Call it sharing the pain of The Big Squeeze.

Lawrence, Douglas County and Lawrence school officials will meet after the legislative session to see if they can help each other through the tight financial times.

“We’re mad as hell and we’re going to have a summit,” Douglas County Commissioner Charles Jones said. “I think that’s what we’ve figured out today.”

Officials from the three governmental units agreed to meet again during the last week of May, or later if the Legislature is still in session at that time, to tally damage from expected state budget cuts.

The elected officials were told the Lawrence school district probably would have the biggest cut with which to deal. Supt. Randy Weseman said the governor’s proposed budget would result in about a $2.5 million cut in state funding, and the district likely would need to make another $2.5 million in cuts to compensate for teacher cost-of-living salary increases and other expenses.

But the governor’s budget also would force the school district to lower its property tax levy by about 1.5 mills. That led County Administrator Craig Weinaug to ask whether city and county governments would want to raise their respective mill levies by corresponding amounts and use the new money to help fund services that would ease pressure on the schools.

For instance, the school district is contemplating anywhere from $30,000 to $1 million in cuts to student health services. City and county commissioners provide funding for health services through the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and other organizations.

“We wouldn’t be able to do things to help you pay your teachers, but we might be able to help you in other ways,” Weinaug said.

But it won’t be easy for either the city or county to come up with the money. Weinaug said he estimated the county may lose as much as $1.5 million in state funding. City Manager Mike Wildgen said he believed the city could have as much as $2 million in state funds in jeopardy.

“We’ll talk about how we can help, but it would definitely be putting a burden on top of a burden,” County Commissioner Jere McElhaney said.

McElhaney said if the countywide mill levy were raised to help the Lawrence school district, the commission would be obligated to use some of the money to help school districts in Eudora, Baldwin and Lecompton, too.