School board wants to hear more about $5.3M in budget requests

Lawrence school board members want more information as they consider prioritizing outstanding budget requests.

“We’re in really tight fiscal times, and so I think it’s really important that we honor the commitment that we have to our teachers to pay good salaries, but we also honor our commitment to the community to provide the best education possible,” board member Marlene Merrill said.

Administrators presented a revised list of about $5.3 million in requests during a Monday study session. It did not include the costs for items on the table for the current teacher-contract negotiations.

Administrators estimate the board will have about $1.8 million in unrestricted funds to spend on staff raises and any other requests not related to facilities.

Changes from last year’s request list includes establishing a $125,000 revolving uniform fund. For the first year, it would provide new uniforms for the Lawrence High School band. Then the next year the money could purchase other high school or junior high uniforms.

“It would support a lot of different programs,” LHS Principal Steve Nilhas said.

The new request list also includes $678,004 for school-based mental health services, which consolidates keeping Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center clinical social workers at secondary schools and providing other mental health professionals at elementary schools.

A group that reviewed those services in the district will present its plan in more detail to board members in May.

The new list also removed about $1.3 million worth of requests for learning coaches to help teachers. For next year, administrators will reorganize how the current learning coaches work at schools.

“We feel like we can do it without a big infusion of additional resources,” Chief Academic Officer Kim Bodensteiner said.