photo by: Bremen Keasey

A sign for the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence's location inside New York Elementary School, located at 936 New York St. Despite announcing a "reduction in force" on Monday, leaders are confident the Club will be able to operate as normal.

Leaders with Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence haven’t provided specifics about how much its workforce was impacted by a recent “reduction in force,” but they say they’re confident their 12 locations will remain open in the meantime.

As the Journal-World reported, the BGCLK said in a news release on Monday that it implemented a “necessary reduction in force” on Friday, leading to “the elimination of seven positions and impacting more than 20 staff members.”

The release said the club — a major provider of after-school programs in the Lawrence community that serves more than 1,300 youths each year — historically relied on government funding to sustain its programming. It said that this year the group is projecting a budget shortfall exceeding $650,000 and that the deficit could grow to $1 million in anticipation of further funding cuts.

The Journal-World reached out to Laci Maltbie, the CEO of the club, on Monday afternoon, for more questions about the exact number of workers who were let go, how big the overall budget impact is and whether the Club had a reduction in funding from federal, state or local governments or a combination of them.

On Tuesday, Maltbie provided a statement saying that because of the “recent loss of crucial federal funds, the organization made the difficult decision to implement operational adjustments to adapt to the funding loss.”

Maltbie said because “personnel matters must remain confidential,” the club could not provide further details about the exact number of staff members who were let go or what types of roles they occupied.

Although the provided statement cited the loss of federal funds, Maltbie did not include details about whether state or local level funding also played a role in the cuts. The statement also did not include any more information about the overall budget of the Club, which the Journal-World asked for to provide context about how a shortfall of up to $1 million would impact programming. According to journalism nonprofit ProPublica, the club’s tax filing from 2023 listed a net income of minus $220,675, with revenues of $5.98 million and expenses of $6.2 million. About $4.2 million of its revenues — or 70.5% — came from “contributions,” with the report listing about $3.6 million as grants.

Maltbie reiterated that the club’s operations and programming will not be affected by these changes and its 12 locations will “continue to operate as normal,” but the statement did not provide specifics of how the organization will adjust to the staffing changes.

Maltbie said even with the large changes, the club’s biggest focus is serving the community.

“Our commitment to our Club members, their families, our dedicated staff, and the communities we serve is unwavering,” Maltbie said.