Twenty-six Lawrence teachers will not have their contracts renewed for next year, if the school board approves its staff’s recommendations Monday.

The layoffs are in anticipation of a projected 78-student decline in enrollment and accompanying decrease in state and federal funding.

It could have been worse.

“This is far fewer than in recent years,” said Mary Rodriguez, the district’s executive director of human resources.

The 26 teachers represent just less than 3 percent of the 876 teachers working in the district.

In 2002, 65 teachers received notices of nonrenewal. Last year, it was 66.

The list of nonrenewed teachers includes 15 elementary, three junior high and two high school teachers. Six long-term substitutes under contract also are on the list.

Included in the elementary and junior high numbers are four Title I teachers, who provide federally funded math and reading instruction to schools in poorer areas. Title I funds for the Lawrence district were cut by 8.5 percent for next year.

Rodriguez attributed the lower number of nonrenewed teachers to the school board’s decision to add 11 teachers to the district beyond the “base ratio” normally set for the district. The board relied heavily on cuts to administrative costs to pay for the teachers and other additions to the district’s budget.

“That really impacted the number of nonrenewals,” she said. “Otherwise we would have had 11 more.”

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By state law, the district must notify teachers by May 1 if their contracts will not be renewed.

But teachers have until May 15 to tell the district if they will resign or retire, and the Legislature has yet to set school funding levels for the 2004-2005 year.

Also, the district is waiting to learn the amount of federal funds it will receive.

All of that means some teachers who will receive nonrenewal notices may be hired back by the district.

In 2002, 34 of the 65 teachers who received notices were rehired. Last year, 44 of the 66 were rehired.

The school board meets at 7 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive.