Lawrence school district employees shouldn’t expect another 5 percent increase in salary and benefits in 2003-2004, the school board president says.

But the leader of the Lawrence teachers union said Thursday that he wasn’t ready to give up on another good pay raise.

“The financial picture is bleak at best,” said Wayne Kruse, president of Lawrence Education Assn. and a teacher at Quail Run School. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Negotiations on a new teacher contract begin this month, but key decisions won’t be made until the end of the school year.

Scott Morgan, Lawrence school board president, said budget problems in the state and district made it unlikely this year’s 4 percent salary increase and 1 percent boost in health-insurance benefits could be repeated.

“I think that’s remote,” he said.

Supt. Randy Weseman agreed: “The roads narrow considerably when you don’t have anything to offer.”

Weseman said the district could be hit with a second round of state budget cuts before negotiations on a new contract were finished. That would make it more difficult to come up with money for contract improvements.

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The school board secured funding for this year’s pay raise by eliminating jobs, downsizing programs and increasing student fees. That reduces reallocation options for next year, Weseman said.

In 2001, Lawrence teachers approved a 4.7 percent increase in compensation. The previous year’s contract pumped 3.3 percent more into wages and benefits.

LEA represents 930 teachers, librarians and counselors in Lawrence schools. While not part of the negotiating process, the district’s 770 classified staff usually receive the same deal negotiated by LEA.

Kruse said other actions could be taken to improve the working conditions of educators if the district didn’t have much money for raises.

Reducing classroom disruptions ” assemblies, contests, presentations ” would be a relief for teachers, he said. Cutting teachers’ paperwork would be beneficial. Reducing the number of standardized assessments given students also might be useful, he said.

“We want to make sure that when our teachers are in classrooms they’re able to teach what they’re supposed to teach,” Kruse said.