In Kansas, school districts aren’t allowed to spend money they won’t get.

So on Monday, Lawrence school officials trimmed more than a million dollars from the district’s $70 million budget.

Most of the cuts – 13 in all – are not expected to affect students.

“Most of it’s putting things off until later in the year or into the next budget year,” said Kathy Johnson, the district’s budget director.

The cuts became necessary after the district’s official enrollment fell more than 220 students short of projections.

Because the district receives about $4,000 in state aid for each student, the shortfall caused the district to be overbudgeted by about $900,000.

The district also had to trim about $375,000 to offset additions to the teachers’ salary package.

A sampling of the proposed cuts or shifts in spending:

¢ $200,000 – Delaying the virtual school’s paying back the district’s general fund for some of its computers.

¢ $300,000 – Buying fewer instructional materials.

¢ $200,000 – Lessening transfers to the special education program’s reserve fund.

¢ $234,680 – Putting off transfers aimed at replenishing the district’s Contingency Reserve Fund.

¢ $90,484 – Using grant money to pay two full instructors in the district’s junior high math and reading labs rather than building the positions into the general fund. The switch means less grant money will be available for training special education teachers.

The district also has saved $85,000 by leaving some administrative positions vacant; $11,310 by delaying the hiring of a guidance counselor at Schwegler School; and $35,500 by cutting back on technical support staff.

Though formally approved Monday, most of the adjustments have been in place or in the making for several weeks.

“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” said board member Cindy Yulich. “Some of these are not easy things to stomach.”