The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider approving an approximate 3% increase to the certified salary pool, including an $800 raise to teachers’ base pay.
The board on June 27 entered a tentative agreement with Lawrence Education Association, the district’s union that now represents both certified and classified staff, according to the meeting agenda item.
Totaling around $1.6 million, the 3% increase also includes horizontal and vertical movement for teachers. Horizontal movement refers to pay increases based on years of experience and vertical refers to levels of certification earned.
For 2024-25, the board approved a $1,400 increase to the base pay for teachers, raising the salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree to $43,983. The proposed $800 increase to base pay in 2025-26 would increase that salary to $44,783.
On the salary schedule, the maximum pay — for a teacher who holds a doctoral degree and 24 years of experience — would be $79,833.
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More plan time for elementary and high school teachers was incorporated into the tentative contract, as well.
Elementary teachers would have two 45-minute periods instead of one every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday — one for personal plan time and the other for collaborative professional plan time. Plan time for elementary teachers during the instructional day on Wednesday would increase from 30 to 40 minutes, and more plan time is allotted after the bell rings.
Single medical, dental and vision insurance plans for all teachers would increase around $100 monthly.
See the meeting agenda item on BoardDocs for more information on the tentative contract.
Student fees
Additionally, the board on Monday will look to approve some increases to student fees in 2025-26.
Preschool enrollment for 3- and 4-year-olds who don’t qualify for state at-risk funding would cost $660 — $100 more than in 2024-25 for the existing New York Montessori program. The tuition rate would also apply to preschool programs at Sunflower and Woodlawn elementary schools, which will be new to the district in the fall.
According to the agenda item, lost or damaged MacBook and iPad power adapters and charging cables would be increased to “reflect the cost of the item.” The proposed fee for MacBook power adapters is $59 and charging cables is $49, while both items for iPads would cost $19 each.
Chargers and adapters that stop working are replaced at no cost to families.
Fees of $15 to $25 would apply to some high school courses that use consumables, such as cooking and art. Those special costs are updated annually.
Student fees are on the consent agenda — a list of items routinely approved in one motion unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for discussion — for Monday’s meeting. See the agenda item on BoardDocs for more information.
The board on June 23 approved 10-cent meal price increases for 2025-26.
In other business:
• Executive session: The board will hold a 15-minute executive session, or closed-door meeting, to discuss personnel matters at the beginning of the meeting.
Jeanice Swift, superintendent; Larry Englebrick, deputy superintendent; and Kristen Ryan, assistant superintendent and executive director of human resources, are invited to be present. No action is set to follow.
• Needs assessment: Toward the end of the meeting, the board will hear a report on the district’s state-required needs assessment. Local districts each year must assess the needs of individual attendance centers, conduct a review of state assessment results, and provide much documentation.
“Specific data will be shared regarding needs assessment findings for the Cohesive Curriculum portion of the USD 497 strategic plan, including an early look at the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) results and progress towards district goals for reading, math, and post secondary success,” according to the agenda item. “Additionally, an overview of the new Kansas Educational Systems Accreditation (KESA) expectations will be shared.”
Since the report is for informational purposes only, the board is not set to take a vote on it.
No presentation materials were attached to the meeting agenda item on BoardDocs as of Saturday afternoon.
The school board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, July 28 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.
To give public comment, sign up by noon the day of the meeting by emailing PublicComment@usd497.org. Commenters may request to participate by Webex video/phone conferencing.
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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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