Wyoming’s smallest schools aim to meet kids where they’re at
Educators say smaller schools and class sizes allows for individualized education, and for kids to teach each other across grade levels.
The thought of one-room schoolhouses evokes dirt floors, dusty chalkboards, and Little House on the Prairie. But Wyoming, America’s least populated state, still has 18 schools with three rooms or less.
Small schoolhouses and rural education in the Cowboy State are rooted in Wyoming’s constitution, which guarantees a right to an education and outlines the state’s funding model. Students across the state are legally entitled to equitable access to resources, regardless of geographic location.
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“Not every state has a constitution that even talks about education,” said Barbara Hickman, assistant professor at the University of Wyoming’s College of Education. “To have it in the constitution that there is a requirement from the people of Wyoming to appropriately fund our public education system, that matters.”
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The block grant funding model sets benchmarks for funding across the state. Counties that generate enough revenue to fund their schools independently are designated as “recapture” counties and feed their excess dollars back to the state.
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The majority of the state’s counties are “entitlement” counties, which means that they rely on state funds and counties with surpluses to help cover their educational costs. Funding levels are adjusted for the state’s smallest districts.
“I think that the model has been put together to try to be equitable and adequate across the state. So if you’re a smaller district, you get quite a bit more money per student,” incoming executive director for the Wyoming Association of School Administrators Boyd Brown said.
More: Some parts of rural America are changing fast. Can higher education keep up?
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This reality plays out in schools such as Park County’s Valley Elementary, built in 1918. Nestled along the South Fork River and backdropped by the Absaroka mountains, the school has eight students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. Michelle Dean has taught at Valley for eight years.
Dean and other teachers in these schools face unusual challenges In addition to grizzly bear-proof fences and brutally long winters, teachers must manage curriculums across multiple grade levels and access points for learners across grade levels.
This spring’s project centered around vermicomposting (composting with earthworms) and challenged students to develop their own. Students based experiments around questions like “Can worms jump?” “Do worms like music?” and “Can you train worms to do tricks?”
“I didn’t want the students just working at their desk, at their own grade levels. So I was thinking of how to bring them together and create a community of learners,” Dean said.
Dean noted the challenge of multi-curricular teaching but argued that it paid off in the level of individualized education students receive and said that the students can mentor and teach each other across grade levels.
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“Students have more freedom to explore their interests, if they need more time to work on a concept, they have it,” Dean said. “My fifth graders are super supportive of my kindergarteners, and my kindergarteners just bloom with that.”
Schools like Sheridan County’s Slack Elementary, built in 1937 and tucked into the base of the Big Horn mountains, often act as anchors in some of the state’s most rural areas. Many students hail from ranching families and get to school on the same roads their parents took. School events, such as Slack’s beginning-of-year ice cream social and Valley’s annual Christmas play, are gathering places for the surrounding communities.
“The community that shows up. It’s not just the kids that are here, it’s the community that shows up—not just from the kids that are here, but anyone who lives out here,” Principal Ryan Fuhrman said.
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Karin Unruh has taught at Sublette County’s Bondurant Elementary for over ten years and said that one of her favorite parts of the job is being embedded in the community. She firmly stands by the quality of the education offered in Wyoming’s smallest communities.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand that rural schools can still have access to really good resources and can provide a high level of education to the students. The students can still learn a lot, have their needs met, and actually get more individualized attention than in larger schools,” Unruh said.
Once the students at Bondurant, Valley, Slack, and many other small schools in Wyoming are old enough to travel alone, they will have to brave multi-hour bus rides into the nearest town. To Unruh, investing in rural schools is an investment in the communities’ futures.
“If there aren’t schools in the community, it’s harder to bring in new families, so having a school in a community really keeps the community alive, and keeps people involved in the community,” Unruh said.
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While these small schoolhouses may not be the cheapest way to educate students, Larry Gerber, principal of Valley School, says their existence is grounded in the needs of the students.
“If you’re a five-year-old, do you want to spend four hours on a school bus? Is that what’s best for you? Especially for our little guys, to be able to be on a bus for fifteen minutes versus two hours, it’s a dramatic difference,” said Gerber. “The people I always talk to are always surprised that someone would pay that much money for eight kids. What I always retort is, what if one of those eight kids was yours?
Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews
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LARAMIE, Wyo. — An inmate at the Albany County Detention Center died Wednesday following a suicide attempt, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies found Matthew Robinson unresponsive with a ligature around his neck at 11:56 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from Sheriff Aaron Appelhans. Robinson was identified by officials as experiencing homelessness.
Jail staff removed the ligature and performed CPR before emergency medical personnel took Robinson to Ivinson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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The Albany County Sheriff’s Office asked the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate the incident. Appelhans reported that independent investigations are standard practice for such incidents within the detention center.
The sheriff’s office delayed the public release of the information to make sure Robinson’s family was properly notified.
The sheriff’s office did not state the reason for Robinson’s detention.
A proposed pumped-water electricity storage facility at Seminoe Reservoir could decimate the prized Miracle Mile trout fishery on the North Platte River and jeopardize a bighorn sheep herd that wildlife officials rely on to support the species’ populations in other areas, critics of the $4 billion project say.
Anglers, business owners and wildlife biologists joined state and federal regulatory officials Thursday to testify before the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. They cautioned that a primary federal permitting review — by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — is too lax on “acceptable” impacts and riddled with inaccurate assumptions fed to it by project developer rPlus Hydro.
“These concerns are not theoretical for us,” Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco told the legislative panel. “Casper relies directly on the North Platte River for drinking water, wastewater treatment, recreation, tourism and the quality of life.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s concerns regarding impacts to the Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep herd, mostly due to blasting and industrial traffic during the project’s five-year construction period, “may be unresolvable,” one department official said, adding that the agency still has an opportunity to object to the project.
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The company’s touted enhancement to the electrical grid is actually a net energy loss, others claimed. Several commenters were concerned about the effect of warmer water temperatures on trout. They cautioned that rPlus Hydro’s assurance that its project will only minimally raise temperatures is based on an analysis of five years of data from the 2010s that is outdated and doesn’t account for climate change-driven drought that has resulted in higher stream water temperatures and has helped sap Seminoe Reservoir to just 32% of its storage capacity today.
“I think we’re all acutely aware of what’s going on on the Colorado River system and with Flaming Gorge,” Baggs Republican Sen. Larry Hicks said, referring to the drought and water crisis wreaking havoc in the West. “The way I understand the analysis is that there’s going to be many more low water years.”
Seminoe pumped water storage project
“Pumped water storage” involves pumping water uphill during daytime “off-peak demand” hours for electricity when wind and solar power are plentiful and wholesale electricity is cheapest, according to rPlus Hydro. The pumped water would be temporarily stored in a to-be-constructed reservoir above the current reservoir and released to generate hydroelectricity during higher-demand evening hours.
The company proposes building a 13,400-acre-foot reservoir in the Bennett Mountains overlooking Seminoe Reservoir near the dam — one of several reservoirs on the North Platte River. The facility provides “energy‑storage.” “Think of it as a ‘water battery’ that stores energy generated when demand is low,” the company told WyoFile. “When demand increases, water is released from the upper reservoir back into Seminoe, driving hydroelectric turbines to produce electricity.”
“It’s an enormously large project to meet Wyoming’s future energy needs,” rPlus Hydro Deputy General Counsel Kevin Baker told the legislative committee, adding that it would help lower the cost of electricity. “Pumped (water) storage is actually one of the longest duration, most effective and most cost-efficient types of energy storage that’s on the market today.”
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Baker said that FERC’s analysis of the project suggests the Seminoe project represents a $200 million annual savings to ratepayers. Further, according to Baker, FERC has suggested, the “absence of this project carries with it its own set of impacts: reduced resource adequacy, higher cost to ratepayers, and the likely need to pursue other projects that may impose greater environmental impacts or plans to the state.”
Hicks objected to the notion that the project will enhance electrical availability or affordability in Wyoming, noting that the state is a net-electrical exporting state, and that rPlus Hydro is relying on federal tax credits to help finance the project.
Despite those facts, Baker responded, the energy storage function does improve reliability and affordability throughout the western grid, including Wyoming. The project, he said, “does not consume serious amounts of water.
“The water,” he added, “will be protected. The fish habitat will be protected. Casper will still have the opportunity to use it as drinking water. Irrigation will still occur. The project will not affect Wyoming’s waters.”
Several people, including local elected officials, Trout Unlimited and local businesses, took issue with Baker’s claims, citing what they say is a flawed federal review process that hasn’t dutifully tested the company’s claims or considered locals’ concerns.
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“I think what concerns me the most about this project is the precedent that it sets,” said CiCi Oliver of the Ugly Bug Fly Shop in Casper, which employs 45 people and is dependent on the North Platte River fishery. “This proposal requires exemptions from existing land use and wildlife protections in order to move forward. It is my belief that if a project only works by loosening protections that were specifically created to safeguard habitat and sensitive resources, then perhaps it is not suited for the location in the first place.”
What now?
The FERC is the primary permitting agency for the project because of its reliance on federally managed water storage reservoirs and hydroelectric systems on the North Platte River. That’s a source of heartburn for many stakeholders, including state regulatory agencies, according to Thursday’s testimony.
Members of the Travel Committee lamented that the Legislature doesn’t have a direct role in setting terms for the project. But it concluded that rPlus Hydro and FERC did not meet expectations to engage with locals during the permitting review process, which was initiated some five years ago.
So what can state lawmakers do?
There are still permitting steps where the Legislature can exert its influence, committee leadership noted.
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The federal Bureau of Land Management is a cooperating agency for the project, and agency officials noted that when the FERC issues its final environmental impact statement — expected in June — they may request an amendment process if the BLM is not satisfied with natural resource protections. Wyoming Game and Fish also has an influential say in whether it is satisfied with the FERC’s final review.
Plus, others noted, the project still must go before Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council for approval.
The committee’s cochairs suggested drafting a letter to Wyoming’s congressional delegation, as well as FERC and other permitting agencies, imploring them to address concerns expressed by Wyoming stakeholders. The committee approved that idea in a unanimous vote.
A proposed pumped-water electricity storage facility at Seminoe Reservoir could decimate the prized Miracle Mile trout fishery on the North Platte River and jeopardize a bighorn sheep herd that wildlife officials rely on to support the species’ populations in other areas, critics of the $4 billion project say.
Anglers, business owners and wildlife biologists joined state and federal regulatory officials Thursday to testify before the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. They cautioned that a primary federal permitting review — by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — is too lax on “acceptable” impacts and riddled with inaccurate assumptions fed to it by project developer rPlus Hydro.
“These concerns are not theoretical for us,” Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco told the legislative panel. “Casper relies directly on the North Platte River for drinking water, wastewater treatment, recreation, tourism and the quality of life.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s concerns regarding impacts to the Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep herd, mostly due to blasting and industrial traffic during the project’s five-year construction period, “may be unresolvable,” one department official said, adding that the agency still has an opportunity to object to the project.
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The Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee hears public testimony in Casper. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile) Credit: Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile
The company’s touted enhancement to the electrical grid is actually a net energy loss, others claimed. Several commenters were concerned about the effect of warmer water temperatures on trout. They cautioned that rPlus Hydro’s assurance that its project will only minimally raise temperatures is based on an analysis of five years of data from the 2010s that is outdated and doesn’t account for climate change-driven drought that has resulted in higher stream water temperatures and has helped sap Seminoe Reservoir to just 32% of its storage capacity today.
“I think we’re all acutely aware of what’s going on on the Colorado River system and with Flaming Gorge,” Baggs Republican Sen. Larry Hicks said, referring to the drought and water crisis wreaking havoc in the West. “The way I understand the analysis is that there’s going to be many more low water years.”
Seminoe pumped water storage project
“Pumped water storage” involves pumping water uphill during daytime “off-peak demand” hours for electricity when wind and solar power are plentiful and wholesale electricity is cheapest, according to rPlus Hydro. The pumped water would be temporarily stored in a to-be-constructed reservoir above the current reservoir and released to generate hydroelectricity during higher-demand evening hours.
This graphic depicts a pumped water storage system. (rPlus Hydro)
The company proposes building a 13,400-acre-foot reservoir in the Bennett Mountains overlooking Seminoe Reservoir near the dam — one of several reservoirs on the North Platte River. The facility provides “energy‑storage.” “Think of it as a ‘water battery’ that stores energy generated when demand is low,” the company told WyoFile. “When demand increases, water is released from the upper reservoir back into Seminoe, driving hydroelectric turbines to produce electricity.”
“It’s an enormously large project to meet Wyoming’s future energy needs,” rPlus Hydro Deputy General Counsel Kevin Baker told the legislative committee, adding that it would help lower the cost of electricity. “Pumped [water] storage is actually one of the longest duration, most effective and most cost-efficient types of energy storage that’s on the market today.”
Baker said that FERC’s analysis of the project suggests the Seminoe project represents a $200 million annual savings to ratepayers. Further, according to Baker, FERC has suggested, the “absence of this project carries with it its own set of impacts: reduced resource adequacy, higher cost to ratepayers, and the likely need to pursue other projects that may impose greater environmental impacts or plans to the state.”
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Hicks objected to the notion that the project will enhance electrical availability or affordability in Wyoming, noting that the state is a net-electrical exporting state, and that rPlus Hydro is relying on federal tax credits to help finance the project.
Anglers attempt to land a trout at Miracle Mile on the North Platte River. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)
Despite those facts, Baker responded, the energy storage function does improve reliability and affordability throughout the western grid, including Wyoming. The project, he said, “does not consume serious amounts of water.
“The water,” he added, “will be protected. The fish habitat will be protected. Casper will still have the opportunity to use it as drinking water. Irrigation will still occur. The project will not affect Wyoming’s waters.”
Several people, including local elected officials, Trout Unlimited and local businesses, took issue with Baker’s claims, citing what they say is a flawed federal review process that hasn’t dutifully tested the company’s claims or considered locals’ concerns.
“I think what concerns me the most about this project is the precedent that it sets,” said CiCi Oliver of the Ugly Bug Fly Shop in Casper, which employs 45 people and is dependent on the North Platte River fishery. “This proposal requires exemptions from existing land use and wildlife protections in order to move forward. It is my belief that if a project only works by loosening protections that were specifically created to safeguard habitat and sensitive resources, then perhaps it is not suited for the location in the first place.”
What now?
The FERC is the primary permitting agency for the project because of its reliance on federally managed water storage reservoirs and hydroelectric systems on the North Platte River. That’s a source of heartburn for many stakeholders, including state regulatory agencies, according to Thursday’s testimony.
Advertisement
Members of the Travel Committee lamented that the Legislature doesn’t have a direct role in setting terms for the project. But it concluded that rPlus Hydro and FERC did not meet expectations to engage with locals during the permitting review process, which was initiated some five years ago.
So what can state lawmakers do?
There are still permitting steps where the Legislature can exert its influence, committee leadership noted.
The federal Bureau of Land Management is a cooperating agency for the project, and agency officials noted that when the FERC issues its final environmental impact statement — expected in June — they may request an amendment process if the BLM is not satisfied with natural resource protections. Wyoming Game and Fish also has an influential say in whether it is satisfied with the FERC’s final review.
Plus, others noted, the project still must go before Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council for approval.
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The committee’s cochairs suggested drafting a letter to Wyoming’s congressional delegation, as well as FERC and other permitting agencies, imploring them to address concerns expressed by Wyoming stakeholders. The committee approved that idea in a unanimous vote.
