August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
The Lawrence school board is set for a special meeting on Monday to discuss cost-cutting proposals as the district faces a budget shortfall estimated between $3.2 and $3.85 million.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
The Lawrence school board’s Monday meeting will begin with a 90-minute work session on the budget, then proceed to a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Molly Adams via Alicia Erickson/Contributed Photo
The Save Our Schools 497 group has hosted community meetings and rallies with more to come soon. But these efforts are just the top layer of organizers’ work, and the enthusiasm shown in these demonstrations is a veneer on top of deep concerns for many families.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
The Lawrence school district shared breakdowns of three cost-cutting options during a meeting Wednesday evening — but some of the data was inaccurate.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Months of work by Lawrence school district committees has resulted in three cost-saving proposals formulated by district leadership. School closures remain on the table in two options, and significant reductions to staffing and programs in all scenarios would help fill a multimillion-dollar shortfall.
Lawrence Times graphic
As conversations continue about how the Lawrence school district can patch its budget shortfall, committee members will use this equity impact analysis tool to examine cost-cutting proposals.
Carter Gaskins / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board President Erica Hill has called a special meeting of the board to discuss cost-cutting proposals, which could include school closures.
Sydney Farokhi Clark/Contributed
Fallon Farokhi strives to spark a love of learning for nearly 400 Sunset Hill students. With librarian positions facing possible cuts, it’s a tough time for her to imagine not doing her dream job in her dream district.
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Closing a middle school and two or more elementary schools; sharing staff across high schools; and cutting some special education support positions were some of the top-ranked cost-cutting proposals that members of the Lawrence school district’s Budget and Program Evaluation Committee indicated they would support.
Carter Gaskins / Lawrence Times file photo
Lawrence school board Vice President Shannon Kimball took the board commentary portion of Monday’s meeting as an opportunity to provide some insight into the history of USD 497’s funding woes.
