Lakeland trustees focus on levy ballot wording, four‑day week survey and budget rules; several items tabled

At a regularly scheduled Lakeland School District Board of Trustees meeting, trustees spent much of the session on funding and governance issues, including finalizing language for an upcoming levy ballot, reviewing parent survey results on a possible four‑day school week and directing staff to tighten procurement and budgeting language.

The board voted to approve revised ballot language that separates co‑curricular programs from athletics so voters can clearly see what each paragraph would maintain. A board member proposed that the paragraphs be explicitly titled “Co‑curricular” and “Athletics” to avoid confusion; the board approved moving the revised language forward for the ballot process.

Superintendent Arnold summarized a district parent survey on a proposed four‑day school week, saying, “According to the survey, it appears that the parents are in favor of doing a 4 day school week based on 1,237 yes responses and 608 no responses.” Trustees debated whether to make a decision before the May levy vote or delay, noting the change is politically sensitive during an active levy campaign. The superintendent told trustees she would return proposed bell schedules for elementary, middle and high schools and options for district‑run childcare sites on Fridays so the board could evaluate operational impacts before taking final action.

Trustees also discussed district…