photo by: Rochelle Valverde

All members of the Lawrence school board were present for a meeting on Monday, March 21, 2016.

At their meeting Monday, members of the Lawrence school board will get a better idea of how much enrollment in the district is likely to increase next school year. Enrollment projections have particular importance because under the current school funding formula, the district does not get new money for additional students.

Last spring, the Kansas Legislature repealed the per-pupil school funding formula that had been in place since 1992 and replaced it with temporary block grants. Changes made in April to the formula are currently under review by the Kansas Supreme Court, which previously ruled the funding system inequitable.

The Lawrence district has seen a stable increase in overall enrollment since 2010, and that trend is likely to continue next school year. The enrollment projections are part of a report presented annually by the educational planning firm RSP & Associates.

The district has about 10,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. This school year, districtwide enrollment increased by 249 students. Of those students, 211 were at the high school level.

The report will look at enrollment trends, providing projected enrollment changes at each of the district’s 20 schools for the next five years. The projected enrollment breakdowns are used to inform staffing decisions, school boundary changes and future development plans.

In other business, the board will:

• Review a report on the district’s new technology implementation program, the “Learning Forward/Future Ready Initiative.” The report will update the board on steps taken toward next schools year’s technology rollout, with emphasis on the distribution of iPads to all middle school students.

The school board will meet at 7 p.m. at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.