Laramie-led legislation aims to preserve UW Lab School
Forcing the university and the local school district to reach an agreement, Senate File 126 would establish a governing board, require annual reporting, and cap enrollment at 200 students.
Proposed legislation endorsed by Albany County’s entire bipartisan delegation would mandate the continuation of the University of Wyoming Lab School.
The bill, known as Senate File 126, comes on the heels of UW’s decision to evict the lab school from its historical home on campus and the Albany County School Board’s subsequent decision to close the school for good.
The bill would force both parties to the table. It requires “a coordinated effort between the University of Wyoming and the resident school district” and would establish a K-8 public lab school on the UW campus promoting “developmentally appropriate differentiated instruction that is model learner‑centered for students.”
According to the legislation, the school would serve “as a teacher education institution and educational learning site for pre‑service teachers of all levels,” while seeking to identify “best teaching practices that can be utilized in public schools statewide.”
The bill, which has been filed but not yet assigned to a committee, is sponsored by Sen. Chris Rothfuss (SD-9) and co-sponsored by 10 other lawmakers, including Rothfuss’ fellow Albany County senator, Gary Crum (SD-10) and Albany County Reps. Ken Chestek (HD-13), Trey Sherwood (HD-14), Karlee Provenza (HD-45) and Ocean Andrew (HD-46).
What’s a lab school?
The UW Lab School is run by Albany County School District No. 1, but is located on the university campus.
It has long served as a unique educational facility, where aspiring teachers enrolled in UW’s College of Education can hone their craft and where K-8 students enjoy an alternative education characterized by project-based learning, outdoor opportunities and easy access to campus facilities.
How did we get here?
Since 1999, when the lab school came under the umbrella of the local school district, its existence on campus has been authorized by a series of agreements between the school district and the university.
Last summer, negotiations fell apart and UW and ACSD No. 1 entered into a one-year agreement keeping the lab school open through this academic year. The limited timeframe of this latest contract represented the failure of the parties to reach a more substantial agreement.
An outcry ensued.
The families, alumni and leaders of the lab school wanted UW and ACSD No. 1 to work out their disagreements. When that was no longer possible, many urged the school board to move the lab school into Beitel Elementary — a school the district closed last year because of declining districtwide enrollment and because of Beitel’s increasingly expensive upkeep.
The board opted to close the lab school as well. The board’s chair, Trustee Beth Bear, also pushed back on the idea of legislation — like SF126 — forcing an agreement between university and school district.
“While we appreciate the concern and attention of our legislators on this issue, we view this as a matter of local control, with the decision to move or close a school resting with our locally elected school board, not with our legislature,” Bear told lawmakers during a committee hearing in November.
But Albany County’s delegation, united on this issue despite their significant political divides, vowed to bring such legislation. The lawmakers argued — during an interim committee hearing and in a letter outlining their intentions — the lab school serves a unique purpose for the state.
“This decision goes beyond a simple agreement between the district and the university; it impacts the entire state’s educational system,” the lawmakers write. “The UW Lab School is not just a local or university concern — it is a critical part of Wyoming’s public school fleet and plays a vital role in our state’s educator training program.”
Albany County legislators are fairly well situated to see this new bill through the legislative process.
While the Freedom Caucus removed Provenza from the House Education Committee, it elevated Andrew to the role of committee chair. Despite an earlier announcement indicating that Rothfuss would be removed from the Senate Education Committee, he was able to retain his seat despite the new right-wing dominance in both chambers.
Who will pay for the lab school?
According to the bill: “The public lab school … shall be funded through the education resource block grant model” as a K-8 public school “in the same manner and form as a charter school.”
State funding will flow through the “resident school district” — in this case, Albany County School District No. 1 — “unless the resident district and the governing board of the public lab school mutually agree in writing to fund the public lab school in an alternative manner.”
Who would run the lab school?
The proposed legislation also establishes a new governing board to manage the business affairs of the facility. The principal of the school would serve as the board’s chair but would not have a vote.
The seven voting members would include:
An Albany County School Board trustee;
The superintendent of Albany County Schools;
The dean of UW’s College of Education;
A member appointed by the education dean;
The Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction;
A lab school teacher; and
A lab school parent.
The governing board would negotiate and approve the contracts that keep the school running and would report to the Joint Education Committee annually, keeping lawmakers abreast of:
Student achievement data;
Enrollment;
Teacher placements;
The school’s impact on UW instruction; and
Legislative changes that could benefit the lab school.
Who would attend the lab school?
If the legislation passes, admission would be “open to all students residing within the resident school district to the extent there is capacity within the applicable grade level at the school.”
As is the case now, enrollment would be decided via lottery if interest exceeded capacity, with the caveat that “students enrolled in the school the previous year shall be granted a seat, and students with a sibling enrolled in the school shall be given an enrollment preference.”
Admission appears to be capped at 200 students, though a possible typo — and the double negative it generates — appears to require the school to never dip below 200 students.
The bill states: “Capacity of the school shall be as determined by the state construction department … but in no event shall not exceed two hundred (200) students.”