photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Lawrence school district offices building, located at 110 McDonald Dr., is pictured in May 2025.

Lawrence school board members will consider approving the board’s legislative priorities on Monday, emphasizing its commitment to closing opportunity gaps for students and preparing them for college and careers.

Each year, the board revises the legislative priorities statement for the Lawrence school district and creates the basis for advocacy efforts and informing its legislative partners of the greatest needs in the district. The priorities also provide guidance to the community about the board’s positions on key legislative matters at the state level.

For the 2026 legislative session, the district is urging Kansas lawmakers to prioritize policies that uphold equity and adequate funding for public education. The district’s leading priority is for the state to meet its legal obligation to fully fund special education, ensuring that all students with individualized education programs receive the services they need.

In addition, the district urges the state to increase base state aid per pupil funding so that public schools have the resources to meet educational standards and fairly compensate their employees. The district is also calling for legislators to reject any proposals that divert public tax dollars to private education, including vouchers, tuition tax credits and education savings accounts, as these measures undermine the public school system.

Other priorities include: rejecting calls to limit what teachers can teach and what materials they use to teach, repealing and rejecting discriminatory statutes that target students and staff and compromise their safety, and providing free meals for all students.

The district has also identified five major goals: creating cohesive curriculum, having the resources for students to reach their full academic potential, ensuring safe & supportive schools, improving pay and recruitment of employees, and data-informed decisions.

In other business, school board members will:

• Receive an update on Community Connections at Pinckney, a facility that houses specialized programs such as the Community Transition Program, C-Tran, for young adults ages 18-21, therapeutic classrooms and an alternative suspension program. The site focuses on helping students build independent living and social skills while supporting their transition into adulthood.

• Consider approving a contract between the school district and Behavior Health Allies for the 2025-2026 school year in the amount of $270,000. The contract will provide special education services documented in a students’ individual education plan.

• Hold two executive sessions: the first to discuss potential litigation with the district’s legal counsel, with no action to follow; and the second to address personnel matters involving non-elected personnel, with possible action to follow.

The board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. Residents who want to share comments with the board may sign up in advance by emailing PublicComment@usd497.org by noon Monday and may participate in person or via Webex video/phone conferencing. The meeting will also be available via the school district’s YouTube channel.