To the editor:

A few interesting facts to ponder regarding the USD 497 budget:

1. To cool all 26 buildings (elementary, junior high and high schools) for USD 497 during the month of August 2002, it cost $127,000! (Compare this to $81,000 spent for the month of June ’02, a difference of $46,000 a month).

2. The average cost to run Laidlaw buses for USD 497 is $16,000 per day. (This figure reflects only those students who are eligible to ride the bus at the expense of the school district.)

3. The start date for USD 497 has been moved to an even earlier date this year: Aug. 13, 2003!

As a concerned parent of three children attending Lawrence schools, I would like to offer a suggestion: Decrease the number of school days scheduled and increase the length of the average school day to meet the required number of hours as dictated by the state of Kansas. By starting school one or two weeks later in August, and if needed, increase a few days at the end of the school year in May, huge savings could be realized by NOT spending dollars on expensive air-conditioning and having fewer days to run school buses.

Knowing that cutbacks are still needed, I would prefer this proposal to others that have previously been forwarded: a four-day school week, increased student/teacher ratios, eliminating band, languages and sports.

Patricia Denning,

Lawrence