The state made good Wednesday on its $1.3 million late payment to the Lawrence school district.

Districts across the state received transfers that totaled $103 million  the second half of a school-finance payment due in mid-June. It was the fifth time in the 2001-2002 school year that the state was tardy sending funds to school districts.

“We got ours,” Supt. Randy Weseman said. “We dodged the reaper one more month.”

The lump-sum payments were significant to districts near Lawrence as well, including Baldwin’s $283,000, Tonganoxie’s $235,000 and Oskaloosa’s $138,000.

In Baldwin, Supt. Jim White delayed employee checks for two weeks because he lacked money in a reserve account to cover payroll. He was to release those checks Wednesday.

“This time of year,” he said, “the only payment you have left is paying out the salaries.”

Weseman said signs were that state officials would make “no guarantees” about meeting future school-finance obligations because of shortfalls in tax revenue collections.

The 2002 Legislature approved a $20 per-student increase in base aid to districts to $3,890. But that $12 million increase in state funding might not materialize during the 2002-2003 school year, he said.