Chapter 22 - Wyoming Education Trust Fund
CHAPTER 22 - WYOMING EDUCATION TRUST FUND
21-22-101. Trust fund established; corpus inviolate; investment bystate treasurer.
(a) A fund is established which shall be referred to as theWyoming education trust fund. The Wyoming education trust fund shall consistof those funds appropriated or designated to the fund by law or by gift fromwhatever source.
(b) Funds deposited into the Wyoming education trust fundestablished pursuant to subsection (a) of this section are intended to beinviolate and constitute a permanent or perpetual trust fund which shall beinvested 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 withpreservation of the corpus. Any interest earned from investment of the corpusof the trust fund shall be credited by the state treasurer into a separateaccount and distributed in accordance with W.S. 21-22-102.
(c) Until the balance in the account established undersubsection (a) of this section reaches fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00),the governor shall annually recommend to the legislature specific revenuesources for a ten million dollar ($10,000,000.00) appropriation to thataccount.
21-22-102. Disposition of trust fund investment earnings.
(a) Revenues deposited into the separate account establishedunder W.S. 21-22-101(b) shall be distributed by the state treasurer as follows:
(i) To the department of education for distribution inaccordance with W.S. 21-22-103 through 21-22-107 to Wyoming school districtsfor 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(ii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.
(iii) Repealed By Laws 1997 Special Session, ch. 3, 505.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 isestablished, to consist of the following members:
(i) Four (4) members appointed by the state superintendent ofpublic instruction as follows, provided the state superintendent shall reviewbut need not appoint members from the list of nominees submitted by thedesignated 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) nomineesshall be submitted jointly by the Wyoming association of secondary schoolprincipals and the Wyoming association of elementary school principals;
(C) A curriculum specialist employed by a school district. Alist of five (5) nominees shall be submitted by the Wyoming association forsupervision 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 statedepartment of education Wyoming teacher of the year award;
(iii) A representative of business or industry active ineducation issues and appointed by the governor;
(iv) A parent of a student enrolled in a Wyoming public schoolappointed by the governor;
(v) The state superintendent of public instruction serving asan 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 thissection, terms of voting members shall be for one (1) year. Annualappointments shall be made and reported to the state superintendent by January1 of each year. Any vacancy shall be filled by the designated appointingauthority 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 mayserve not more than three (3) terms. The state superintendent shall coordinateappointments and notify each designated appointing authority of therequirements imposed under this section.
(c) Voting members shall receive per diem and travel expensesin the same manner and amount as authorized under W.S. 9-3-102 and 9-3-103 forstate employees when on or conducting official advisory council business.
(d) Membership terms for voting members of the initial advisorycouncil are subject to the following:
(i) Appointments shall be made and reported to the statesuperintendent on or before July 1, 1991, shall commence July 1, 1991, andshall expire December 31, 1992;
(ii) The membership term for the Wyoming public school teacherholding 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, asfollows:
(i) On or before April 1, the advisory council shall meet toorganize for the term, select a chairman, initiate innovative program planningpursuant to W.S. 21-22-105, review innovative program grants awarded for thecurrent or academic year, review evaluation reports on previous programsawarded 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 developedpursuant to W.S. 21-22-105, determine those proposals to be awarded grants forthe 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 itsreport 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 meetingsof the advisory council and shall provide administrative support servicesnecessary for the conduct of advisory council meetings and the preparation ofrequired 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 tothe 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 oninnovative programs in Wyoming public education involving representativesdesignated by each school district, and open to other educators and interestedcitizens to:
(i) Establish and annually review a long-term plan forinnovative programs;
(ii) Review innovative programs funded and operating pursuant tothis chapter and the dissemination of those programs to other districts;
(iii) Review and coordinate proposals for innovative programsdeveloped and submitted pursuant to this chapter and the consolidation ofsimilar proposals into single proposals for the benefit of multiple districts;
(iv) Discuss proposals and the availability of funds fromnonstate sources complementing innovative programs in public schools.
(b) District representatives shall receive per diem and travelexpenses in the manner and amount as authorized under W.S. 9-3-102 and 9-3-103for state employees when on official business pursuant to this section.
(c) The state department of education shall provide necessaryadministrative assistance required to carry out duties prescribed under thissection.
21-22-106. Distribution of trust funds available to public schools;innovative program grants; criteria.
(a) Revenues available to the department of education from theseparate account under W.S. 21-22-102 shall be annually distributed to schooldistricts as innovative program grants to fund programs providing innovation inor improvement to public education through the creation of new, different andimproved educational opportunities in elementary or secondary schools,including:
(i) Curriculum development activities such as initiatives inforeign languages, mathematics, social studies, English and the sciences,programs to develop critical or creative thinking, programs involving theprivate sector and programs providing parental and family training;
(ii) Operational initiatives such as modification to classschedules, school day, week, month or year calendar and scheduling ofextracurricular activities;
(iii) Administrator and staff development and improvementprograms such as performance incentives, awards for excellence, professionaltraining and development programs and performance evaluation programs;
(iv) Acquisition of technological equipment for programsexpanding curriculum, enriching student education, enhancing staff developmentand providing community service;
(v) Applied science and technology programs designed to meetfuture labor market demands and to integrate public school programs with needsof business and industry;
(vi) Technical preparation programs integrating specific publicschool programs with community college programs and working with business andindustry to prepare students for technical and academic careers;
(vii) Evaluation programs designed to determine the effect andachievement of innovative programs previously funded or currently providedwithin the district;
(viii) Regional developmental programs, including those designedto 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) ofthis section, priority shall be given to those programs which supplement notsupplant existing courses and curriculum, are easily transferred to orduplicated by other districts, provide matching funds from nonstate sources anddemonstrate the ability of the recipient district to continue the program afterexpiration of innovative program grant monies.
21-22-107. Innovative program grants; application; selection byadvisory council; classification of districts; distribution; report on grants awarded;initial grants.
(a) Except as provided for school year 1991-1992 undersubsection (h) of this section, proposals for innovative program grantsauthorized under W.S. 21-22-106 may be submitted annually by any Wyoming schooldistrict to the department of education on or before June 1. Submittedproposals shall be in a form provided and prescribed by the state department,which shall require the minimum information necessary to describe the proposalwithout unduly burdening the applicant, including target populations andobjectives, compliance with criteria prescribed under W.S. 21-22-106 and propergrant expenditures including program budget and evaluation.
(b) Each school district, either separately or in conjunctionwith another school district, shall be given the opportunity to submit aproposal for innovative program grants authorized under W.S. 21-22-106 at leastonce every five (5) years.
(c) For the purposes of this section, school districts shall beannually classified based upon average daily membership for the previous schoolyear, as follows:
(i) Classification I, less than five hundred (500) averagedaily membership;
(ii) Classification II, five hundred (500) but less than onethousand (1,000) average daily membership;
(iii) Classification III, one thousand (1,000) but less than twothousand (2,000) average daily membership; and
(iv) Classification IV, two thousand (2,000) or greater averagedaily membership.
(d) The state advisory council shall award a grant authorizedunder this section to at least one (1) district from each classificationpursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Nothing in this subsection shallprohibit the advisory council from awarding grants to more than one (1)district under each classification or more than one (1) grant to the sameschool district under criteria established under W.S. 21-22-106.
(e) Subject to available funding, the state advisory councilfor innovative education shall select those proposals it determines bestfulfill criteria established under W.S. 21-22-106 and promote excellence inpublic education. The advisory council may use available funds to supportinnovative 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 onor before August 15. In no event shall grants awarded exceed funds available forthis purpose within the separate account. Innovative program grants receivedunder this subsection shall only be used for the purposes for which the grantis awarded and shall not be expended for any other program, activity orpurpose.
(g) The state department shall on behalf of the advisorycouncil, annually report to the governor and the joint appropriations interimcommittee and the joint education interim committee on selected proposals aswell as all proposals submitted but not selected, and on the success andaccomplishments of all programs funded by innovative program grants andevaluate the programs funded, and their impacts, according to state andnational educational goals of excellence.
(h) The state superintendent shall coordinate and assistapplicants 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.