During a special meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence school board will consider approving classroom ratios and enrollment capacities for the 2024-25 year based on projected enrollment at each school.
Superintendent Anthony Lewis this year is recommending a student-to-teacher ratio of 24 to 1 for elementary school classrooms; 21 or 22 to 1 for middle school classrooms; and 24 to 1 for high school classrooms. Middle schools will need some flexibility to account for additional teacher planning time and the STEAM school, according to the agenda for the special meeting that was announced Tuesday morning.
On or before May 1 annually, the superintendent must determine for each grade level in each school:
• “capacity based on the study conducted by the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee;
• the number of students expected to attend school in the school district; and
• the number of open seats available to nonresidents at each grade, building, or program level,” according to the agenda.
Board members are then asked to approve those items and modify their policy on enrollment of nonresident students.
Update:
• Lawrence school district sets number of open seats for transfers into the district, lowers classroom ratios, April 30, 2024
Schools with no open seats available for next year, if the board approves the recommended capacities, include Cordley, Deerfield, Langston Hughes, New York, Schwegler and Sunset Hill elementary schools in addition to West and Southwest middle schools. Other schools may have varied openings, depending on grade level.
Enrollment projections and additional information for discussion Tuesday are included on the meeting agenda item on BoardDocs.
The meeting will conclude with a 15-minute executive session, or closed-door meeting, to discuss personnel matters. The board, Lewis, Kristen Ryan and Ron May will be present, and no action is set to follow.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.
Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@USD497, and broadcast on Midco channel 26. Full meeting agendas are available on BoardDocs, via go.boarddocs.com.
District spokesperson Julie Boyle on Tuesday confirmed the meeting will be livestreamed. There will be no public comment.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), reporting correspondent, has been with The Lawrence Times since July 2021. Born and raised in Lawrence, she enjoys focusing on issues that people in marginalized communities face and amplifying voices that are oftentimes unvalued. Read more of her work for the Times here.
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