Saturday, April 26, 2025
Lawrence school district unveiled their proposed budget for the 2025-2026 school year at their monthly Board of Education meeting, on March 10. This year’s budget bigger costs include — impact of contractual obligations including health insurance, maintaining successful educational programs and opportunities for the students transportation costs, officials said.
Capital projects are also planned should the preliminary fiscal plan be approved, including continuation of building upgrades and HVAC installation at the Broadway campus (phases five through eight), updating the weight room at Lawrence High School and the Federal Emergency Management project: $75 million for construction of a seawall that will be built above the flood line elevation, surrounding the entire high school campus.
8,256 students:
Though the district forecasts an enrollment of 2,106 — 150 at the Early Childhood Center, 459 in the elementary school, 720 at the high school, 315 in the middle school and 462 at the primary school — As mandated by the state, Lawrence also has to make provisions for 6,150 non-public school students. “We roll up the grades and exit out the current 12th grade and then predict the kindergarten numbers based on the pre-k programs,” Jeremy Feder, assistant superintendent for business and operations, said.
No tax levy increase:
If approved by the district residents — voting on May 20 — it will be the seventh consecutive year of a no tax levy increase, officials said there would be no cuts to academic programming. The tax levy — the amount of money the school district collects in taxes — remains the same at $85.95 million. “You increase tax levy as needed and there was no need because the restoration in foundation aid allowed us to keep the tax levy at zero,” Feder said.
2.55 percent budget increase:
The tentative budget is $104.5 million, a 2.55 percent spending increase from the current budget at $101.99 million.
The larger increases were seen in salaries at $1 million, half a million for building maintenance, $300,000 for aides, $250,000 in legal expenses, $150,000 for security and $100,000 for textbooks. Overall the transportation budget is now $11.5 million
The district received $2.5 million in state aid.
“Staff changes brought in by retirement planning plus the fact that last year when we had to create our budget we had a state foundation aid decrease which was subsequently restored so that brought us this year back to a healthy 2.5 percent, due to the reinstating of the foundation aid,” Feder said
Phases five through eight:
Phases five through eight are apart of an extensive renovation of the 199 Broadway Campus in Lawrence, which also houses the district’s elementary school. In an eight-part construction plan, the first to undergo work was the auditorium at the middle school. These four phases encompass renovating and adding more classrooms. Feder said, the district has allocated between $7.5 million and $10 million for construction and renovation projects in the past six years as part of its capital budget.
The Board of Education will hold its budget hearing on May 6 in the cafeteria at Lawrence High School, at 2 Reilly Road, in Cedarhurst at 8 p.m. Voting on the budget is May 20 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
