LAWRENCE, Kan. — Parents and teachers plan to rally to save schools ahead of Tuesday’s school board meeting in Lawrence.

Organizers say the rally is in response to a proposal by the district’s Futures Planning Committee to close two Lawrence elementary schools and one middle school. The proposal also calls for eliminating teaching positions and increasing class sizes to 28 middle school students and 30 high school students.

To help enforce their position, people who do not support the proposal will rally outside the Lawrence Education Support Center before Tuesday’s special meeting. The rally is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

The school district says one of the main issues behind the discussions is to increase salary and have competitive wages to retain teachers.

Lawrence schools have been facing dwindling enrollment because of COVID-19 according to the district. Fewer students equals less funding.

The school district closed Kennedy Early Childhood Center in 2021 to help meet budgetary needs.

The district’s Futures Planning Committee will make its final recommendations to the Lawrence Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday.

The school board then plans to vote on committee’s proposal during its meeting Monday, Feb. 27.