During a forum Thursday night at the Lawrence Public Library, candidates in both races pledged to work closer together -- an effort that has gained steam in recent years.
But details of how that cooperation should take shape vary from candidate to candidate. School board candidate Kurt Thurmaier repeated his suggestion that the city and county governments start helping pick up the tab of school services in Lawrence to make up for the shortcomings of state funding.
"It's not coming from Topeka," he said. "It's got to come from our community."
It's an idea that has drawn increasing support from other candidates. Incumbent school board member Leni Salkind and Austin Turney said the new board would probably have to examine the issue.
"The more I hear Kurt describe some of his ideas, the more sense they make," Salkind said.
School board candidate Linda Robinson was less enthusiastic, noting the district gets about 50 percent of the local property tax levy.
"So we're getting our share of what there is to divide up," she said. "I don't think it would benefit the lower-income persons of Lawrence to add more local taxes to state taxes."
City commission incumbents Erv Hodges and Marty Kennedy echoed that theme.
"When you spend money, it has to come from somewhere," Hodges said.
But all the candidates supported the idea of turning schools into "neighborhood resource centers" that would stay open even when classes were finished to allow for community use of computers, gymnasiums and other school facilities -- an idea championed by school board candidate Nicole Rials.
Kennedy said no funds have been budgeted for the project, "but I'm sure it will happen in the near future."
"It has the potential to make our schools not just a name for our neighborhoods, but a hub for our community," commission candidate Scott Bailey said.
That might ease the schools' financial burden, but Rials cautioned against increasing revenues as a panacea for school woes.
"We also have to re-evaluate our priorities," she said. "No matter how much money we have, if we don't spend it correctly, we won't see the benefits."
School board candidate Dale Vestal and city commission candidate Sue Hack did not attend the forum, the last scheduled mass gathering of the candidates before Tuesday's election.
The top three vote-getters in each race will take seats on their respective boards.
-- Staff writer Joel Mathis can be reached at 832-7126.
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