Bill would eliminate Wyo. superintendent post

A bill that would eliminate the elected position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction has been introduced to the Wyoming legislature.

The Chairmen of the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee said their bill, SF0104, “Education-State Administration”, would create an appointed position to administer the Wyoming Department of Education.

Prompted in by an acknowledged strained relationship between the Legislature and State Superintendent Cindy Hill, Senator Hank Coe (R-Park) and Representative Matt Teeters (R-Goshen) said the bill has broad co-sponsorship. They said that support includes all majority and minority members of House and Senate leadership, the Joint Appropriations Committee chairmen, and various members of the Legislature’s education committees.

In a joint news release, Coe and Teeters said the director would be appointed by the Governor. The bill would also adjust the duties for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. They said Wyoming’s state-level education governance structure no longer serves the needs of students, schools and citizens.

Teeters added, “Education issues should not be political in nature. The time has come to take personal politics out of the education equation.”

Coe said the legislature was proud of its $1.3 billion annual investment in K-12 schools. He added, “Wyoming has made a first-class effort to provide the best possible education system for our children and we need to ensure we have a Department that can effectively oversee this investment, and that is best provided by an appointed director.”