21-19-106. Except as provided under W.S. 21-19-102(d), a

21-19-106. Except as provided under W.S. 21-19-102(d), a retirement plan may require a minimum dollar contribution by employees whose annual salary rate is less than eight thousand six hundred dollars ($8,600.00), and may permit employees to make voluntary additional contributions to be withheld from salary payments and paid into the retirement plan for the employee's benefit. In no event shall the total employer contribution to the Wyoming retirement account and the institution's retirement plan exceed the amount that may be authorized by the Wyoming Retirement Act.

21-19-106. Qualification of participating insurance companies.

All insurance companies participating in retirement plans under this act shall be in all ways qualified to do business as an insurance company in the state of Wyoming.

CHAPTER 20 - COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

ARTICLE 1 - IN GENERAL

21-20-101. Short title.

This act may be cited as "The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services Act".  21-20-102. Purpose.

The purpose of this act is to provide a method whereby school districts and community college districts or any combination may work together and cooperate to provide educational services, including but not limited to postsecondary education, career and technical education, adult education and services for children with disabilities, when the services can be more effectively provided through a cooperative effort. Educational services provided under this act by or in cooperation with public schools shall be subject to the standards for educational programs imposed under W.S. 21-9-101 and 21-9-102, and by rule and regulation of the state board.

21-20-103. Definitions.

(a) As used in this act:

(i) "Assessed value" means the total assessed value of the member school district or community college district;

(ii) "Board of trustees" means the board of trustees of any school district within the state or the community college district board of any community college within the state;

(iii) "Post secondary education" means education programs offered by any accredited Wyoming college, the University of Wyoming or any accredited college or university outside of Wyoming if services are unavailable in Wyoming;

(iv) "This act" means W.S. 21-20-101 through 21-20- 112.

21-20-104. Board of cooperative educational services; generally.

(a) If two (2) or more boards of trustees desire to establish a board of cooperative services for the purpose of providing cooperative educational services and if the services can be provided more effectively through a cooperative effort, the boards of trustees of the interested districts, a majority of whose members respectively vote in favor of doing so, may enter into an agreement to form a board of cooperative educational services. The agreement shall specify among other things the length of term of the agreement, the rights, responsibilities and obligations of each participating district, the types of services to be rendered, the procedure for the establishment of additional services and the procedure for the inclusion of additional districts within the cooperative educational services program. The agreement shall also provide a method for the amendment and dissolution of the agreement with the consent of each participating district. Any agreement to form a board of cooperative educational services entered into between the participating districts shall be approved by the state board of education.

(b) The boards of trustees agreeing to participate in the board of cooperative educational services shall appoint members of the participating boards of trustees to a board of cooperative educational services. The appointed board shall be composed of not less than five (5) nor more than nine (9) members unless there are more than nine (9) districts participating in which event each participating district shall have one (1) member. Each participating board of trustees shall have at least one (1) member appointed to the board of cooperative educational services. The terms of office of each of the members of the board of cooperative educational services shall be coterminous with their respective terms of office upon their boards of trustees. As the terms of office expire, or as vacancies occur, new members of the board of cooperative educational services shall be appointed by the board of trustees of the participating district.

21-20-105. Board of cooperative educational services; chairman, vice-chairman, clerk and treasurer; meetings.

At its first meeting, the members of the board of cooperative educational services elected as set forth in W.S. 21-20-104(b) shall proceed to elect from their membership a chairman, a vice-chairman, a clerk, and a treasurer, whose terms of office shall be for one (1) year unless their terms of office as school board members expire earlier. The duties of the chairman, vice-chairman, clerk and treasurer of the board of cooperative educational services shall be the same as the duties provided by law for similar offices of boards of trustees of school districts within this state insofar as they are applicable. Except as specifically provided herein, meetings of the board of cooperative educational services shall be called, held and conducted as provided by law for the meeting of the boards of trustees of school districts within this state. Notwithstanding W.S. 21-3-110(a)(iv), the board of cooperative educational services shall meet quarterly and at other times as may be desirable upon call of the chairman. The board shall not be required to meet at least one (1) time per month.  21-20-106. Cost of facilities, equipment and services.

Except as provided under W.S. 21-20-110(g) for revenues generated from any additional special school district tax, the costs of facilities, equipment and services performed under the direction of the board of cooperative educational services shall be financed by participating districts on a basis agreed upon by the boards of trustees of the participating districts.

21-20-107. Powers and duties of board of cooperative educational services.

(a) Each board of trustees of cooperative educational services shall:

(i) Prescribe and enforce rules, regulations and policies for its own government and for the government of the services and affairs under its jurisdiction which are consistent with the laws of the state;

(ii) Keep minutes of all meetings at which official action is taken and a record of all official acts which are public records;

(iii) Be responsible for such programs and services as shall be provided by joint agreement of the boards of trustees involved in the cooperative educational programs;

(iv) Administer and abide by the terms of the agreement or agreements entered into by the participating districts.

21-20-108. Powers and duties of board of cooperative educational services; property; contracts; gifts, grants, bequests or devises; employment and discharge of personnel; expenses; bonding of employees.

(a) Each board of trustees of cooperative educational services may:

(i) Hold, convey, lease, rent and manage property;

(ii) Except as provided by paragraph (a)(iii) of this section, contract for educational and related services with any other agency;  (iii) Contract for post secondary education services with any accredited Wyoming college or the University of Wyoming or if services are unavailable in Wyoming, with an accredited college or university outside of Wyoming;

(iv) Accept or reject any federal or other gift, grant, bequest or devise;

(v) Discharge any employee;

(vi) Employ any personnel needed to perform the services for which the board of cooperative services is formed;

(vii) Receive and spend funds and provide for the necessary expenses of the board incurred in the exercise of its powers and performance of its duties;

(viii) Require any employee responsible for funds or property of the board to be bonded under suitable bond indemnifying the board against loss, for an amount and of a type determined by the board;

(ix) Provide insurance under the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan pursuant to W.S. 9-3-201(e), for board employees meeting the definition of employee under W.S.