Updated at 11:10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 On Monday, the Lawrence school board approved a maximum budget authority and property tax rates that included a largely unchanged maximum mill levy. While board members discussed the possibility of reducing mill levies, there was little appetite for it given prior commitments to raise salaries for administrative and classified staffs. Executive Director of Finance Cynde ...
Douglas County schools have always welcomed students from other districts, and Kansas recently mandated open enrollment statewide to allow families to move their children from schools that aren't meeting their needs. Despite this, public school enrollment is still on the decline. The new, controversial statewide open enrollment law – or the Kansas school district choice law – was passed in 2022, and it ...
The Lawrence school board will review its maximum budget authority and property tax rates on Monday. The board is considering a plan to keep the property tax rate largely unchanged for 2025, with the proposed budget set at $215,698,464. The proposed mill levy – one mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value – is 52.252 mills. This is an increase of 0.042 mills from last year's rate. ...
When Kathryn Gilmore received the news from Lawrence Habitat for Humanity that she would be getting a home, it was far from a blur. Amid tears of joy and sharing the news with friends and family, she felt, most of all, a tremendous weight lifted off her shoulders. “Like, we’re going to have a home,” Gilmore said. “When I got the final approval saying that you’re going to be getting one of these ...
After hearing more about K-State Research and Extension's services and how they're funded, Douglas County commissioners still have questions about what role they should play — especially when it comes to funding the extension's cost-of-living increases. The commission held a work session on Wednesday to better understand the county’s relationship with the Extension Council before finalizing the 2025 county ...
After raising some questions about K-State Research and Extension's relationship with Douglas County in their 2025 budget deliberations, county commissioners could get some answers at a work session on Wednesday. The county will hear a presentation about the extension council, including its history, funding sources and existing county support, as well as an overview of the services it provides. The extension's ...