It’s a given that any governmental entity always thinks it needs more money to do the things it wants and needs to do. Nonetheless, local taxpayers would be grateful if the Lawrence school board would consider holding off on a proposal to add a half-mill to the local property tax levy in order to max out its local option budget.

At Monday’s meeting, board members considered a plan to set an April 1 election to ask voters to approve an LOB that would bring an estimated $680,000 into the district’s budget. That money, board members said, is necessary to raise teacher salaries.

Raising teacher salaries is an important goal, so important that the Lawrence school district isn’t the only one working on the problem. With the current legislative session barely under way, the Senate Education Committee already was hearing testimony Tuesday on a bill to target

$26 million in the school finance package to raising teacher salaries.

Alexa Posny, the state’s commissioner of education, told the committee that 25 percent of the state’s teachers will be eligible to retire in the next five years and it’s uncertain how those teachers will be replaced. She cited statistics showing that the state graduated 3,500 teachers in 1976, but only 1,700 in 2007. Career opportunities are luring college graduates to other fields, and even many Kansas graduates who become teachers are drawn to other states that offer higher salaries.

The timing of the legislative session admittedly complicates the local school board’s deliberations. The board can’t wait to see what the Legislature does on the issue of increased teacher salaries before making a decision on whether to schedule a vote on extending its LOB authority. The Legislature’s action could eliminate the need for the additional local funding or it could make it even more important.

It’s true that local voters traditionally are extremely supportive of the public schools and are acutely aware of the need to offer competitive salaries to our teachers. On the other hand, uncertain economic times are forcing many local taxpayers to make difficult spending decisions. Higher taxes will make those decisions even more difficult. It’s also notable that an election will cost about $43,000, about 6 percent of the $680,000 it is expected to add to the district’s budget.

The school district has maxed out its LOB authority for a number of years. Maybe this is the year to hold the line on tax increases and at least give state legislators an opportunity to help fill the funding gap for teacher salaries.