The Lawrence school district’s Boundary Advisory Committee on Wednesday requested data to better inform their future boundary discussions, which will be delayed until fall.
The committee has delayed making substantial boundary change recommendations in the past couple of years. BAC members were tasked this year with recommending to the school board a plan to balance enrollment more evenly between Free State and Lawrence high schools, but they agreed to delay changes until they could look at elementary, middle and high school boundaries together.
The committee got a head start for their next meeting, slated for September, by requesting specific data to aid their discussions. Despite not yet receiving any formal instructions from the school board, the committee will likely be asked to make recommendations for wholesale boundary changes.
“It really allows us to get with the consultants and get them started ahead of time,” Deputy Superintendent Larry Englebrick said. The district has previously contracted with RSP & Associates, most recently with a contract for up to $45,000 this school year.
Currently, students in Lawrence can go to different middle and high schools than their peers at the same elementary school. Committee members requested more information on what a true feeder system could look like, where elementary schools feed into the same middle and high schools. At the last meeting, the committee discussed what a feeder school system could look like but did not make any decisions.
Multiple members requested more detailed transfer data. This school year, it was provided to them during one of their first meetings and it showed Lawrence High receiving more students than Free State.
“I think it’s important for us to have some data around transfer approvals,” Sunflower Elementary Principal Amanda Green said. “If we’re going to talk about encouraging approving transfers, that’s going to play a big part in class size and school programming.”
Additionally, the committee requested maps that showed safe routes to school for students. Transportation could be a concern because the district only receives state reimbursement for the cost of busing students who live 2.5 miles or more from their schools.
The committee hopes to have all the data by the fall so they can begin decision-making as soon as possible. Their recommendations will go to the school board for consideration.
Members also said they did not want to set any community input dates until they were fairly sure about their recommendations to the board. This year, community input sessions were postponed after the committee decided they didn’t have enough data to refine a plan.
The committee agreed to continue holding meetings twice a month on Wednesday evenings next school year, with the first meeting slated for late September, after the annual student headcount day.
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Emilia (Mimi) Rosado Schmitt (she/her) is a junior at Lawrence High School and a co-editor in chief for the LHS Budget, where she edits stories and makes graphics and reports.
See more of her work for the Times here.
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