Albany County leads campaign for rural schools
House Resolution 3 declares rural students deserve a “high quality and equitable education.” Sherwood, and rancher Anna Anderson, testified Wednesday.
A House resolution reiterating Wyoming’s support for rural schools is headed to the Senate floor. House Resolution 3 is sponsored by Albany County Rep. Trey Sherwood (HD-14) and co-sponsored by other local lawmakers.
It sailed through the House with broad bipartisan support, passing on third reading with a 57-4 vote. The Senate Education Committee advanced the resolution Wednesday with only minor amendments and unanimous support.
“Our Constitution guarantees a high quality and equitable education for every one of our students,” Sherwood told the committee. “This resolution is meant to uphold an existing precedent and confirm our intent to continue to honor our commitment to all of our students, regardless of where they are located in our state.”
The resolution declares rural schools “have been integral to educating our children and are important for keeping rural ranch families together, promoting social cohesion and preserving community identity.”
Sherwood said Wyoming today operates 15 schools with three rooms or less, spread across 12 school districts.
The latest addition to this number is the Antelope Creek School in Garrett, a small ranching community north of Laramie. Antelope Creek opened its doors to its only two students last fall, following a years-long struggle on the part of those students’ parents and the entire community of Garrett.
Anna Anderson, the students’ mother, addressed the committee alongside Sherwood.
“Rural schools are more than a place of learning,” Anderson said. “They really are the heartbeat of their communities. They keep families together, they strengthen our rural economy and preserve the traditions that make Wyoming so special.”
But as Anderson’s own struggles demonstrate, it’s not always easy to secure access to a rural education. The school was first approved in early 2022, but was rejected at the state level. A lawsuit that reached the Wyoming Supreme Court failed to reverse that. But Sherwood, backed up by testimony from the Andersons, fought for and won the school specific funding in the state budget. The Garrett schoolhouse finally opened in September.
“For many families in our most rural areas, the simple right to an equitable education comes with barriers that are hard to ignore,” Anderson said. “Wyoming is built on values of fairness, hard work and looking out for one another … but for far too long, rural families have had to fight to keep their local schools open.”
The absence of a nearby school takes a toll on ranch families, she added. Before the final approval of Antelope Creek, the Andersons had been contemplating a split living situation — one parent living in Rock River or Laramie with the children, the other back home, alone, working the ranch.
“Without these schools, children have long, exhausting travel times, unsafe roads and resentment when families are forced to make difficult choices about relocating,” Anderson told the committee. “The entire community feels that loss.”
Committee members made minor amendments to the resolution regarding inclusion and equity.
Casper Sen. Charles Scott (SD-30) removed the word “ranch” before “families,” noting that not all rural families are ranch families. Cheyenne Sen. Jared Olsen (SD-8), meanwhile, changed the phrase “equal access” to “equitable access” to bring the resolution in line with the phrasing of existing state law.
With an upcoming recalibration of the state’s public education funding model, Scott also said the timing of this resolution was appropriate. He brought a further amendment to note that a copy of the resolution itself should be sent to the consultants selected for the 2025 recalibration.
According to other testimony, the resolution has the support of Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, as well as the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.
Albany County’s Rep. Ocean Andrew (HD-46) and Sen. Gary Crum (SD-10) co-sponsored the resolution.
Yes they do! Supporting rural schools is supporting rural life and ranchers etc. Wyoming should lead the way in this.