As Wyoming moves toward the 2026 governor’s race, education has once again become a political football. The conversation usually centers on funding levels, staffing numbers, and administrative structures—as if rearranging bureaucracy automatically leads to better outcomes for students.
It doesn’t.
Wyoming doesn’t suffer from a lack of care for education. What we suffer from is a system that has grown increasingly disconnected from families, teachers, and local communities.
Being something different means being honest about that.
Being Something Different Means Trusting Families and Teachers
Most political debates about education assume that solutions must come from the top down. More rules. More administrators. More centralized oversight.
But education doesn’t happen in offices. It happens in classrooms, homes, churches, and communities.
Being something different means trusting parents to know their children, trusting teachers to do their jobs, and trusting local communities to understand their unique needs better than a distant bureaucracy ever could.
Education improves when authority moves closer to students—not further away from them.
Funding Isn’t the Same as Outcomes
Wyoming spends a significant amount on education. Yet year after year, families are told that better results are always just one more budget increase away.
That should raise honest questions.
If increased funding automatically produced better education, we would already be seeing consistent improvement. Instead, we see rising administrative costs, growing complexity, and families feeling more frustrated and less heard.
Being something different means acknowledging that money is a tool, not a guarantee. Outcomes matter more than inputs. Accountability matters more than assumptions.
The Problem With Institutionalized Education Systems
Over time, education systems—like all large institutions—can drift away from their original purpose. Rules multiply. Layers form. Decision-making slows. Accountability becomes diffuse.
Eventually, the system exists primarily to maintain itself.
That doesn’t mean educators have failed. It means the structure around them has grown too heavy.
A Governor who is something different understands that protecting bureaucracy is not the same as protecting education. Real leadership asks whether systems are still serving students—or simply serving themselves.
Local Control Is a Missing Ingredient
Wyoming is not a one-size-fits-all state. What works in one community may not work in another. Local control isn’t a slogan—it’s a practical necessity.
When decisions are made closer to home:
• Parents feel heard
• Teachers feel supported
• Communities feel ownership
Education becomes a shared responsibility again, not a distant mandate.
Being something different means empowering local solutions instead of enforcing statewide uniformity that ignores real-world differences.
Education Rooted in Values, Not Just Metrics
Education isn’t just about test scores or graduation rates. It’s about preparing young people for life—with character, responsibility, and purpose.
Wyoming families care deeply about values like faith, family, responsibility, and freedom. An education system that ignores those values loses the trust of the people it exists to serve.
Being something different means recognizing that education should reflect the culture and values of Wyoming—not attempt to replace them.
Why This Matters in the 2026 Wyoming Governor’s Race
This election is not about defending institutions or attacking educators. It’s about whether Wyoming chooses an education system built around students and families or one built around bureaucracy.
Voters are asking a simple question:
Why does education feel more complicated, more expensive, and less responsive than it used to?
Being something different means being willing to answer that question honestly—and lead with solutions that restore trust.
A Better Path Forward
My vision for education in Wyoming is grounded in Faith, Family, Freedom, and the Future. That means:
• Parents are partners, not obstacles
• Teachers are trusted, not micromanaged
• Communities have real authority
• Accountability is clear and meaningful
Education should prepare students to think, work, and live with purpose—not train them to navigate bureaucracy.
A Future Worth Teaching Toward
Wyoming’s future depends on the next generation. That future is strongest when education is rooted in freedom, responsibility, and local leadership.
Being something different means putting students first—not systems.
Because real freedom doesn’t need permission.
And real education doesn’t need bureaucracy.
What Does “Education Without Bureaucracy” Mean?
It means reducing administrative layers, increasing local control, and focusing on student outcomes rather than institutional preservation.
Why Is Education a Key Issue in the 2026 Wyoming Governor’s Race?
Families across Wyoming want an education system that listens, adapts, and delivers results—without growing disconnected from local values.
How Is This Education Vision Different?
It prioritizes families, teachers, and communities over centralized control, emphasizing accountability and trust rather than mandates.
Wyoming deserves an education system—and a Governor—that is willing to be something different.
Be Something Different.