Schroader, Degenfelder, and Zerba Participated in the Last Forum Before the Election

On Wednesday, the Natrona County Republican Women hosted their final candidate forum, this time for those running for Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Wyoming Republican Primary.

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Three of the four candidates, the current superintendent Brian Schroader, Megan Degenfelder, and Jennifer Zerba, showed up to the forum along with a crowd of around 60 people.

The fourth candidate, Robert White, did not attend.

Each candidate was asked a variety of questions about topics relevant to Wyoming schools, including school safety, charter schools, the teaching of transgender issues, the curriculum, mask mandates, federal overreach, how to retain teachers, teaching religion in the classroom, how to secure schools, and what prepared them for the office.

While Degenfelder and Schroader agreed on most of the issues, no teaching of trans issues and support for charter schools, Zerba was mostly against those same issues, coming out against charter schools, some forms of federal funding, and against discrimination of trans people in schools.

When asked about whether Wyoming should reject the $40 million in federal funding for school lunches, Zerba was in favor of the funding while Degenfelder and Schroader were against it.

Degenfelder said she would fight federal overreach in the education system, along with mineral royalties, and doesn't want the federal government dictating how Wyoming runs its schools.

Schroader said that Wyoming should do its own school lunch program, that he's been told that Wyoming can do it and that the federal government shouldn't be interpreting Wyoming laws for the state.

Zerba said people are making a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to this issue, as the Wyoming constitution prevents discrimination against all people based on sex, race, or color, and that wants to try having the state grow its own food to give to kids in schools.