photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

New York Elementary School, 936 New York St., is pictured on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022.

The Lawrence school board gave the district the go-ahead to create a third Montessori classroom at New York Elementary School, but with the understanding that the costs for that additional classroom will not take away from the money available for staff raises.

As part of its meeting Monday, the board received an update on enrollment requests for the Montessori program at New York and the costs of adding the additional classroom. The board did not vote, but agreed to the additional classroom with the caveat that the general-fund costs of about $97,500 for an additional teacher and aid not be taken from the pool of money available for teacher and classified staff raises.

Cynde Frick, executive director of finance, told the board that though the long-term hope is that the Montessori program brings kids and funding back into the district, there is no way to know that at this point. Because of that uncertainly, several board members said they acknowledged adding the third classroom represented a certain risk, but they agreed to the addition with the caveat for this year and the expectation that the issue will need to be revisited in future budgets.

“The risk associated with that decision causes me some pause, but on the other hand I also see that if we’re committed to making this program work, this is probably a risk we should very seriously consider taking,” Vice Chair Shannon Kimball said.

Frick said for next school year, the additional funding for the third classroom could be absorbed through unstaffed positions that the district has yet to fill, a lot of which are for classified positions such as custodians, paraprofessionals and cooks.

The board recently approved the changeover at New York from a regular teaching method to a Montessori method, and the transition will begin next school year with the addition of the Children’s House. The Children’s House will serve ages 3, 4 and kindergarten, and the district plans to add higher grades year by year.

The district projects enrollment in the Children’s House will be 62 students next year, according to the report. Of those, a little over half of those students, or 34 live within the boundary area of New York school. Twenty of the 62 students are age 3 and 4. Of the 42 kindergarten students, eight are kindergarten transfer requests from other district elementary schools.

Previously the district anticipated having two Montessori classrooms of 20 students, and the additional classroom would require another teacher and teaching assistant. The report states that the average salary and benefits for one Montessori teacher and one teaching assistant is $97,500. The district will also need to spend another $24,00 for classroom supplies, furniture and carpeting, which will come from the district’s capital outlay fund, and therefore will not affect the general fund and dollars available for staff raises.

Superintendent Anthony Lewis said that the Lawrence Schools Foundation has agreed to fund up to $40,000 toward Montessori teacher training for next year. The district previously said that materials and furniture for the first two classrooms would cost $17,528 total, anticipated to come from the capital outlay fund. Additional costs shared Monday are $40,000 to replace classroom flooring, install turf in the playground, and create a separate fenced area for the three- and four-year-olds, also to come from the capital outlay fund.

In other business, the board met in executive session to discuss the district’s wage proposal for contract negotiations with unions representing teachers and district classified staff. The board did not announce any action following the executive session. Board member Kelly Jones explained earlier in the meeting that any agreement reached would first be proposed to the unions.