The Wyoming Education Association (WEA) released the results of a phone survey that found that 78 percent of Wyoming voters would be willing to pay more in yearly taxes if that money were dedicated to funding K-12 schools.

The survey was conducted with 500 Wyoming voters about their opinions on tax increases for the purposes of funding Wyoming public education.

Kathy Vetter is the president of the Wyoming Education Association, which comprises teachers of every level of public education, as well as administrators, retired teachers and school paraprofessionals. WEA conducted the survey and presented the results on Wednesday, August 30.

“We are heartened to confirm that Wyoming voters support funding education and putting Wyoming students first,” Vetter said.

Debate in the state legislature about taxes has often been silenced by the insistence that Wyoming voters will always fight tax increases. However, the results of this survey seem to suggest that Wyoming voters are more concerned about a lack of education funding than tax increases.

Thirty-nine percent of Wyoming voters said legislative spending on K-12 schools falls short of what it should be, with 39 percent saying the spending is about right.

Four out of five voters surveyed said that even with the tough budget crisis that Wyoming is facing, K-12 education should not be cut.

The telephone survey was conducted by the polling firm Public Opinion Strategies from July 19-22 of this year.

Voters surveyed also expressed concern that legislative budget cuts to K-12 education would greatly affect the quality of education Wyoming children receive.

Survey respondents agreed that maintaining the quality of Wyoming’s public schools begins with maintaining teacher pay in order to retain quality teachers, as well as maintaining art, music, athletic and vocational programs.

These survey results follow several weeks of education recalibration meetings across the state that gathered public input from educators, administrators and school board members about the importance of funding Wyoming’s public school education.

The meeting closest to Lincoln County was held at Rock Springs High School.

Attendees at that meeting included Lincoln County School District #1 Superintendent Teresa Chaulk, as well as  school board members Brenda McGinnis and Don Lamborn.

A majority of the surveyed voters agreed that tax increases to fund Wyoming education should come from a variety of sources.

Those potential tax sources include state taxes on wind energy production, mining and oil and gas, with slightly fewer numbers of respondents agreeing the increases should be on state sales tax and property taxes.

“Based on personal experience as a veteran teacher, most voters recognize the importance of a quality education, and that means one-on-one time with students, as well as maintaining art, music, vocational, and athletic programs,” Vetter said. Recruiting and retaining the best and brightest classroom teachers ensure that type of quality instruction.”

Discussion about Wyoming education funding often refers back to the 1995 Wyoming State  Supreme Court case Campbell County v. The State of Wyoming.

That case required the state legislature to examine the state education funding model, but also established a set of quality standards for education statewide.

The case ensured that the state legislature not only be conscious of education spending, but also maintain a high quality of education statewide.

Results from surveys like the one conducted by WEA may shift the conversation in the state legislature to examine more options for funding Wyoming’s public schools.

A third of the respondents said they would pay $200 more in taxes if the funds were dedicated to K-12 education.

Only eight percent of respondents thought “more types of schools such as charters” would be the best way to maintain the quality of public schools, and only five percent agreed that “teacher pay is excessive.”