Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder believes it’s important to make her voice heard on legislation even though she can’t vote on it or draft it herself.
It’s an approach that Wyoming’s statewide elected officials have somewhat shied away from in the past, but one that others like Secretary of State Chuck Gray have fully embraced since taking office in 2023.
Degenfelder is now jumping into the mix.
“For too long, the executive branch has in many ways sat back and been reactive to the work of the Legislature,” Degenfelder said. “These issues are too important, especially when we think about education, we have to be proactive. We have to work in tandem with legislators to make sure that we’re getting these things across the finish line.”
Degenfelder shared her legislative priorities with Cowboy State Daily on Friday in an exclusive interview, which includes giving parental control over decisions made in the classroom, “protecting kids” and “ensuring Wyoming remains that beacon of freedom and excellence in education.”
Degenfelder said she’s had many conversations with legislators about her priorities for the upcoming session and believes they align with what they heard from constituents along the campaign trail.
“We can only do that if we partner with the legislative branch,” Degenfelder said.
Transgender Issues
Degenfelder wants a 2023 ban on transgender girls competing in female youth sports in Wyoming expanded to include the collegiate level. A women’s rugby coach at the University of Wyoming, Degenfelder said her desire to eliminate this participation is strictly about protecting athlete’s safety.
“When I think about my players, the No. 1 thing for me is their safety and we’ve got to protect those girls,” Degenfelder said.
When her team played an opponent that had a transgender member on their roster, Degenfelder said her players expressed safety concerns.
On Thursday, a federal court judge ruled that President Joe Biden’s changes to Title IX rules allowing transgender participation in sports and bathrooms facilities is illegal. Degenfelder said it’s important that Wyoming still address the issue to have its stance enshrined in law in case a future presidential administration acts in a similar manner.
“With all of this, it’s shown us how important it is to be proactive in our approach to project women and girls in these areas,” Degenfelder said. “We don’t know what will come next and so the more clear we can be in statute, the better.”
Degenfelder also wants to limit school bathroom access in Wyoming to biological sex.
Last legislative session, state Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, brought legislation that would have defined people’s sex as male or female by their biology at birth and forbid special accommodations for people who “identify” otherwise.
The bill didn’t get much traction for a few reasons, but since that time the Wyoming House has shifted significantly to the right, making it much more likely it could pass into law in the upcoming session. Ward was voted out of office, but Rep.-elect Jayme Lien, R-Casper, has brought it back for this session.
School Choice
Degenfelder also wants Wyoming to expand to universal school choice and lift the cap on the amount of charter schools that can operate in the state.
During the 2024 legislative session, the Legislature established income-based education savings accounts (ESAs), which provide public dollars to parents for their children to receive public education. Currently, the ESA money is restricted to certain income brackets, which Gov. Mark Gordon then narrowed further with line-item vetoes, drawing frustration from some ardent school choice supporters.
Since the application period opened for this program last week, Degenfelder said the state has already received more than 100 applications.
“We want to make sure that’s available to a greater population of folks,” she said.
Degenfelder wants these income restrictions removed so that all families in Wyoming, no matter how much money they make, receive money from the state if they want their children to seek private or charter education.
“What I want to do is create as much opportunity for a family to decide that, if it fits the needs of their child,” she said.
Guns In Schools
Degenfelder also supports a push to ban gun-free zones in Wyoming and expand concealed carrying of firearms in schools.
Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, is bringing legislation this session that would ban gun-free zones in Wyoming and allow people to carry firearms in governmental buildings and schools as long as they have a concealed carry permit.
Although the State Building Commission allowed concealed carry use in certain parts of the Capitol on Wednesday and has more rules on the way for other state buildings, Degenfelder said Haroldson’s bill is the most efficient and direct way to approach this topic.
Academic Excellence
Degenfelder also wants to enact comprehensive early literacy reforms to ensure students read at grade level and ban the use of cell phones during school instructional time, an issue Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, is addressing with her own legislation.
She also wants to expand career and technical education opportunities and launch a blockchain partnership for competency-based learning and technology instruction in Wyoming.
The topic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandates and environmental, social governance (ESG) scores have come center stage in Wyoming in recent years. Degenfelder said she wants to eliminate the presence of both in state education and law.
The Legislature has made the presence of DEI at UW a particular focus over the past year, leading to the school scrapping its DEI office, which Degenfelder supported.
“This is a land grant university and so that should be our focus area,” she said. “Moving away from these political ideologies that are spreading into higher education, we really need to refocus on what we do best as a land grant university.”
Although Degenfelder and Gordon have had a positive relationship in the past, some cracks formed in their relationship last November over the issue of the Kelly Parcel in Teton County. Gordon got his way on the issue as the state ended up selling the Kelly Parcel to the federal government, which resulted in a net-gain of land for the government, the main source of Degenfelder’s frustration.
“The way this went down, we lost all leverage to use that swap as leverage for a trade that best fits our needs,” Degenfelder said.
The money from this sale will be used to pursue the purchase of federal land in the Powder River Basin for mineral opportunities.
Rep. Dalton Banks, R-Cowley, is bringing a bill for the upcoming session that would prohibit any exchange of state lands that creates a net-gain for the U.S. government.
Gordon will still hold the veto power for the upcoming legislative session, but Degenfelder’s views more closely align with the majority of members in the House.
“I want to work with everybody,” Degenfelder said. “I fundamentally want to do what’s best for the state of Wyoming. Anyone who wants to join in that effort, protect our conservative values here in the state, I’m ready and willing to work with them on that.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
