[complete report]

LAW

Year Passed

1995; last amended in 2007.

Rank

5th weakest of the nation's 41 charter laws.

Grade

D

GENERAL DATA

• Charter law in name only

• Law vests all control in school boards

INDEPENDENT OR MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS - NO

Approval

School boards

Appeal

Yes. Applications denied by the school board may be appealed to the State Board of Education, but their decision is non-binding.

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS ALLOWED

Cap

No cap

OPERATIONAL AUTONOMY

State

Limited. Waiver requests considered on a case-by-case basis. Virtual schools are allowed. Management contracts with ESPs are not restricted.

Local

No. A school district may waive local rules and regulations without seeking approval of the state board, but there is no incentive to do so.

Teacher Freedom

No. Teachers remain part of the district and are subject to district contracts. Charter schools must participate in state's retirement system.

EQUITY

Student Funding

• Funding is negotiated with school district and is inequitable

• The law states that charter schools are entitled to 100 percent funding but it is not mandatory

• Funds pass through the district

"Each student attending a charter school shall be counted among the average daily membership of the school district in which the school is located and the school shall be included in the district's configuration of schools reported to the state superintendent under W.S. 21-13-309(m)(iv). Average daily membership of the charter school shall be calculated as follows: (c) As part of the charter school contract, the charter school and the school district shall agree on funding and any services to be provided by the school district to the charter school. The charter school and the school district shall begin discussions on the contract using the following revenue assumptions: (i) The charter school shall be entitled to the benefit of one hundred percent (100%) of the foundation program amount computed under W.S. 21-13-309(m) based upon the average daily membership of the charter school, less any district level amounts generated by the charter school's membership under W.S. 21-13-309(m) and less amounts specified under W.S. 21-13-309(m)(v)(E). " [Wyo. Stat. § 21-3-314]

Facilities Funding

None