Lawrence School Board to keep all schools open
In a 5-2 vote Monday night the Lawrence School Board decided to keep all of the city’s elementary schools open next year. The vote ends more than two years of heated debate and study over the issue of consolidating Lawrence schools. Board members can now turn their focus to passing a bond through the Lawrence community to fund the repairs and renovations at several district facilities.
The two “no” votes were cast by Bob Byers and Shannon Kimball. They both admitted that the district has enough money to keep all of the schools open this year, but the uncertainty coming from the Brownback administration over school finance could change that in the future. The two said closing more schools may have been the best way to prepare the district for more budget cuts.
Before the board can begin discussing a bond issue, the district plans to spend the next three to four months examining their aging facilities to identify the most pressing needs.