Plans would spend contingency funds to create jobs, help special ed
Plans are emerging for the Lawrence school district to spend $3.1 million in contingency funds — essentially money kept in savings — during the next 12 months.
Among them: Pump $336,768 back into some jobs and programs that had been recently cut.
Specifically, members of the Lawrence school board will be asked Monday to approve spending:
• $108,966 for special-education staffing, based on needs of students with individual education plans and to support novice special-education teachers.
• $105,000 to finance extended learning opportunities in schools, to help at-risk students.
• $54,483 for a reading and math interventionist at Kennedy School.
• $40,943 to elevate an assistant principal at each of two middle schools — Central and West — back to full-time status.
• $18,000 for a part-time parent involvement facilitator at Central.
• $9,376 to restore up to four days’ worth of additional work days for counselors at Free State and Lawrence high schools to help students handle the transition to four-year high schools.
The board already has offered to boost pay by a total of $1,250 for each licensed educator for next year, using more than $1.1 million from savings; educators who attain additional education also could make more.
Board members also intend to offer pay increases to other district employees, but detailed discussions have not yet started.