can’t imagine having anything but a positive effect for us.”

The school does provide a limited number of scholarships for families but there are families at Powell Christian that could still benefit.

Powell Christian School has not raised its tuition (roughly $4,000-$5,000 per year depending on grade level) in three years, Legler said, noting also that the school provides a discount for families with multiple children enrolled, so $7,000 per student would cover tuition for the year.

Legler was disappointed when last year’s ESA bill received line item vetoes that eliminated multiple income brackets from receiving funding, he added.

“If you have a family that’s just paying the bills, and both mom and dad work and they don’t make that poverty level, but they don’t have any extra to give, then they don’t get to put their kids in the private school, and so that’s a difficult thing,” Legler said.

The bill would also have the potential to positively impact homeschool families.

“I think for most homeschooling families that would be sufficient. If not, it would be a good portion that they could put towards homeschooling,” Feathers said.

She added that there are many different curriculums and ways to homeschool or private school students that would cost more, but for most homeschool families she interacts with $7,000 would be sufficient, however it does depend on what the ESA would cover.

“When people talk about it and debate about this ESA program, they talk about it in more of terms, like you would see in other states, where it could be used for computer equipment, or it could be used for books and curriculum that’s not online, or chemistry sets,” Feathers said. “And I think the homeschoolers I know would desire that. It would be that.”

If homeschool families could buy the resources they need to give their students individualized and robust eduction it would be wonderful, Feathers said. 

Within the homeschool circles she travels, people are excited about the bill but some are hesitant and would like clarification on requirements. 

“I’ve heard great excitement many people know, like for example, I know people in Florida and Alaska that homeschool and their states have different versions of this type of program, and I have heard overwhelmingly positive [feedback] about these kind of programs covering curriculum,” Feathers said.

(Editor’s note: See Thursday’s issue for how the bill would impact public schools.)