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Dear Casper,
What does national security mean to you?
On Monday, the Natrona County School District passed its fiscal year 2026 budget. I’m grateful to the board and the district for doing what they can to support our children and our teachers. We are lucky, in Natrona County, to have strong leadership, especially during a time when public education is under attack. And we are lucky, in Wyoming, to have a government that has historically prioritized and invested in a strong public education system. This is one area where Wyoming shines bright, sitting among the leaders in the nation.
We cannot take this for granted.
The NCSD budget hearing took place the same day the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the federal government to move forward with cutting nearly half of the workforce in the Department of Education. Wyoming Superintendent Megan Degenfelder supports these cuts. In March, our own state legislature passed a bill allowing public dollars to be transferred to private schools. This was one week after the Wyoming Supreme Court found that our state has been unconstitutionally underfunding our public education system.
How does this connect to national security? Two weeks ago, Congress — including all three of our federal representatives (Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Sen. John Barrasso, and Rep. Harriet Hageman) — passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” It directed an additional $150 billion to military spending and $100 billion to immigration customs and enforcement, up from $10 billion in 2024 — all under the guise of “security.” We’ll have 10,000 more ICE agents as a result, who each get $10,000 sign-on bonuses. What if that went to our educators, reduced class sizes and established new programs in our schools instead?
What makes you feel safe? What makes you feel secure?
These aren’t black-and-white questions asked to indicate that we have to choose one or the other. It is possible to have an exceptional, strong military and an exceptional, strong public education system at the same time. I value both. I have as much gratitude for those who serve our country as I do for those who educate our youth. They are both doing critical jobs for our collective future. Could our spending priorities be more balanced? What if even half of that $250 billion dollars was focused on education, the foundation of a stable future for all of us?
We all know that investments indicate priorities. The United States invests more money into our military than the next nine countries combined — China, Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, France and Japan — about 13% of the federal budget. Comparatively, we invest around 6% of our federal budget into public education. If we cut our defense spending by just 10%, we’d still invest far more than any other country in the world, and we could create more than three times the jobs we currently have in education. Doesn’t this simultaneously enhance security at the individual and national level? Aren’t they both very important?
Think about it. Do you often think about your children getting a quality education? Do you need your workforce to have the skills needed to perform a job? Are you worried about your own individual ability to gain skills for employment in a changing economy? Would you consider being able to answer yes to any of these questions an indicator of greater personal security? What about when all community members can answer yes? Is that greater community security? What will our ICE agents and a Golden Dome be protecting if our population is starving for knowledge, for livable wages, for good work, for food or for shelter?
So why are our state and federal governmental leaders cutting, undermining and privatizing public education?
Consider this — there is a reason the Taliban limits education for girls in Afghanistan. Knowledge is power; if you do not want people to be empowered, take away their access to education and undermine the systems that provide it. There are many people in power who want to restrict our children’s access to knowledge in this country, too. Cut the Department of Education. Underfund state education. Ban books. Divert public funds to private, religion-based education. I wonder why? Maybe it is because those who do not know are easier to control.
So what can we do? We can elect leaders who understand that we need to invest in security in multiple ways. In the primary election of next year, Aug. 18, 2026, please consider this as you choose your representatives. Why the primary? Eighty one percent of legislative seats are determined during the primary, months ahead of the general election. See you there.
Writing in solidarity for a better Wyoming future,
Jai-Ayla Sutherland
Casper