Wyoming Senate: Don’t Designate Revenue to Wyoming K-12 Shortfall

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Wyoming Senate is favoring spending cuts over putting revenue toward fixing an education funding shortfall.

Senators voted 27-3 Tuesday not to reallocate mineral taxes to education. The House had advocated redirecting $84 million in mineral taxes toward the looming $380 million education shortfall caused by declining revenue from coal, oil and natural gas extraction.

But the Senate has been wary of designating new revenue for education, at least for now.

Last week, the Senate Education Committee nixed a sales tax increase for education proposed by the House. Committee members said they didn't want to commit to a higher sales tax when emergency funding for education hasn't run out just yet.

Senators took a similar position on reallocating mineral taxes Tuesday, saying the measure would be difficult to repeal.