photo by: RSP & Assoiciates

A map shows the Boundary Advisory Committee's revised boundary recommendation related to the closures of Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools.

This story was updated at 11:15 p.m. on Monday, April 24, 2023.

With a focus on how the district will handle multiple transfer options for students, the Lawrence school board approved the revised boundary changes related to the closure of Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools.

As part of its meeting Monday, the board voted 5-2, with Kay Emerson and Carole Cadue-Blackwood opposed, to move forward with the revised recommendation from the Boundary Advisory Committee. As the Journal-World previously reported, the revised recommendation would affect 470 students total, including 78 students from Cordley and Hillcrest who will be moved into other boundary areas to make room for the incoming students from Broken Arrow and Pinckney.

With multiple specific exemptions from the boundary changes and a stated desire to communicate to families the possibility to allow transfers based on preference as space allows, multiple board members spoke to the need to communicate with families about their individual options and the how the district will handle transfer requests. Board member GR Gordon-Ross, who is a member of the BAC, said he thought all the information, including how different transfers will be prioritized and whether classrooms will be added to accommodate transfers needed to be clearly communicated.

“Because we have several groups now that would be requesting transfers,” Gordon-Ross said. “…And so I think it’s looking at those groups, it’s how are we going to prioritize those transfers, what’s the deadline for the transfer, can any of those groups transfer and kick off the process of creating a new (classroom) section in their school? I think it’s looking at all those things and being mindful and who gets priority.”

The recommendation divides Broken Arrow students among Cordley, Langston Hughes, Prairie Park and Schwegler and divides Pinckney students between Deerfield and Hillcrest. To make room for those students, about 13 current Cordley students would attend New York; 30 current Hillcrest students would attend Quail Run; and 35 current Hillcrest students would attend Sunset Hill.

The district plans to offer multiple specific opportunities for transfers plus emphasize a more open transfer policy in general for all students.

For Cordley and Hillcrest students affected by boundary changes, district administration has recommended exempting current third and fourth graders and their younger siblings currently attending the same school. Under the recommendation, those students could choose to stay at their current school or attend their new school.

In addition, if any students in the English Language Learners (ELL) program are affected by the boundary changes, they may request a transfer to remain at their current school. The BAC recommendation also calls for giving Pinckney students living south of Sixth Street priority if they want to transfer to New York. The committee also expressed support for the board’s suggestion to provide families more transfer options, and it specifically called for communicating to parents that they may request transfers based on preference as long as space was available.

Board President Shannon Kimball noted there has been a lot of discussion at the board table about the desire to be more flexible with transfers, and that she’d heard concerns about whether the district would be able to provide the teaching staff to support current and additional transfer requests. Kimball asked if addressing those concerns would require adding building contingency funds, which individual schools can use to hire additional teachers if numbers warrant it.

Executive Director of Human Resources Kristen Ryan said that past practice has been that schools receive an allocation of teaching positions based on school boundaries, and then principals look at what space is left in their buildings, in terms of certain grades and certain classrooms, to accept any incoming transfers. Ryan said the district doesn’t yet have a good idea of what transfer numbers will be, but that she thought funding building contingency would likely be needed if the district were to address concerns about the ability to support all transfer requests.

Board member Kelly Jones said she hoped the district would communicate the information about boundary changes and transfer options as quickly as possible. Jones also asked about the possibility of moving teachers to follow students. She expressed an interest in providing money for building contingency funds, which the district eliminated three years ago. Ryan said those funds could be used to support transfers or reduce the need to create multigrade classrooms, and that the district would need direction on what to prioritize.

District spokesperson Julie Boyle said the boundary changes and transfer options are a complex situation with a lot of different variables, and the district’s focus is on getting accurate information to families. Boyle said the district is hoping that families will receive information about their assigned school, transportation options and transfer options by the end of this week or early next week.

Emerson and Cadue-Blackwood, who were among the board members who voted against the school closures, both said they continued to have concerns about students’ ability to get safely to and from schools.

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In other business, the board:

• Voted 7-0 to move forward with action to essentially refinance the district’s 2013 and 2014 general obligation bonds. Net savings are estimated at $3.9 million over the next 10 years to the district’s Bond & Interest fund by refunding those bonds at a lower interest rate (it would not provide savings to the district’s general operating funds). The savings could be passed on to district taxpayers. The board will receive more details about the refinance at its meeting May 22.

• Voted 7-0 to purchase a new social-emotional curriculum, Character Strong Start Up, for grades prekindergarten through 12th grade. The cost for years one and two of the curriculum, equal to $206,972, will be paid for using federal pandemic relief aid from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. Renewal costs for years three, four and five, equal to $60,739, would be paid for by district funds.

• Received a report on the district’s efforts to retain and recruit teachers, including a recommendation from the district’s Calendar Committee to consider a four-day school week for students and a five-day work week for teachers. School board members expressed concern about the impact on families, student learning retention/achievement, special education students, and the availability of childcare options, but did not rule out the option. Board members said the district should get community input on the possibility, such as through a survey, before doing any further investigation into the possibility.