The Journal-World has been and continues to be a strong, enthusiastic supporter of the Lawrence public school system. This newspaper believes Lawrence residents should do what they can to insure that their children receive the best possible public education and have a school system that is looked upon as one of the best, if not the best, in Kansas or any other university city.

This goal requires teachers who are skilled and knowledgeable in their particular fields of instruction, teachers who can stimulate and motivate their students, a school system that recognizes excellence in its students and teachers, parents who expect their children to take advantage of their educational opportunities and a community where taxpayers realize the critical importance of above-average funding for the schools.

Lawrence residents have the opportunity Tuesday to express their wishes on a proposal that would raise the district’s local option budget, which is funded by local property taxes. District officials say the increase would raise about $679,000, which would be directed toward increasing teacher salaries and funding the WRAP program, which puts clinical social workers in some local schools.

There has been relatively little interest in the upcoming vote. Unfortunately, the public does not know much about the election and the issues involved. Some suggest there has been a deliberate blackout of information so that teachers, their families, close friends and those who are ardent supporters of anything associated with the school system will get out and vote. An uninterested, poorly informed citizenry is not likely to make the effort to vote, meaning that those in favor of the LOB increase will have a far better chance of coming out with a win.

Unfortunately, Lawrence is in a financial bind. There isn’t enough money to take care of all the needs and wishes, no matter how worthy many of these projects may be. Both city and county officials have indicated they face severe budget constraints. Layoffs and a year without salary increases are a strong possibility. A badly needed library expansion has been put on hold, and the city is facing millions of dollars in street repairs and replacement projects. A new accreditation report indicated that the city’s firefighting equipment is woefully out of date, another situation that will take millions of dollars to correct, and any plans for new recreation facilities are on the back burner.

City, county and school officials are well aware of this situation. Many in the community had hoped the three bodies would approach this situation with total cooperation, trying to figure out the best way to share limited tax dollars.

School officials apparently decided to try to get their fingers into the cookie jar before anyone else by approving and scheduling next Tuesday’s election without any discussion with city and county officials. The relationship between the county, city and school district is not as good as it should be.

Given the limited supply of money, the many pressing needs and the manner in which school officials gave both the city and county the cold shoulder on this matter, the Journal-World believes it would be best for voters to vote “no” on Tuesday’s local option budget request.

It would be far better to have city, county and school officials collectively consider the funds available and how to use those funds to address community needs and how best to generate the dollars needed to keep Lawrence, Douglas County and USD 497 on pace to maximize their potential and be leaders in the state.

The action, manner and timing of school officials’ effort to get their share of the dollars is not the best way to develop a cooperative environment within the community either now or in the future.