Casper Wyoming...36 years.....55 years total, born in Casper Wyoming

63

I was born in Casper, grew up in Midwest WY. I have spent most of my career teaching/coaching at NCHS. The youngest of 5 boys, I docked sheep and worked the oil patch atop rigs. I understand Wyoming schools are primarily funded by our energy workers who mine, drill and work the fields of Wyoming. I brought that common sense leadership to Wyoming’s citizen Legislature where I balanced budgets, invested for the future and authored the Hathaway Scholarship helping thousands of Wyomingites accomplish their dreams.
I’ve dedicated my life to helping thousands of our kids reach the finish line. I know the challenges and triumphs that schools, parents and kids face every day and I am running to support them for the long term. I believe in the Wyoming I was born and raised in, where Becky and I raised our four kids. A Wyoming of conservative values where every child can succeed and live the American dream regardless of ZIP code. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our precious Wyoming.

Earlier this Spring I toured our 48 school districts. I heard common themes. #1 Get back to working together. #2 We have several initiatives statewide with little connection. #3 Specific items related to screen time, nutrition, exercise and social media all impact our student's health. I am an expert at building teams. We have the best system in the country and so many blessings. We can and will continuously improve by working together.

I support our parents/grandparents and our teachers and the entire education team from the custodian to the Supt.. BECAUSE every child has potential and these are the people who unlock that potential. Early reading is the key. The resurgence of CTE education is exciting. The future is tied to preparing our young men and women to lead productive lives and live the American Dream right here in Wyoming.

Wyoming public education is funded like every state, primarily through property taxes. The issue in Wyoming is minerals pay 50% of the property taxes. Thus, education funding is directly tied to the price and production of our minerals. The volatility of our funding is the issue. During boom times we have fulfilled our obligation. More recently with the crash of coal, the end of coal lease bonuses, we have struggled which has brought on lawsuits. It is continuous work that will never end. I am proud of my efforts and work to diversify our funding streams to ease the volatility and provide more stability. You can see the results in our investment returns.

This question is part of a false narrative that looks at our standards testing which is based on a bell curve and is supposed to be used to help guide instruction. On a bell curve you will have roughly 50% above and 50% below. It will always be like that no matter if our kids are doing well or not.

Let’s look at the ACT that is comparable over time and to other states. There are 16 states that test every junior in high school, two years ago Wyoming was #1, last year we were #2.

The other test that is comparable over time and states is the "Nations Report Card" or NAEP test. Since 2017, Wyoming has had an overall average in the top 5 in the nation during every administration of the NAEP. This is highlighted by Wyoming leading the nation in 4th-grade math in 2022 and being 2nd in the nation in 4th-grade reading in both 2022 and 2024.

In addition, Wyoming is always in the top 10 of 50 states per capita whose young people join the military. Our kids are patriots.

I would like us to return to a constitutional program that we had for youngsters who come from poor families. That is what our constitution requires. That targeted program was replaced by the "money for anyone" program, with no accountability, which I advised the Legislature would lead to legal trouble. Making sure our kids are literacy ready when they walk in the school door is key.

There are several parts to this. Compensation/benefits is part of it. We used to pay better than many states. We have slid in recent years. Affordability of housing is another key. Finally and importantly is the "tone at the top." What leaders say is crucial. We become and achieve what we say. It is vital that we support, encourage, honor, appreciate, improve and motivate our education team from the cooks to the custodian, and the teacher to the principal. Finally, we have to "grow our own." We have to encourage and provide pathways for our young people to enter this profession. There was a time when 30% of the college majors were education majors. Now we are single digits.

The State Loan and Investment Board and the State Land Board are both very important boards for the future of our state. We have 3.1 million acres of state trust lands. We had 4.1million at statehood. They are trust lands that are constitutionally required to "work for our state." I have a long record of open, transparent support of these lands. I think the Casper Mtn. gravel pits, which is in my HD37 is a classic example. When there is a proposed change of lease on a section, it should require extra scrutiny and local input and not simply put on the consent vote. As a member of the State Land Board I will follow our Constitution and work to grow our own new opportunities for our future.