The Lawrence school district is bracing for another year of underfunded special education from the state while the federal government picks systems apart.
Cynde Frick, executive director of finance, gave a budget update to the school board on Monday.
She said the base amount of state aid per student has been calculated since the 2023-24 school year using the three-year average of the consumer price index. Although the Kansas Senate has maintained the inflation adjustment for next year, the district’s enrollment is declining.
“On the operating budget, the base will be increasing, but that will be offset by our 200 FTE (full-time equivalent) declining enrollment that we have to calculate,” Frick said. “With potentially no increase in special education aid, that will be a big hit.”
Board member Shannon Kimball said the Senate “took a chainsaw to the education budget” and allocated zero new dollars into the special education budget, which covers all Individualized Education Plan services.
Kimball, a government relations specialist at Kansas Association of School Boards, shares Legislature updates as part of the opening business each board meeting. She said the Senate has underfunded special education and cut funding for several crucial programs with the belief that they have no obligation to uphold them.
“I believe that’s wrong on the law in terms of what the Supreme Court ordered and what the Legislature agreed to when they passed the finance formula and put the inflationary increase in there,” Kimball said.
Frick said some of the district’s “buckets,” one being the special education fund, have more expenditures than revenue. The district spent $29 million on special education in 2023-24 but received $15 million from state and federal aid together and transferred $14 million from the district’s operating fund to special education.
The gap this year could slightly reduce, Frick said, but costs for the district are increasing.
Frick said the district may be required to return this year’s Safe & Secure Schools grant, $144,644, to the state. Those funds were already spent on installing the Centegix mobile panic button system in all schools and purchasing AEDs, or automated external defibrillators.
Frick said the district will use its capital outlay fund, which currently has a cash balance, if it has to swallow those costs.
In addition to the Safe & Secure Schools grant, the Senate cut teacher and professional development, teacher mentor programs, Career and Technical Education transportation Safe & Secure Schools grants, teacher and professional development, teacher mentor programs, Career and Technical Education transportation, and more for the current fiscal year and 2026 and 2027.
Hits from higher up
The Trump administration and the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, are cutting programs across federal agencies, and local schools are among those feeling the impacts. The White House recently canceled a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which the district used to purchase local beef.
The USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant was paused per federal orders, impacting the district’s nearly $100,000 award for a bakery at Community Connections at Pinckney. Equipment has already been installed and job training for Community Transition students at the school is set up, Frick told the board.
She said if those federal grants don’t continue, the district will proceed with its capital outlay fund.
“And so that is one of our easier answers at this point,” Frick said. “If we have to shift 100,000 here for one project or another, we’re able to do that.
Board President Kelly Jones called the federal actions affecting public schools, and the target on the U.S. Department of Education, heartbreaking.
“While we do not have a statement in opposition, I think I speak for this full board when I say that it is our intention to continue to support our equity policy and also to continue to fight on the behalf of students in special education circumstances, and we know that those are spaces in which we have growth,” Jones said. “But this is a reminder of how important that duty is.”
Federal aid for the district supports the food service department, special education, title programs, Native American Student Services (NASS), adult education, the Stronger Connections grant and more. Jones called for an emphasis on dedication to NASS as more school programs could face cuts in the future. NASS receives funding from two federal grants totaling about $130,000 annually, Frick said.
“This is one of those areas where I understand why districts might be reluctant to say, ‘We can’t commit to this particular program or that particular program,’ because you don’t want to sound like you can absorb all the costs that they might be taking,” Jones said. “But I do think it’s important for this board to make a commitment to Native American Student Services.”
Swift responded, “a resounding, absolutely yes,” that the district will continue to support NASS. She said she and Frick discussed whether the district could funnel money from its at-risk fund, or other areas if needed.
The district is also keeping an eye on its contingency fund — savings for unexpected events. It’s currently holding $4.8 million, around 5% of the general fund budget, according to Frick. She said the board’s goal a few years ago was for the contingency fund to equal 6% of the general fund, which is close to being met this year, although there are varying perspectives on the adequate percentage.
Swift said the district will continue working to build fiscal strength and that it’s important to tighten districtwide alignment.
“Members, I would love to say we’re bringing a sunshine with roses budget update,” Swift told the board. “We really are being very realistic about the challenges that we face.”
View the budget update on the meeting agenda on BoardDocs.
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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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