photo by: Journal-World

Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.

In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the Lawrence school board approved a contract with a consulting firm that provides the district with enrollment projections and other demographic-related data.

The firm, Overland Park-based RSP and Associates, predicted last fall that the district’s enrollment would fall by approximately 300 students over a five-year period. That data factored into a decision-making process that resulted in the closure of Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools.

The contract, which would pay RSP and Associates up to $80,000, also includes a boundary analysis. In March, RSP devised a boundary-change proposal for students affected by the school closures. Larry Englebrick, the district’s chief operations officer, said on Monday that he doesn’t anticipate revisions to the elementary school boundaries, but added that middle school boundary shifts are on deck.

As reported previously by the Journal-World, the district has been exploring ways to attract more students to Liberty Memorial Central Middle School amid declining enrollment, which was part of the broader discussion regarding school closures. A switch to a STEAM curriculum, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, is being discussed for LMCMS.

“(RSP’s) work this year would focus on middle school adjustments that may need to be considered to support the redesign of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School,” Englebrick said.

Englebrick added that RSP’s analyses aided the district’s Futures Planning and Boundary Advisory committees in the midst of the school closures discussions, and that “much of the work we’re looking at this year is based on a continuation of the work that was done last (school) year.” According to Englebrick, that work would include an analysis and overview of enrollment projections made last year, which would compare RSP’s enrollment estimate with the district’s actual Sept. 20 headcount — a figure that determines much of the district’s funding for state and federal aid. Results of the Sept. 20 headcount were unknown Monday.

Englebrick said that he anticipates “discrepancies” between RSP’s projection and the Sept. 20 headcount, which would apply mostly to schools directly affected by the closure of Pinckney.

The lone dissenting vote was cast by Carole Cadue-Blackwood, who questioned the reliability of RSP’s work, while also broaching the idea of looking elsewhere for such analyses. But prior to the board’s vote, Englebrick told board members that the district has cultivated a trusted relationship with RSP, which dates to 2005.

“RSP, over those years, has provided the district expertise in two major areas — student projections and boundary analysis,” he said.

But Cadue-Blackwood said that she believed it would benefit the community if such work were bidded out “because it seems like things just keep getting tacked on and tacked on to these bills.”

While rising costs were a concern of Cadue-Blackwood’s, she also added that she would like to see more comprehensive analyses from the firm.

“I’d like to see a more robust, deliberate, equity-impact analysis in conjunction with the school and county,” she said.

Englebrick was asked by board member Shannon Kimball if he believed such work could be accomplished in-house, but Englebrick said that he felt more comfortable with RSP doing it since they specialize in those areas.

After the meeting, Superintendent Anthony Lewis told the Journal-World that he shared Englebrick’s sentiments. Lewis also added that two administrative positions that were suited in handling such matters were cut two years ago, and that RSP’s longevity with the district matters.

“We do believe that this is the best move to make,” Lewis said. “Having someone that specializes in those areas will help us continue to build trust and transparency with the community.”