The Lawrence school board on Tuesday agreed to a tax incentive for developments at the former Reuter buildings.

The project is to redevelop the former Reuter Organ Company buildings at 612 and 614 New Hampshire St., which are listed on historic registers. Reuter project partners asked the district to participate in a Neighborhood Revitalization Area.

Patrick Watkins, attorney of Watkins Law Office representing property owner Matt Gilhousen, said the buildings will likely include a mix of commercial and residential development, though there aren’t yet any business tenants lined up.

He told the board that the district was the final of the three taxing entities project members needed approval from. They already had approval from the Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission.

Watkins said the project elevates the city’s most important community asset: downtown Lawrence.

“You guys are not writing a check, though, I want to be clear about that,” Watkins said.

Tom Kaleko, principal at Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, said the district will not lose any property tax revenue that it’s currently receiving from the existing building. The district will receive 5% of the incremental increase in taxes over the next 15 years.

Board members expressed interest in seeing the building.

They ultimately voted 5-1 to approve the request for a 15-year, 95% tax rebate on the increased property value resulting from the project. Board member Matt Lancaster was the dissenting voting member and Yolanda Franklin was not present to vote.

Tentative calendar approvals

Additionally, the board on Tuesday deferred approval of the district’s tentative 2026-27 and 2027-28 calendars.

Board members asked administrators to look into whether it would be possible to make Indigenous Peoples Day a paid holiday. Superintendent Jeanice Swift said the district will bring further information back to the board on Feb. 9 for tentative approval.

The board has typically approved only the subsequent academic year’s calendar on an annual basis. But at the meeting last year to approve the 2025-26 calendar, board and district members had expressed interest in switching to the multiyear model to better plan for the future, which the calendar committee drafted this year.

In the past, inclement weather makeup days have been tentatively scheduled on the calendar, which can make planning difficult for families.

“That really worked against all of us in the mental frame for students and families who often would have planned their travel or plan for the day, and then we had to pull it back,” Swift said. “So, essentially, just on the novice level, those minutes are built in so that we don’t ever have to think about it.”

The days will no longer appear on the calendar, and the change will give the district more planning leeway, allowing more instructional days to be scheduled during the school year.

The committee moved parent-teacher conferences to February on the future calendars. Spring breaks will align with KU’s.

In other business:

• Increased preschool tuition: The board also approved a $30-per-month increase to tuition for 3- and 4-year-olds to attend preschool in the district.

Preschool classes in 2026-27 will be offered at Kennedy Early Childhood Center and New York Montessori School as well as Sunflower, Woodlawn, Deerfield and Prairie Park elementary schools. The cost monthly for the nine-month tuition would increase to $690 from the current $660, or 4.5%.

The item was originally 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 — but was moved to a new business item before the meeting.

During the discussion, board member Kelly Jones said she understood the increase is necessary. Swift said tuition is calculated annually based on the average district cost for a certified educator and preschool instructional aide. Tuition is free of cost for students who qualify for state at-risk funding.

“I really had hoped that we would be able to keep the costs a little bit lower, but I can see that you’ve done the work to keep it as low as it needs to be,” Jones said. “So I absolutely support the increase, even though it’s not ideal for our families.”

Preschool enrollment is open Feb. 2 through March 22. Find more information on the district’s website here.

• Engineering services for Choice Campus at Centennial: The board voted to hire Lankford | Fendler & Associates, a Kansas City-based engineering consultant firm, for services at the building where the district’s new nontraditional high school program will be held.

Choice Campus at Centennial is set to open in August at the former Centennial School, 2145 Louisiana St., and offer a flexible learning environment for high schoolers. 

According to the agenda item, Lankford | Fendler & Associates will conduct “comprehensive design and construction-phase support for HVAC systems; interior and exterior electrical systems; emergency and egress lighting; fire alarm systems (if required) utilizing performance-type specifications; and sanitary waste, storm, vent, gas, and domestic hot and cold water plumbing systems.”

Services cost $143,875 to be paid from the facilities and operations department within the capital outlay fund. The board approved the item as part of the consent agenda.

• Board comments on high school protests: Board President GR Gordon-Ross gave a blanket statement on behalf of the board regarding the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings of Americans that made national news. Free State and Lawrence High students walked out on Tuesday in protest of ICE.

“We will continue to follow board policy and the law while supporting our students and staff, and we will continue to work alongside Dr. Swift and her team to guide any next steps,” Gordon-Ross said. “Thank you to our educators and staff for the work you do every day to create classrooms of belonging.”

Maya Hodison (she/her), reporting correspondent, has been with The Lawrence Times since July 2021. Born and raised in Lawrence, she enjoys focusing on issues that people in marginalized communities face and amplifying voices that are oftentimes unvalued. Read more of her work for the Times here.

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