2024 24LSO-0587
STATE OF WYOMING
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0213
Wyoming preschool provider grants.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Storer, Allred, Berger,
Byron and Sommers and Senator(s) Rothfuss
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to education; creating a grant program for
2 preschool providers as specified; creating an endowment
3 fund and an expenditure account; defining terms; specifying
4 eligibility requirements; providing rulemaking authority;
5 transferring funds; making conforming amendments; and
6 providing for an effective date.
7
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
9
10 Section 1. W.S. 21-2-901 through 21-2-903 are created
11 to read:
12
13 ARTICLE 9
14 WYOMING PRESCHOOL EDUCATION ACCOUNT
15
1 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 21-2-901. Definitions.
2
3 (a) As used in this article:
4
5 (i) "At-risk student" means any student who
6 shows a probability for academic failure or nonattendance
7 as determined by the department of education when he
8 reaches the early grades of public school;
9
10 (ii) "Economically disadvantaged student" means
11 a student who has qualified or would qualify for free or
12 reduced priced lunches under the federal national school
13 lunch program;
14
15 (iii) "Preschool provider" means any school
16 district, preschool developmental disability program,
17 private nonprofit organization or private for-profit
18 organization eligible to receive funds under the federal
19 temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) program.
20
21 21-2-902. Wyoming preschool education endowment fund
22 and expenditure account created.
23
2 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 (a) The Wyoming preschool education endowment fund is
2 created to consist of those funds appropriated or
3 designated to the fund by law or by gift from whatever
4 source. Monies deposited into the fund are intended to be
5 inviolate and constitute a permanent or perpetual trust
6 fund which shall be invested by the state treasurer as
7 authorized by law and in the manner to obtain the highest
8 net return possible consistent with preservation of the
9 corpus. Any earnings from investment of the corpus of the
10 fund shall be credited by the state treasurer to the
11 Wyoming preschool education expenditure account created by
12 subsection (b) of this section.
13
14 (b) The Wyoming preschool education expenditure
15 account is created to consist of all earnings from the
16 Wyoming preschool education endowment fund created by
17 subsection (a) of this section and other such funds
18 appropriated by the legislature to the expenditure account.
19 Monies within the expenditure account are continuously
20 appropriated to the state treasurer for distribution by the
21 department of education to eligible preschool providers
22 under this article.
23
3 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 21-2-903. Wyoming preschool education grants.
2
3 (a) A preschool provider that serves economically
4 disadvantaged students who are at-risk may apply to the
5 department of education for grants to provide state
6 financial assistance under this section for:
7
8 (i) Salaries, wages and benefits for teachers
9 paid by the preschool provider, directly attributable to
10 teaching economically disadvantaged students who are
11 at-risk;
12
13 (ii) Expenses for accounting, tax preparation
14 and financial audits associated with operation of the
15 preschool provider;
16
17 (iii) Insurance premiums for liability
18 insurance, including general liability insurance, for the
19 operation of the preschool provider and automobiles
20 utilized for operation of the preschool provider;
21
4 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 (iv) Building or facility lease or rental
2 expenses, utilities and initial expenses associated with
3 the operation of the preschool provider;
4
5 (v) Costs for trainings or activities for
6 parents or guardians to help increase their capacity to
7 facilitate the development of cognitive, language,
8 social-emotional, adaptive or motor skills to promote
9 learning readiness of their children and promote effective
10 parenting. Costs may include training materials, food,
11 facility or building rental or lease expenses and supplies;
12 and
13
14 (vi) Office supplies, textbooks, assessments,
15 curriculum and other learning materials to enhance early
16 childhood literacy, math and other domains to ensure early
17 childhood readiness.
18
19 (b) A grant awarded under this section shall be for a
20 period of one (1) year and shall not exceed fifty thousand
21 dollars ($50,000.00) per year. Applications for a grant
22 under this section shall be submitted on a form and in a
23 manner specified by rule of the department of education,
5 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 shall be filed with the department on or before May 15 and
2 shall at a minimum include:
3
4 (i) A proposal documenting the preschool
5 provider's financial need for financial assistance for the
6 expenses contained in subsection (a) of this section;
7
8 (ii) The purpose, plan and timeline for
9 expenditure of grant amounts;
10
11 (iii) Other necessary information required by
12 the department.
13
14 (c) The department of education shall annually
15 distribute grant funds to selected preschool providers on
16 or before October 1. In no event shall grants awarded
17 exceed funds available for this purpose within the Wyoming
18 preschool education expenditure account created by W.S.
19 21-2-902(b). Grants received under this section shall only
20 be used for the purposes for which the grant is awarded and
21 shall not be expended for any other program, activity or
22 purpose.
23
6 HB0213
 2024 STATE OF WYOMING 24LSO-0587
1 (d) The department of education shall promulgate
2 rules necessary to carry out this section.
3
4 Section 2. The department of education shall adopt
5 rules and take other actions necessary to enable
6 application by preschool providers not later than May 15,
7 2025, with award not later than October 1, 2025, for the
8 first grants to be made available under this act.
9
10 Section 3. On July 1, 2024, the state auditor shall
11 transfer fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00) from the
12 public school foundation program account to Wyoming
13 preschool education endowment fund created by W.S.
14 21-2-902(a).
15
16 Section 4. This act is effective July 1, 2024.
17
18 (END)
7 HB0213