The budget vise is tightening on Kansas public school districts.

As the 2002 Legislature plods along, superintendents of the Lawrence district and nine others surrounding the city are feeling the pinch of the possible collective loss of $8.7 million in state aid.

	The Kansas Department of Education says 10 area public school districts lose about $8.7 million in state aid if Gov. Bill Graves cuts $182 million in school funding because the 2002 Legislature has yet to approve a tax increase. Here are projected cuts: Lawrence, $3.5 million; DeSoto, $1.3 million; Ottawa, $852,000; Tonganoxie, $562,000; Baldwin, $545,000; Eudora, $512,000; Perry, $452,000; Wellsville, $356,000; Oskaloosa, $336,000; McLouth, $270,000.

That would be the hit if the Legislature failed to agree on a tax increase and Gov. Bill Graves kept his vow to slash $183 million in elementary and secondary school funding.

In Lawrence, $3.5 million would be lost under Graves’ scenario. That loss of state aid would also decrease by nearly $1 million the district’s tax revenue under the local-option budget, which is tied to state appropriations.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Randy Weseman, Lawrence’s superintendent, said. “The obvious effect would be to devastate our current system.”

The district has already given pink slips to 65 teachers, counselors and nurses based on a plan that would free up $4.7 million through internal budget cuts and student fee increases.

Graves’ action would eat up all that money.

But, Weseman said, the district would still need $1.5 million to meet rising costs for utilities, building insurance and other operating necessities. More cash yet to be negotiated would be earmarked for raises in teacher salaries and benefits, including a new health insurance plan.

In other words, the district would be compelled to come up with a minimum of $6 million to balance the budget.

Weseman said class sizes would grow. Student services would dwindle. Programs would be dropped. And more staff would be dismissed.

“We’d have to go deeper and, of course, we’d have to go into positions further,” he said.

The Kansas State Department of Education estimates that if the governor trimmed $329 from its current $3,870 in per pupil annual payments, the districts of Lawrence, DeSoto, Ottawa, Tonganoxie, Baldwin, Eudora, Perry, Wellsville, Oskaloosa and McLouth would lose $8.7 million.

Baldwin Supt. Jim White said his district’s loss of $545,000 in base aid under the Graves strategy would damage children.

“I’m not sure there are many business operations in existence today that can take a hit of half a million dollars and not suffer,” he said. “We’d be the same way.”

After visiting the Capitol on Tuesday, White said he was confident the Legislature would pass a big enough tax increase to avoid cuts to public education.

“We hope it will maintain somewhere near where we are this year,” he said. “If that happens, we’ll probably not replace a couple teachers who resigned or retired. We’ll look at one-time purchases that we can delay for a year or until we can regain some sanity.”