LCCC sees wins in 2024 legislative session

Funds to combat inflationary pressure, support nontraditional students and more were among wins for Laramie County Community College during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2024 budget session.

“The community colleges were treated incredibly favorably from a budget perspective,” LCCC President Joe Schaffer said in March.

Among several important wins for LCCC, the Legislature approved funding to offset inflation that affects a variety of costs for the college. Schaffer said the assistance allows LCCC to continue providing high levels of service and superb facilities without impacting key programming areas.

“The fixed costs of running the college are going up — for insurance, utilities and more — and we don’t have funding to address that increased cost,” he said. “That means we would have to take revenue and resources out of other areas that have variable costs, such as services and teaching.”

Inflation has declined in Wyoming and nationwide from steep increases peaking in 2022, but its continued effects exert pressure on businesses and individuals. An optimal inflation rate in the U.S. is widely regarded as approximately 2%, aligning with the Federal Reserve's target to maintain economic equilibrium and ensure price stability.

The Wyoming Cost of Living Index, measuring consumer prices as reported by the state’s Economic Analysis Division, came in at just less than 4% in the fourth quarter of 2023, higher than the U.S. Consumer Price Index, or CPI, at the same time. Employment data provided to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee showed Wyoming’s CPI-U, the CPI for urban consumers, at 3.4% in March, a decline from 6.5% 12 months prior. 

In the culmination of yearslong advocacy, the Legislature allocated $20 million that fully funds the $50 million Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship Endowment fund, allowing it to start providing scholarships in the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship is a financial aid initiative aimed at supporting nontraditional adult learners aged 24 or older who are going to college to improve their skills and employment prospects. It is designed to help adults who face financial barriers to education by providing necessary support, akin to the state's Hathaway Scholarship but specifically targeting nontraditional students to increase college degree attainment and support economic diversification in Wyoming.

“The biggest thing I keep saying is that what Wyoming did for high school graduates and merit-based aid in the Hathaway, we have just not complimented that with a need-based program focused on adults committed to being and staying in Wyoming,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer said the funds will help improve individuals’ lives and carve out a brighter path for the state as a whole.

An additional $2.5 million was allocated for higher education scholarships, which will help support continuing Kickstart Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship, a program designed to assist nontraditional students until Wyoming’s Tomorrow is available.

LCCC will also receive funding for two faculty positions to support the innovative Practical Nursing Program set to launch in the fall semester. The Practical Nursing Program offers a certificate of completion for CNAs looking to enhance their skills and knowledge in patient care. This intensive, three-semester program balances general education with nursing courses, delivered through a mix of online and in-person instruction, including clinical experiences supervised by faculty and preceptors. Short on-campus residencies are required each semester.

“This will allow us to reach out into facilities and communities to help students access the nursing profession in a unique way,” Schaffer said.

A legislative appropriation will also support matching programs at Wyoming colleges, with $1 million allocated initially to each college. A $1.7 million central reserve can be tapped for any non-state appropriated funds after spending the initial million.

“That will help us with a variety of things, especially through our Foundation working on pathway endowments, facilities and other important areas,” Schaffer said. “For every dollar that’s raised, essentially, we can match up to a million dollars, which is pretty exciting.”

Employee compensation was also included in the budget, implementing increases for state-funded employees in July 2025.

More about the Legislature’s 2024 budget session, including its general appropriation bill, can be found on the Legislative Service Office’s website at wyoleg.gov.