The first day of classes went off with few hitches, despite some substantial changes since this past spring, Lawrence school district officials said Wednesday.

“We were hustling the last few days, but we were ready for the kids,” said Tom Bracciano, division director of facilities and operations.

Bracciano said projects such as relocating furniture from Riverside, Centennial and East Heights schools, which were closed at the end of the 2002-2003 year, plus projects such as refinishing gym floors, working on air conditioners in West Junior High School and moving departments at Lawrence High School had him worried for a while that buildings would not be ready for the first day of classes.

All the projects were finished on time, however, and he said that the first day was a success from a facilities standpoint.

Wednesday also was a success on the transportation side of the ledger, said Rick Gammill, the district’s director of special operations, transportation and safety.

He said he received just one bus-related call all day — a child was left behind on Glacier Avenue. He said the problem had been because of a new driver and was quickly remedied.

“Everything ran like clockwork,” he said.

Facilities and buses will get a more thorough test today. Wednesday, only students in grades one through seven and 10 were in class. They’ll be joined today by most of their counterparts in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The first full day of school for all students will be Monday, when the district will take its unofficial headcount. Early indications are that the district will show a fourth consecutive year of declining enrollment.