photo by: Journal-World

Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.

The Lawrence school board will soon hear the school district’s many options to help balance its budget, including proposals to close an elementary school and eliminate several staff positions at schools.

During a special meeting on Monday, district administration will present a long list of possible budget-cutting opportunities to help the district respond to a $3.3 million shortfall expected in next school year’s budget. As the Journal-World previously reported, the district asked for the board to hold the work session to share with the public the proposals the district’s budget and program evaluation committee are considering.

The call for the work session came after public outcry regarding a recommendation to discontinue the district’s high school gymnastics program. It also comes after the district confirmed it is exploring the possibility to close New York Elementary School by phasing out standard K-12 education and repurposing the building as a Montessori school.

On Wednesday, the budget and program evaluation committee met to discuss its many broad proposals for cost savings, including “closing an elementary school,” the Journal-World reported.

The proposals also included reducing staff positions at several different levels, such as eliminating middle school assistant principals, executive director positions in the district administration and some coaching and fine arts leadership positions, among several other options.

Kathy Johnson, the district’s finance director who led the discussion, said the proposals were far from being approved. She said the school board would still need to vet them and then ultimately approve them.

The full list of proposals is listed in the meeting’s agenda posted on the district’s website, www.usd497.org.

Whether members of the public will be able to speak to the board about the proposals, as at least one parent has already asked for, is unclear. A district spokeswoman said work sessions generally did not include public comment, but she said it was up to the board’s discretion.

However, she said the public may also share their thoughts and concerns by emailing schoolboard@usd497.org.

The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the boardroom at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The meeting is open to the public, but the district may limit attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Those who attend will be required to wear masks. The district also encourages the public to watch the meeting on Midco channel 26 or online at youtube.com/USD497.