Editorial:

Now not the time to boost school pay

Posted 6/23/20

If a pandemic wasn’t enough to deal with, the State of Wyoming is now facing a full-blown budget crisis.

The state government remains largely reliant on the energy industry for revenue …

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Editorial:

Now not the time to boost school pay

Posted

If a pandemic wasn’t enough to deal with, the State of Wyoming is now facing a full-blown budget crisis.

The state government remains largely reliant on the energy industry for revenue — and the industry has taken a beating in 2020.

With tax revenue set to plummet, Gov. Mark Gordon announced this month that he’s calling on state departments to propose plans that would potentially eliminate programs, lay off workers, reduce salaries, reduce benefits or involve other budget-saving measures. Gordon’s office said the cuts “will likely lead to some employees losing their jobs” — and he described a daunting challenge for the state.

“... Even if every state employee was let go, or if we closed the prisons, eliminated all money going to the courts, and stopped funding persons with disabilities, we would still run out of funds at the end of the biennium,” Gordon said of staying the current course.

And yet, amid this fiscal storm, the Park County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees recently reaffirmed a decision to provide one-time stipends in the current fiscal year, at a cost of nearly $675,000, and it’s preparing to approve a budget that includes $110,000 worth of raises. Trustee Don Hansen was the only member of the seven-member board to oppose the increases.

To be sure, there are many arguments to be made in support of the payments. As just some examples, the cost of living continues to rise and a competitive salary is critical to attract and retain top-notch talent within our district. Powell has outstanding educators — who skillfully adapted to the many challenges thrown at them by the pandemic this year — and they deserve to be well compensated.

But then there are the cold, unfair facts of our current situation: There are people in our community and state whose paychecks are shrinking and they, too, must cover rising bills. For others — including many of the workers in the energy industry that helps fund our education system — their paychecks have simply disappeared as unemployment has surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people in Park County and thousands of Wyomingites have lost their jobs since mid-March.

It just seems like the wrong time for any government agency to raise pay.

While the school district has the money available to cover the cost in the coming fiscal year — and while we appreciate the fiscal restraint and responsibility that has the district in a position where it can consider raises — that doesn’t mean the dollars should be spent.

With our state-funded K-12 education system running out of money, we must try to conserve every dollar possible. There is little reason to think that Park County School District No. 1 and its employees will be immune from the seemingly inevitable cuts that are coming.

Education leaders often point out that the Wyoming Constitution guarantees our youth a free education from a “complete and uniform system of public instruction.” Indeed, our public education system is a point of pride in Wyoming. However, it’s not the only part of the state Constitution that we need to consider. For instance, it also requires a balanced budget — and there are other critical state government functions, from court systems to road work to law enforcement, that need funding, too.

Though it’s a difficult decision, we hope the Park County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees will consider holding off on at least the step increases for the coming fiscal year. We’ll need every branch of government to do its part to get through this tough time.

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