But in the Laramie County school district, which includes the state capital of Cheyenne, the figures are less reassuring. Still, Wyoming's problems seem small compared with those of other states. Wyoming residents agree that education is important to the state. Slightly more than half of the state's tax revenues are spent on education. Although neither large nor unusually affluent, Wyoming has one of the nation's highest per-pupil expenditures.
Some observers believe that the quality of teaching is being jeopardized by inadequate funding.
The state's adjusted teacher salary ranked 40th among states in 1995. In 1990, the legislature set a goal of having teacher salaries in the top 10 nationwide. Whatever gains there have been in the salaries haven't kept up with the cost of living. We are losing good teachers to other states because we are not competitive. One of the biggest problems, according to Mr. Jackson, appears to be making sure that all of Wyoming's children are ready to attend school.