Lawrence USD 497

Find us at facebook.com/LawrencePublic…, instagram.com/usd497/ and youtube.com/usd497.

Our schools will be closed Mon., Jan. 6, due to weather-related safety concerns. All school activities are canceled. All district buildings will be closed. Only staff with weather-related or time-sensitive duties will report to work in consultation with their supervisor.

The board's Boundary Advisory Committee postponed next week's public input sessions. It wants more time to request, receive, review, & incorporate into its boundary proposals a demographics consultant’s enrollment & boundary analysis & mapping assistance. usd497.org/Boundaries

Join us this week in Downtown Lawrence for a brown bag lunch conversation about your experiences with our schools. What is going well? What needs improvement? Help us plan for the future! We hope to see you from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the @lawrencelibrary auditorium.

IMMEDIATE NEED: @lawrenceks seeks a crossing guard at 27th & Wildflower for Sunflower & Southwest Middle School. Support our kids! Work a little bit; make a big difference! Contact Express Employment Professionals, 785-749-7550, to apply. Must like smiles & high fives.

Review the board’s agenda at usd497.org/SchoolBoard. Email PublicComment@usd497.org by 6 p.m. Monday to participate. Attend the meeting at 110 McDonald Drive or watch it at usd497.org/Webstream or Midco Ch. 26.

The school board meets at 6 p.m. Monday to hear an equity report for the 2023-2024 school year, consider contracting with RSP & Associates for analysis of high school Boundary Advisory Committee proposals, and to meet in executive session about non-elected personnel matters.

Young entrepreneurs, turn your ideas into cash prizes! Learn how Friday.

Review the board’s agenda at usd497.org/SchoolBoard. Email PublicComment@usd497.org by 6 p.m. Tuesday to participate. Attend the meeting at 110 McDonald Drive or watch it at usd497.org/Webstream or Midco Ch. 26.

The board moved its Mon. meeting to Tues. in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day. The board will meet at 6 p.m. Tues. to, fittingly, hear an update about Native American Student Services that support American Indian/Alaska Native students, who make up about 5% of district enrollment.

Our thanks to the students, staff, parents, & community members who joined us last night in conversation about their school experiences. We’d love to visit with you from 6:00-7:30 p.m. October 29, @LMCentralMiddle. Please complete our survey at usd497.org/Superintendent

Tomorrow's Boundary Advisory Committee meeting time has been changed to 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Facilities and Operations Office, 711 E. 23rd St.

Join us in conversation 6-7:30 p.m. tomorrow at @BMMSCougars. All are welcome! Share your experiences with our schools - the strengths & celebrations, challenges & opportunities, & priorities for the future. Unable to attend? Find our schedule & survey at: usd497.org/Superintendent

Our third-fifth graders are headed to "New Orleans" today & tomorrow via the @liedcenterks to learn about the history and development of jazz from its origins in Congo Square to the present. Thank you, Lied Center and Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards.

Share your thoughts & experiences as we plan for the future of our schools. Join us 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 for a Community Conversation at @BMMSCougars. The Special Ed. Adv. Comm. will co-host. Go to usd497.org/Superintendent for full schedule, to sign up to host, & to take our survey.

Thanks to @lhsroom308 for featuring @LPSSuperSwift on The Lion’s Roar. Great job, Ethan & Connor.

Review the board’s agenda at usd497.org/SchoolBoard. Email PublicComment@usd497.org by 6 p.m. Monday to participate. Attend the meeting at 110 McDonald Drive or watch it at usd497.org/Webstream or Midco Ch. 26.

The school board meets at 6 p.m. Monday to discuss approving a search process for selecting a long-term superintendent, hear an architectural evaluation of secondary school performing arts facilities, and review a draft list of 2025 legislative priorities.

Important School Calendar Reminder: There is no school Wednesday for our early childhood programs and students in Grades K-5 due to a staff professional learning day.

After reviewing a needs assessment & school improvement goals, the board approved a 2024-25 budget of $215,698,464, based on 52.252 mills, up .042 from last year. Maximum budget authorities are set high to provide flexibility to address needs & do not reflect expected spending.