Board of Education begins talks

New money won't fill all needs

With at least $5.1 million in new funds, the Lawrence board of education on Monday began its first formal budget talks since the Kansas Supreme Court approved the new school finance law.

With about $1.6 million already promised for past salary increases and positions, the board sorted through a list of new budget requests.

Though the district is seeing more new funds than it has in years, it isn’t enough to meet all its needs, officials said.

“The requests that we have facing us exceed the money we have,” board member Sue Morgan said. “There isn’t enough money there to do everything that we would like to do or think that we need to do.”

The board ordered items by priority. Its top priorities are to cover the rising costs of utilities, fuel and insurance. Technology upgrades and technology positions got top billing.

The board also picked a testing program for new students, a math and/or reading lab position, and a language interpreter.

And the final two items on a list of high priorities were the first two phases of an initiative to improve the salaries of non-certified staff, such as custodians and clerical staff.

But much hinges on the outcome of salary negotiations with the Lawrence Education Assn. A meeting is set for today.

The bottom line also depends on local taxes. The Supreme Court ruling paved the way for the district to raise local property taxes for its local option budget. A local option budget can now account for 27 percent of a district’s general fund, up from 25 percent.

Moving up to 27 percent would mean an additional $1,087,669 for the district, according to the latest district figures. And that boost would mean the district would receive more than $6.2 million in new funds, rather than $5.1 million.

The board will discuss the local option budget in more detail at its next meeting on Monday.