The Lawrence school board on Monday will hold public hearings before looking to approve the district’s 2025-26 budget later in the meeting.
Set for the start of the meeting Monday, the hearings will allow public comment on exceeding the revenue neutral rate, meaning the district’s budget will increase taxes, and on the 2025-26 budget itself.
At its Aug. 11 meeting, the board set a maximum mill levy for the 2025-26 budget that will result in a property tax increase. The mill levy is set at 52.333, which is .057 mills more than the 52.273 for 2024-25.
Although the rate increase is fairly small, most property owners in Lawrence and Douglas County saw their assessed valuations increase by 5% or 6% on average. To keep property taxes flat, the school board would have to lower the mill levy.
Local option budgets allow districts to supplement funding through local property taxes or per-pupil state aid. The district will have authority to operate its LOB at around 33% of the general fund, which is the maximum allowed by the state.
Cynde Frick, executive director of finance, said at the Aug. 11 meeting that because the state determined the district’s assessed valuation per pupil is higher than others, the state will likely not provide the district with any LOB aid this year.
The district’s declining enrollment will also offset an increase to the base per-pupil state aid for the general fund, Frick had said.
Esports
The board on Monday will consider adopting esports, and the vote is part of the consent agenda — a list of items routinely approved in one motion unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for discussion.
Adoption of esports was up for the board’s consideration at the Aug. 25 meeting, but members tabled their vote to receive more information from the district, particularly about costs.
According to the item on the agenda, adding esports could cost the district between $7,994 and $10,394 the first year of implementation and $314 each of the following two years. The three-year projections are costs per building, and most would be paid from the district’s capital outlay fund.
“Costs are lower and more predictable than many traditional extracurricular programs; funding is from designated capital outlay funds,” the agenda item says.
The district would fill coach or sponsor positions internally and offer them payment via a stipend, which would be based on a negotiated agreement.
Kansas State High School Activities Association board members voted in April to sanction esports beginning in the 2025-26 year.
9 Del Lofts II tax incentive
Additionally, the board will consider approving a tax incentive for a project to develop vacant land at the northwest corner of East Ninth and Delaware streets into apartments.
As one of Lawrence’s three taxing entities, the district is being asked to participate in a Neighborhood Revitalization Area for the 9 Del Lofts II apartment project at 716 E. Ninth St. The request is for a 15-year, 95% tax rebate on the increased property value resulting from the project, the agenda item says.
Twenty-six out of 36 apartment units will be reserved as affordable housing for people with very low incomes, with monthly rent estimated to start at $475 for some of the one-bedroom units. The development will also include six live-work units on the first floor, according to the developer’s application to the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board.
Representatives of the project will provide a report to the board Monday. See the tentative agreement attached to the meeting agenda item on BoardDocs.
In other business
• Hear from LEA: Members of Lawrence Education Association, the district’s union representing teachers and education support professionals, will speak as part of opening items Monday.
LEA is currently undergoing the annual negotiations process with the district. The union is advocating for a living wage for ESPs — paraeducators, custodians, secretaries and more staff.
At the first negotiations meeting on Aug. 14, the district offered a 54-cent hourly pay increase, which would bring the new hourly minimum wage in the district up to $14.56 from $14.02. The living wage for a single adult living in Lawrence with no children is currently $20.87.
Staff members, teachers and supporters held “walk-ins” at school buildings on Thursday to put more pressure on the district.
LEA plans to rally at 5:45 p.m. Monday ahead of the school board meeting. Union members ask supporters to wear red, join them and head inside together.
• Executive session: The board will hold two executive sessions, or closed-door meetings, to discuss personnel matters at the beginning of the meeting. The first is 15 minutes and the second is 20 minutes.
Jeanice Swift, superintendent, and Larry Englebrick, deputy superintendent, are invited to be present at both. No action is set to follow either.
The school board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8 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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