Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said Wyoming is expected to receive a significant increase in education funding this year to help the state's schools fund programs under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The U.S. Department of Education predicts the state will receive about $29.3 million in Title I funds for the 2003-2004 school year, an increase from the $23.5 million allocated for the 2002-2003 school year.

"I'm pleased with this funding increase because it will help Wyoming schools continue to implement and reap the benefits of the historic No Child Left Behind legislation," said Enzi, a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

The federal education money can be used for, among other things, school improvement, statewide assessments, programs for at-risk youth, improving literacy programs, such as Even Start, Reading First, and Early Reading First, and programs to improve teacher quality. The funding may also be used for teacher and paraprofessional salaries.

Enzi said the figures are preliminary and subject to some modification, but the Department expects to have the final funding allocations by the end of this month.

Funding levels predicted for each county include:

Albany - $1,264,124
Big Horn - $943,641
Campbell - $1,191,508
Carbon - $993,396
Converse - $752,012
Crook - $235,448
Fremont - $4,233,562
Goshen - $880,643
Hot Springs - $302,730
Johnson - $360,877
Laramie - $3,800,551
Lincoln - $690,648
Natrona - $4,519,970
Niobrara - $163,217
Park - $1,716,628
Platte - $604,696
Sheridan - $1,608,993
Sublette - $278,256
Sweetwater - $1,500,017
Teton - $288,959
Uinta - $1,044,065
Washakie - $651,039
Weston - $269,338