Lawrence school board to consider guidelines for high school start time advisory committee

photo by: Nick Krug

Lawrence Public Schools district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

The Lawrence school board will be asked to approve Monday the suggested guidelines for a committee that’s charged with making recommendations about a change in high school start times for the 2019-2020 school year.

In February, the school board agreed to study delaying the start of classes at Lawrence and Free State high schools from 8:05 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Board member Rich Ingram has long supported later start times, which he has said would reduce tardiness and absenteeism and improve academic achievement.

At that time, the board agreed to seek the input of students, parents, staff and community members before making a final decision on the change. The committee will help the board gather community input.

If approved, the committee will be chaired by Interim Superintendent Anna Stubblefield and Rick Henry, district director of secondary school support. Under guidelines submitted for the board’s approval, the committee would consist of one administrator from each high school, eight teachers, eight parents and one member each from the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, the District Equity Leadership Team Advisory (DELTA) team, the Equity Advisory Council, Special Education Parent Advisory Committee and Student Advisory Committee, as well as board members Ingram and Jill Fincher.

The committee will meet once or twice a month and make its recommendations to the board in January 2019.

In other business, the board will receive a 2019-2020 budget update from Kathy Johnson, executive director of finance, if the Kansas Supreme Court releases its ruling Monday on the K-12 school finance bill that the Kansas Legislature passed this spring. The court will determine if the bill adequately funds K-12 education as the state constitution requires. The court heard oral arguments in the case last month and is to make a ruling by Saturday, June 30 at the latest, but that decision could come sooner.

The board meeting will start at 7 p.m. Monday at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

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