Politics in the Park: Harshman, Kelly spar over school-funding overhaul, standards and screen time
Reps. Tom Kelly (left) and Steve Harshman at the Politics in the Park forum on 8-5-2026. Photo by David Dudley, Oil City NewsCASPER, Wyo. — Two sitting state representatives running for superintendent of. . .
Reps. Tom Kelly (left) and Steve Harshman at the Politics in the Park forum on 8-5-2026. Photo by David Dudley, Oil City NewsCASPER, Wyo. — Two sitting state representatives running for superintendent of public instruction made their case at Washington Park on Wednesday, dividing most sharply over the Legislature’s recent overhaul of how Wyoming funds its schools. Rep. Steve Harshman (House District 37), a longtime Natrona County High School teacher who authored the Hathaway Scholarship, and Rep. Tom Kelly (House District 30), a lifelong educator who has taught from middle school through graduate school, fielded questions for an hour. A third Republican, Chad Auer, missed the forum for the birth of a grandchild. The Natrona County Republican Women and the county Republican Party hosted the forum. School fundingThe recalibration of Wyoming’s school-funding model drew the widest gap between them. Kelly sits on the current recalibration committee and defended its work, saying it corrected teacher pay that had fallen behind and is now pricing out what it actually costs to run activities and services. He said he would leave the Legislature to help implement the result. Harshman, who served on four past recalibrations, didn’t mince words. “This group of inexperienced legislators blew the model,” he said. He argued the new formula shortchanges Natrona County, which he said has 13% of the state’s students but is seeing about 1% of the new money, and he called for the bill to be repealed. On revenue, Harshman pointed to investment income, saying the state has grown the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund to roughly $6 billion and that it now outearns minerals. Kelly said the State Loan and Investment Board should hold onto state lands rather than sell them for a quick dollar, and keep the schools’ assets clear of federal dependence. School choice and standardsKelly called himself a strong proponent of school choice driven by local communities, while playing down fears for traditional schools. “Public schools aren’t going anywhere. They are the choice for most people,” he said, adding that education savings accounts are funded from the general fund, in addition to public-school dollars rather than instead of them. Harshman took a harder line on the state’s education savings account program, which pays $7,000 to outside providers. “The program is unconstitutional in my opinion,” he said, questioning payments to out-of-state vendors, though he said he has long supported public charter schools. Both want the state to pull back on standards and testing. Harshman cited the Wyoming Constitution’s bar on the state prescribing textbooks and said the system has poured billions into what he called an “education industrial complex. ”Kelly said the state has no business dictating curriculum and that districts too often feel like rubber stamps for mandates handed down from Cheyenne. Screen TimeOn an audience question about screen time, Kelly said he would rather see pencil and paper in the early grades, but noted a court order requiring one-to-one computers from kindergarten through 12th grade. Harshman said he co-authored a bill supporting district phone policies and that teachers are already returning to handwritten work as artificial intelligence spreads. Both men leaned on classroom experience. Harshman said Wyoming has the best public schools in the nation, with 94% of students enrolled in them. Kelly said his measure of success is simpler. H wants all students to read proficiently by third grade, “once they can do that, then they can learn anything else. ”The Republican primary is Aug. 18. Democrats Ana Cordova and Sergio Maldonado Sr. are also running for the seat but were not part of the GOP forum.