Wyoming Supreme Court Overturns Block On $50 Million School Choice Program

The Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a judge’s temporary block on the state’s $50 million school choice program, ruling that Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher abused his discretion by concluding that the Wyoming Education Association and a handful of teachers may suffer harm from the program. Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden wrote the unanimous opinion. The high court sent the case back to Froelicher’s court for further proceedings on whether the program is constitutional. That challenge remains ongoing.

The Steamboat Legacy Scholarship program, crafted by the Legislature in 2024 and 2025, seeks to give $7,000 per family in public money to state-contractor held accounts, which then transfer the money to approved private and homeschool programs for qualifying families. The money is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from a $50 million pot comprised of appropriations from two years, budgeted from the state’s general fund rather than the accounts that fund public schools.