The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider contracting with a consulting firm to complete enrollment projections and launch an online map for the district.
If approved, RSP & Associates will build an address locator tool, according to the meeting agenda item.
The district will host the web-based tool on its server, so the district and members of the public can enter an address and view which elementary, middle and high schools are assigned to the area. A map will show where that property is situated within district boundaries.
A tool currently linked on the district’s website shows search results for elementary schools but not middle and high school boundaries, although maps are available for all levels.
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The firm would also provide a five-year enrollment report, and representatives will meet with City of Lawrence and Douglas County planners to discuss how their developments relate to the district, according to the agenda.
The district has a long history contracting with the Overland Park-based firm, which has provided an annual enrollment analysis the past few consecutive years as enrollment has been on the decline. The $35,000 contract would be paid from the district’s general fund.
The item is on the consent agenda, a list of business routinely approved in one motion unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for discussion.
New board member terms begin
At the start of Monday’s meeting, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew will swear in newly elected board member Matt Lancaster and reelected incumbents Shannon Kimball and Kelly Jones to serve on the board through January 2028.
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Kimball and Jones received the most votes in the November election in which three seats on the board were open. The third place race was tight, but Lancaster ultimately received about 70 more votes than Bob Byers.
However, the board voted to appoint the fourth place candidate to fill a vacancy left by former member Anne Costello, who resigned in October. The board plans to reappoint Byers on Monday to serve the remainder of Costello’s term, which runs through January 2028.
Byers previously served on the school board from 2009-2013, then by appointment from 2014 to 2015. He applied to serve on the board again in June 2023 after former board member Kay Emerson stepped down. Monday is the final day of his previous appointed term.
In other business:
• No general public comment: There is no general public comment period included on the meeting agenda. There was also no public comment period during the board’s Dec. 8 meeting.
• New policy measuring fiscal responsibility: The board on Monday will consider approving a new policy aimed at ensuring fiscal responsibility. The new fund balance policy would require the district to plan so that its budgeted year-end operating cash balance is projected to fall within 12% to 20% of the preceding year annual operating expenditures, according to the meeting agenda item.
“As of June 30, 2025 Lawrence Public Schools operating cash balances were 18.5% of annual operating expenditures per KSDE (Kansas State Department of Education) calculation,” according to the agenda item.
“… To clarify, align, and ensure organizational fiscal responsibility, and to establish a fund balance based on a long-term perspective, it is a best practice to clarify a fund balance range in policy to guide the expectations, decisions and work of the Board of Education and leadership team in the district,” the agenda item says.
• Report on LEA’s legislative priorities: Members of Lawrence Education Association, the union representing both teachers and education support professionals in the district, will share top issues they’d like to advocate for at the state level this year. The Kansas Legislature will commence its 2026 session on Monday.
No details regarding the report were included on the meeting agenda item as of Saturday afternoon.
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12 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.
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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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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence TimesLawrence school board to consider hiring consultants for enrollment projections, online map
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