Wyoming's community colleges are the next piece in the education pie for the Legislature.

Legislators, college administrators and interested parties discussed ideas for improving one of "the most unique" community college systems in the country, during a meeting of the Community College Task Force Monday in Casper.

"We've done a great job for K-12 and the University of Wyoming," said Sen. Rae Lynn Job, D-Sweetwater/Fremont. "We have two more pieces of the pie - community colleges and early childhood education."

The state's community college programs are especially important to the University of Wyoming, UW's president told the task force.

Tom Buchanan said he would like the task force's help in strengthening the relationship between the four-year university and the colleges by improving transfers, creating more outreach programs and possibly changing how the Legislature considers funding for capital construction.

"Our missions are complimentary, but unique," Buchanan said.

Capital construction is one of the three main focus points for the task force to debate about over the next five or six months. It will also look at governance and funding before making recommendations for legislation.

Several legislators sit on the task force along with some governor-appointed representatives.

"At Northwest College, these are the issues that are always being discussed at the forefront of our minds," said Paul Prestwich, the new president of the college. "Community colleges in Wyoming lead the way. We are kind of a model."

He said the colleges need systems to help continue to improve, but he said he is unsure of what those systems could be.

Though UW's outreach programs have been in Casper for three decades, Buchanan said the university needs to do a better job in Cheyenne.

"A stronger presence in Cheyenne is long overdue," Buchanan said. "It is no longer appropriate to say if you want a baccalaureate degree you have to drive over the hill to Laramie.

"It's not the University of Laramie, it's the University of Wyoming."

Buchanan said the Legislature needs to re-examine how it looks at capital construction for the community colleges, especially regarding shared facilities with UW.

The state's seven community colleges have been asking for a lost of state money, and the Legislature has struggled with capital construction funding requests in the past, said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Park, who is on the task force.

"Is it a state priority or a local priority?" he said legislators always ask.

Task force members said the Legislature needs to define what the statewide priorities are for higher education.

Funding for student housing and food services needs to be on the forefront of legislators minds, Buchanan said, because 50 percent of a college student's costs are housing and food services while only 25 percent of it goes to tuition.

"We intend for those relationships to grow," Buchanan said. "When higher education thrives in Wyoming, we all win."

Contact reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.