Why It Matters
For residents of Lander, Wyoming, the local indoor pool at Bruce Gresly Aquatic Center is more than a place to swim — it’s a decades-old community institution. But a sweeping shift in how Wyoming funds its public schools is now forcing the facility to cut programs and raise prices, offering a street-level view of how major state policy decisions ripple into everyday life.
What Happened
Fremont County School District 1, which oversees the Bruce Gresly Aquatic Center, is eliminating water aerobics classes, scaling back lap and recreational swim periods, and doubling prices for swim lessons, family passes, and locker fees. The changes stem from tightened budget flexibility under a new school funding law the Wyoming Legislature passed in March.
Dawna Hopeman, who has attended water aerobics at the pool three times a week for roughly eight years, said the facility has been central to her family’s life for four decades. “It’s a big part of the community,” she said. Nataly Hermansky, who led the water aerobics classes for 17 years, will also see her role disappear as the program is discontinued.
Fremont District 1 Superintendent Mike Harris explained that the new funding structure limits what the district can spend on operations like the pool. Under the old block-grant model — which Wyoming used for roughly two decades — the school board had wide discretion over how funds were allocated, and the district directed approximately $400,000 per year toward pool operations. The new law uses a “silo” funding model that restricts how money is categorized and spent. “So now we do not have as much ability to dedicate that kind of funding for the pool, because it’s not within the model,” Harris said.
By the Numbers
- $400,000 — the approximate annual amount Fremont District 1 previously dedicated to supporting the pool
- $250 million — in additional state education funding added by the new law over two years
- 48 — the number of school districts across Wyoming affected by the funding model change
- 2010 — the last year Wyoming passed a school funding recalibration bill before this one
- 17 years — the length of time Nataly Hermansky led water aerobics at the aquatic center
Zoom Out
The new funding bill did not emerge in a vacuum. A 2025 court ruling found that Wyoming was violating its state constitution by underfunding public schools, and the state is currently appealing that decision. The Legislature’s Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration spent much of 2025 developing the bill, ultimately advancing it unanimously before lawmakers considered more than two dozen amendments during the session.
Despite the added $250 million in education funding, the shift away from block grants means some districts are losing flexibility even as overall appropriations increase — a tradeoff that community institutions like Lander’s pool are now absorbing. Governor Mark Gordon allowed the bill to become law without his signature, a signal of ambivalence about the final product even as it moved forward.
Wyoming’s school funding struggles echo broader concerns across the Mountain West, where districts serving rural and smaller communities often rely on non-traditional funding arrangements to maintain public amenities. Wyoming students have also been slow to recover academically from pandemic-era learning loss, adding pressure on districts already stretched thin by restructured budgets.
The Legislature’s Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration recently held meetings in Lander itself — a pointed backdrop given the pool situation unfolding in the same city.
What’s Next
The fee increases and program cuts at Bruce Gresly Aquatic Center are expected to take effect as the district adjusts to its new funding constraints. Community members are watching closely to see whether the recalibration committee or the Legislature will address the unintended consequences of the silo model on districts that used block grants to fund community facilities. Wyoming’s ongoing court appeal over school funding adequacy could also shape future legislative action.
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