Although officials at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center aren’t panicked – yet – it seems that funding for the center’s program to help at-risk students once again is in jeopardy.

The WRAP program, which stands for Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities, has enough money to operate through the fall semester in Lawrence schools, but its fate after that will depend heavily on the “three-legged stool” of funding supplied by the city, county and school district. That stool seems in danger of collapse if the Lawrence school board can’t find its share of funding for the program.

Douglas County commissioners already have included $225,000 in WRAP funding in their budget plans. City commissioners are looking at a $250,000 commitment to the program. But both commissions say they may rethink that funding if the school district doesn’t pick up its share of the cost.

That all depends, district leaders say, on how much money is needed to pay district teachers. Until contract negotiations are concluded, they won’t know about the WRAP funding, but they said last week, it doesn’t look good.

This seems to set up a contest between teacher pay and the WRAP program, but the school district’s budget is far more complicated than that. And like everyone who puts together a budget, the school district must set priorities and make choices based on what it thinks is most important for local schools.

Those aren’t easy choices to make, but many people in the local district would say that the services WRAP provides to about 3,000 students in the Lawrence district would rank pretty high. These are students of all ages who are experiencing problems at home or at school or both that get in the way of their growth and success. WRAP social workers help them find their way through those problems.

How important is that to the Lawrence district? Some people would say it’s more important than the full range of extracurricular and sports activities available to Lawrence students. Although many education experts agree on the importance of early childhood intervention, some even would say WRAP is more important than the implementation of full-day kindergarten in eight Lawrence schools.

It’s easy to understand why city and county government would consider withdrawing its WRAP funding if the schools opt out. This is, after all, a school program, notwithstanding one school board member’s contention that the schools must concentrate on education and leave public health to the city and county.

If the district chooses not to fund this program, it is saying that there is nothing in its budget that is less important than the services WRAP provides to those 3,000 students. Maybe they’re right, but many district patrons would think otherwise.