photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Lawrence school board approved the budget for 2024-2025 on Monday, September 9, 2024.

The Lawrence school board approved a budget for 2024-2025 with a property tax rate with a slight increase compared to last year.

On Monday, school board members unanimously approved a budget of $215,698,464 with a mill levy of 52.252 mills. This represents a 0.042-mill increase from last year’s rate. For a $300,000 home, this increase would mean an addition of $1.45 in annual property taxes. During the public hearings, no community members spoke prior to the budget’s approval.

For the 2024-2025 budget, the mill levy remains at the same maximum amount approved on Aug. 26. School districts typically set their maximum budget authority high to provide flexibility in meeting district needs and to maximize state aid, and this levy could not exceed that approved limit. These maximums do not reflect the expected spending.

According to the agenda, the decision was based on the school district’s needs assessment, state review and board discussions. Key factors included academic performance and progress at each school, district curriculum, staffing, facility requirements and other crucial elements for student success.

The board also authorized a local option budget of 33% for the 2024-2025 budget. This is a supplemental budget that allows school districts in Kansas to add funds to their operating expenses in addition to the state aid they receive. According to the agenda, an annual resolution needs to be passed each year to specify the percentage the board will be using for their budget.

In other business, school board members:

* Heard Interim Superintendent Jeanice Swift give her first superintendent report, where she said she has enjoyed starting to get acquainted with Lawrence. Swift also encouraged community members to get involved with fall community engagement.

She outlined the fall community engagement efforts, which include inviting the community to public meetings and participating in local events. Additionally, the district will distribute an online survey to collect further input.

“We want to hear from everyone in the community,” Swift said. “We will use what we hear and learn in our conversations to inform and align our work with the thoughts and direction, experience, needs, and aspirations of our students and staff, parents, families, and greater community.”

Many of the board members also welcomed Swift’s arrival to the Lawrence school district. Board member Bob Byers echoed their welcomes and said Swift has been working hard since her start date on Aug. 30.

“I want to welcome Dr. Swift. I appreciate that you hit the ground running,” Byers said. “My motto when I was working every day was keep moving. I really love that you came in and stayed in motion. I really believe that with our interim, we are moving and will continue to move forward throughout the year.”

* Heard School Board President Kelly Jones make a statement asking Kansas legislators to support “firearm safety protocols such as closing the background check loophole and bans on certain assault weapons” after a shooting occurred last Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Georgia, killing two students and two teachers.

“Schools cannot carry the burden of safety on their own,” Jones said. “Community policies must address the presence of an access to deadly weapons in our community, locally, where we have seen loss here in Lawrence of our students to gun violence recently … we’re asking and begging please enact sensible gun laws.”

“Stop making us ask,” Jones said.

Swift also said that she engaged with members of the local Be SMART organization during the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s Kids Expo on Aug. 10. She emphasized the key messages of Be SMART, which include securing all firearms in homes and vehicles, modeling responsible firearm behavior, inquiring about the presence of unsecured firearms in other households, and acknowledging the role of firearms in suicide.

* Authorized the administration to begin settlement discussions for a workers’ compensation case, with the settlement amount capped at $30,000. According to the agenda, this recommendation is based upon the statutory guidelines. As the proposed settlement amount is over $20,000, it requires approval from the school board. The administration requested permission to negotiate with the employee to settle the case.

* Approved the Employee Assistance Program with New Directions Behavioral Health for $47,550.72. Since September 2011, Lawrence Public Schools has offered this confidential, work-based program, which provides employees with free support for personal challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and work-life balance.

The agenda said that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas will fully finance the EAP program as part of their wellness benefit. Therefore, the district will have no expenses for the program this year.

The board also met for two executive sessions during the meeting to discuss personnel matters, with Swift, Larry Englebrick, deputy superintendent; Kristen Ryan, executive director of human resources; and Ron May, director of human resources and safety, invited to be present. The board took action after the first meeting, but the nature of the action was unclear as the agenda was not updated and board members did not elaborate at the meeting.