WYOMING – Gov. Mark Gordon announced the membership of the K-12 Education advisory group he created after the Legislature failed to come to an agreement on an education funding bill.

The Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) Advisory Group has been tasked to study and develop recommendations for elevating Wyoming’s primary and secondary education system into a position of national leadership.

“Wyoming’s future is intertwined with education. If we don’t provide a world-class education system, we will be challenged to stay competitive in a changing world and retain the families that make up both the fabric of our communities and the heart of our workforce,” Gordon said. “Answering that challenge is more than just a funding question.”

Gordon added that his goal is to identify strategies encouraging innovation and student-centric lifelong learning.

Gordon also said he wanted the group to examine and identify what families, communities and businesses expect from the educational system.

The established group includes: Rep. Evan Simpson, Sen. R.J. Kost, John Masters, Craig Dougherty, David Northrup, Jill Bramlet, Fred van Ahrens, Brian Worthen, Nicole Novotny and Thea True Wells.

Gordon asked each member to gather, review and discuss suggestions and feedback from all sources of interest in Wyoming’s education system.

The first RIDE Advisory Group meeting is scheduled for early June. Public engagement opportunities will take place statewide with an announcement of those meetings upcoming.