A Lawrence school district committee on Wednesday will begin analyzing high school boundaries, and the consultant previously contracted to facilitate the committee’s work will be taking on a reduced role this time around.
The BAC’s charge this year will be centered on high school boundaries, especially since Lawrence High School’s enrollment has been on a decline.
The school board on July 8 was considering approving a contract with consultant RSP & Associates as part of its consent agenda — a list of items routinely approved in one motion during a meeting. Deputy Superintendent Larry Englebrick had estimated the final payment would be approximately $65,000, but the board was asked to approve spending up to $100,000.
Board member Carole Cadue-Blackwood requested the item be pulled during that meeting, and after discussion, the board chose to postpone voting. The contract hasn’t been brought back to the table since, and district spokesperson Julie Boyle said that’s because the board decided RSP should do less.
“Staff are still working on an agreement with RSP & Associates,” Boyle said via email Friday. “Its role will be reduced, per the board’s direction. District staff will take on more responsibilities, including facilitating the initial meetings of the Boundary Advisory Committee.”
The district has worked with RSP for several years. The consultants’ analyses recently led to two elementary school closures, boundary assessments and more relating to budget decisions.
RSP was hired in August 2022 on a $120,000 contract to lead the district’s 2023-24 budget planning process. In May 2023, the board approved paying the firm an extra $27,500 for its work related to school closures. In October 2023, the board approved another contract for up to $80,000 for RSP to make five-year enrollment projections.
Each committee meeting would cost $5,000 as part of RSP’s contract, Englebrick said during the July 8 meeting.
Some board members expressed concerns about the way RSP facilitated meetings in the past, and board President Kelly Jones suggested a solution could be having RSP present to share data at meetings but not facilitate.
Jones requested that the committee examine high school boundaries this fall. Currently, students who reside north of 15th Street are assigned to Free State High School, and students who reside south of 15th Street are assigned to LHS.
“The historic 15th Street boundary line may have made sense when it was drawn; however, the city growth patterns have shifted and we need to evaluate boundary lines with a continued equity focus, per the committee’s charge,” Jones said at the board’s June 10 meeting. “And additionally, I think it will help us with staffing issues so that we can create and better ensure equitable experiences between the high schools.”
The BAC in February opted not to make any changes to the district’s middle school boundaries, but as part of that recommendation, it asked the school board for a comprehensive boundary review that takes into consideration elementary and middle school boundaries.
People were asked last month to apply to serve on the committee, and those selected are now listed on the district’s website.
The 2024-25 BAC members, according to the district’s website, include:
• Anne Costello, Board of Education;
• Carole Cadue-Blackwood, Board of Education;
• Dr. Larry Englebrick, District Administrator, Deputy Superintendent;
• Ron May, District Administrator, Director of Human Resources & Transportation;
• Amanda Green, Building Administrator, Sunflower Elementary Principal;
• Mike Gillman, Building Administrator, LHS Associate Principal;
• Tina Mitchell, Building Administrator, FSHS Assistant Principal;
• Jenna Viscomi, Building Administrator, Community Connections at Pinckney & Secondary Special Education Coordinator;
• Mark Preut, Building Administrator, College and Career Center Principal;
• Emerson Hoffzales, LEA Certified Staff Representative;
• Mindy Nickles, LEA Certified Staff Representative;
• Ashley Eicholtz, PAL-CWA Classified Staff Representative;
• Jessica Mortinger, City of Lawrence Planning & Development Representative;
• Jeffery Lyon, First Student Transportation Representative;
• Darlene Withers, First Student Transportation Representative;
• Laci Maltbie, Boys & Girls Club Representative;
• Jessica Hunt Reed, Community-at-Large Member;
• Alneata Barrett, Community-at-Large Member;
• Kaelyn McCall, Community-at-Large Member;
• Kiley Phelps, Community-at-Large Member; and
• George Diepenbrock, Community-at-Large Member.
Four committee meetings are scheduled before two public feedback sessions occur in November. Then after one final meeting, the BAC is set to present its recommendation for high school boundaries to the board in early December.
The BAC’s first meeting is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28 at the district’s Facilities & Operations Campus, 711 E. 23rd St., Building A. Meetings are open to the public to observe, but no public comment is allowed.
See the BAC’s timeline on the district’s website, usd497.org/domain/2222.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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