{"id":2410106,"date":"2025-03-05T14:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T19:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wyoming-becomes-15th-state-to-enact-universal-school-choice\/"},"modified":"2025-03-05T14:28:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T19:28:28","slug":"wyoming-becomes-15th-state-to-enact-universal-school-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wyoming-becomes-15th-state-to-enact-universal-school-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyoming Becomes 15th State To Enact Universal School Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwyoming-becomes-15th-state-to-enact-universal-school-choice%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2410106&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Tuesday, Wyoming\u200c officially\u2062 became\u2062 the 15th state to \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-gov-bill-lee-eyes-universal-school-choice-for-2024\/\" title=\"TN Gov. ... Lee aims for ... by 2024\">implement universal school choice<\/a>, \u200dfollowing the signing of the \u200bSteamboat Legacy scholarship\u2064 Act by Governor Mark Gordon. This legislation provides families with educational savings accounts of \u2062$7,000 per student annually, allowing them to choose\u200c approved K-12 education \u2062expenses. The act also \u2064expands\u200b access to the existing pre-kindergarten program by increasing eligibility from 150% to 250% \u2064of\u2063 the federal poverty line. <\/p>\n<p>The \u200dbill received strong bipartisan\u200c support, \u2064passing the House and Senate with solid majorities after advocacy from figures such as\u200b former President Trump. State \u2062education leaders, including\u2063 Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, have touted school choice as vital\u2063 for providing parents with \u200bthe ability to\u2062 select\u200d the \u200dbest educational opportunities for their children, even in rural areas. <\/p>\n<p>Supporters \u2064argue\u200c that introducing market competition in education\u2064 will\u2064 enhance\u200d quality, spur innovation, and reduce costs,\u200c contributing to a \u2064more effective education system in Wyoming.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>On Tuesday, Wyoming became the 15<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;state to enact universal school choice into law with Gov. Mark Gordon&rsquo;s signature on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/WY\/bill\/HB0199\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboy State joins a rapidly growing group of states that have passed laws giving all (or nearly all) families statewide choice concerning their children&rsquo;s kindergarten through twelfth-grade education.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/this-states-governor-delivers-on-school-choice-in-the-eleventh-hour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Those states are<\/a>&nbsp;Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>The act grants families who choose to participate with an education savings account of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyoleg.gov\/Legislation\/2025\/HB0199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$7,000<\/a>&nbsp;per student per year to allocate toward approved K-12 educational expenses. Education savings accounts with universal eligibility are the gold standard of school choice programs due to the flexibility they provide parents to select the best learning avenues for their children.<\/p>\n<p>It also expands eligibility of the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">existing pre-kindergarten education savings account program<\/a> from parents with a maximum income of 150 percent of the federal poverty line to up to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyoleg.gov\/Legislation\/2025\/HB0199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">250<\/a> percent. The amount provided to qualifying parents is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyoleg.gov\/Legislation\/2025\/HB0199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$7,000<\/a>.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2025\/03\/04\/wyoming-will-have-7-000-per-child-school-vouchers-for-k-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to Gov. Gordon<\/a>, &ldquo;early education builds a very strong foundation. It&rsquo;s important that when kids get to kindergarten, they have the grounding that&rsquo;s necessary to be able to move forward, thrive and really do well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Wyoming Speaker of the House Ocean Andrew is a defender of education freedom and under his leadership the bill promptly passed the House by a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/WY\/bill\/HB0199\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">39-21<\/a>&nbsp;vote on Jan. 29. It then headed to the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Mid-February, President Trump applauded the leadership of Senate President Bo Biteman and <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/114015582241142234\">urged<\/a> every state senator to vote in favor of the bill. On Feb. 19, the Senate passed the bill with a vote of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/WY\/bill\/HB0199\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20-11<\/a>. As part of the Wyoming legislative process, a Joint Conference Committee was tasked to successfully negotiate the policy differences between the Senate and House, which was completed on Feb. 27. The following day, the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate both&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/WY\/bill\/HB0199\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed the bill<\/a>, sending it to Gov. Gordon for signature.<\/p>\n<p>Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who was voted into office in 2022, has been instrumental in providing a strategic plan for the state&rsquo;s education system. She is a proponent of school choice and understands that it is a rising tide that lifts all boats. Of her&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/edu.wyoming.gov\/about\/strategic-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six key initiative areas<\/a>&nbsp;for education reform in Wyoming, &ldquo;parental empowerment&rdquo; are the first two words.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As an economist, I know that greater choices lead to greater outcomes. I am an ardent supporter of universal school choice because even parents in the most rural corners of Wyoming should have the opportunity to determine the best education for their child,&rdquo; Degenfelder told me. <\/p>\n<p>Hats off to Wyoming leaders for embracing the innovative educational approach of a free market K-12 education landscape by enacting universal school choice. The market forces of competition will drive quality, spur innovation, and decrease costs, which are foundational for achieving the governor&rsquo;s goal of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-virginia-gov-candidate-unveils-plan-to-stop-standards-lowering-ideology-in-schools\/\" title=\"Republican Virginia Gov Candidate Unveils Plan To Stop Standards-Lowering, Ideology In Schools\">world-class education system<\/a> in Wyoming.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women&rsquo;s Forum.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wyoming is now the 15th state to implement universal school choice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1539,"featured_media":2410107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/annie-spratt-ORDz1m1-q0I-unsplash.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35136,38091,38108,51588,3630],"class_list":["post-2410106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education-policy","tag-school-choice","tag-state-legislation","tag-universal-education","tag-wyoming"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/annie-spratt-ORDz1m1-q0I-unsplash.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2410106"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2410112,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410106\/revisions\/2410112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2410107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2410106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2410106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2410106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}