photo by: Mackenzie Clark/Journal-World File Photo

The Lawrence Board of Education meeting room at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive, is pictured in this file photo from Feb. 25, 2019.

The Lawrence school board may soon create a panel to work out issues in its contract with the local teachers union that have arisen because schools are closed to the public for the coronavirus pandemic.

The school board will consider approving a memorandum of understanding with the Lawrence Education Association to form a board subcommittee that will work out those issues and allow for it to make quick changes to the teachers contract for the current school year.

According to a memo sent to the board, changes are needed to the agreed contract for the 2019-2020 school year because the school’s operations have been moved to a remote online learning environment in response to pandemic. The memo does not elaborate on what those changes may be, but the MOU states that the school district’s recently enacted remote learning plan could include portions that conflict with the union’s contract.

“The subcommittee authorized in the MOU will be able to implement, on a proactive basis, those modifications necessary to meet current needs through the end of this school/contract year,” the memo to the board said.

To help facilitate the changes in a streamlined manner, the union and the school board have agreed to a general framework of the committee, which are outlined in the MOU.

According to the MOU, six members — three from the board and union each — will serve on the committee. Additional participants may be invited to join by the committee. The MOU also shows any changes to the contract that the committee comes to consensus on will go into effect immediately.

In other business:

• The board will consider paying site membership and weekly online subscription fees for the Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, program for the 2020-2021 school year. The total cost of the fees is $42,500.

AVID is a college and career readiness program offered in the school district, which the board implemented at the high schools in 2012 and then expanded to the middle schools in 2013. The school district is working to expand the program to some of its elementary schools.

• The board will consider participating in a Neighborhood Revitalization Area to construct a mixed-use housing development at 800 Pennsylvania St.

The school board, the City of Lawrence and Douglas County all have the discretion to determine the rebate percentage and duration of the NRA for their taxing jurisdictions. According to a memo sent to the board, the Public Incentive Review Committee is requesting the school board to approve a total of approximately $443,000 of incentives for the project.

The Lawrence City Commission was originally scheduled to consider awarding its portion of the nearly $2 million of incentives for the project during its meeting on April 7, but the meeting is postponed to April 14 because of technical difficulties. The Douglas County Commission was scheduled to consider it during its meeting on April 8, but deferred the item.

The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school district encourages the public to to watch the meeting on Midco channel 26 or online at youtube.com/USD497.

Those who want to speak during public comments at the meeting can still do so. Email Deputy Board Clerk Dawn Downing at DDowning@usd497.org by 5 p.m. the day of the meeting; she will provide a link to allow patrons to share comments with the board by Google video, telephone conferencing or in writing, according to a school district news release.

Comments can also be emailed to board members ahead of the meeting. Their contact information is available on the district’s website at usd497.org/Board.