In April 2021, the Lawrence school board voted to close Kennedy Elementary School to grades K-5 and use it as an early childhood development center.
In January 2022, Lawrence school district staff proposed scenarios that would involve closures and/or consolidations of multiple elementary schools and middle schools. On Feb. 14, the school board decided to take closures off the table for the coming school year, but difficult budget conversations will continue.
You can find the Times’ coverage of these issues and more on this page. Click here to jump to resources and a map of building changes that had been proposed at the bottom of this page.
LATEST COVERAGE
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Community invited to public input sessions with Lawrence school district’s budget planning committee
Lawrence community members are invited to participate in two public input sessions this week to discuss a tentative school district budget proposal that includes four-day school weeks and closures of three schools.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Community invited to public input sessions with Lawrence school district’s budget planning committee
Lawrence community members are invited to participate in two public input sessions this week to discuss a tentative school district budget proposal that includes four-day school weeks and closures of three schools.
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Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district’s Futures Planning Committee favors 4-day weeks, closing 3 buildings
The Lawrence school district’s Futures Planning Committee on Wednesday in a preliminary vote advanced a budget scenario suggesting a four-day school week, closing two elementary schools and a middle school, and cutting a district administration position.
Lawrence school board to hear enrollment projections from consulting firm, update on Futures Planning Committee
The consulting firm hired by the Lawrence school district will report its progress to the school board on Monday, including projections of declining enrollment and a possible budget scenario that would close three schools next year.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district budget scenario would close 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school
The Lawrence school district is considering a possible scenario for its budget plan that would include closing two elementary schools and one middle school.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to meet for special budget discussion
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
Save Our Schools 497 group continues to fight for education at local, state levels
With school closures off the table for now, Lawrence’s Save Our Schools 497 group is now focused on finding a stopgap to make it through the year, looking at the district’s long-term financial health, and ensuring the community’s involvement in these processes.
Lawrence school board consensus: No school closures this year
Lawrence school district staff members have their work cut out for them: Don’t close any schools, and find $7 million in budget cuts that won’t impact students on a daily basis.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to start meeting with budget work session
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.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Photos: Families gather to celebrate Lawrence schools
Families and friends of Lawrence neighborhood schools gathered for a rally Saturday at South Park to “Celebrate Our Schools.”
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Updated Lawrence school district budget data shows school closures would save less than slashing programs
Updated data from the Lawrence school district shows that a plan that includes closing or repurposing five schools would save the district less money than a plan that closes no schools but makes deep cuts to programs.
Molly Adams via Alicia Erickson/Contributed Photo
‘Caught off guard’: Lawrence community members share their concerns about school closure proposals
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.
COMMUNITY VOICES
SOS497
Save Our Schools 497: Lawrence school district should move forward with a comprehensive plan (Column)
“Prior to any further discussion about school closures, we call on the school board to create a procedure for best practices when considering school closures and to adopt this procedure moving forward,” Save Our Schools 497 writes in this column.
August Rudisell / Lawrence Times file photo
Lawrence Preservation Alliance: Schools that could face closures have rich histories (Column)
The board of directors of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance wishes to express concern about the school district’s proposed plans to close community schools, each of which has a rich history and resides in a historic building.
Brandon Daley/Contributed Photo
Brandon Daley: Walking ‘in their shoes’ from Woodlawn to Liberty Memorial Central (Column)
On Wednesday, a group of community members walked from Liberty Memorial Central Middle School to Woodlawn Elementary School to better understand possible implications of proposed school closure scenarios.
Other resources
• Contact Lawrence school board members
• Facebook group: Save Lawrence Neighborhood Schools
• Facebook page: Lawrence Education Justice Collective
• Website: Save Our Schools
• Lawrence Public Schools Boundary Advisory Committee page (BAC)
• Lawrence Public Schools Budget and Program Evaluation Committee page (BPEC)
• Facebook group: Save Woodlawn Elementary!
• Website: Save Our School – Woodlawn Elementary
Click here to open the map in a new window.
