Lawrence school board members looked like gawking tourists Monday as they shuffled through a half-dozen schools to examine building deficiencies.

It was an eye-opener for three new board members unfamiliar with the details of the school interiors.

It was a sad exercise for veteran board members who failed to muster enough voter support in April for a $59 million bond issue they thought addressed the shortcomings at district schools.

Leni Salkind, board vice president and a bond advocate, said viewing some of the disintegrating schools was like a bitter dose of dejvu.

No building evoked that sentiment more than Lawrence Alternative High School, which serves about 100 students in a brick building and several old trailers at Holcom Park, 2600 W. 25th St.

Salkind has been there many times.

“It’s just really sad,” Salkind said. “I feel bad going in there and knowing I can’t do anything.”

The bond would have financed a $6.8 million facility for alternative school students.

School board members Cindy Yulich, kneeling second from left, and Leni Salkind, standing at center, visit with Lindsey Abegg at Lawrence Alternative High School.

All four veteran board members — Austin Turney, Sue Morgan, Linda Robinson and Salkind — endorsed the bond. Cindy Yulich was the only new board member to support it.

“The problems didn’t go away when the bond issue failed,” Robinson said.

Leonard Ortiz and Rich Minder, elected to the board the same day the bond was crushed at the polls, said they came away from the tour convinced another bond should be floated to pay for facility improvements.

In the midst of the tour at South Junior High School, 2734 La., Ortiz said there was only one option there: “Replace this school.”

The bond contained $21.1 million for a new South at the current site.

Ortiz said he also was distressed that Cordley School, 1837 Vt., had upstairs classrooms inaccessible to people with disabilities. The school’s library is so tiny it doesn’t meet students’ needs, he said.

¢ 6News video: School board members get lesson on facilities

“It is completely discombobulated,” said Ortiz, who in April supported some projects included in the bond but thought the overall package was too large.

The bond would have pumped $4.6 million into Cordley upgrades.

The board Monday took a look at Cordley; Central, 1400 Mass., and South junior high schools; LAHS; Lawrence High School, 1901 La.; and the early-childhood facility at East Heights, 1430 Haskell Ave.

The second leg of the tour, on Wednesday, hits Deerfield, Langston Hughes and Sunflower schools, Southwest and West junior high schools, and Free State High School.