Rich Minder likes to use a toolbox analogy when talking about problems facing Lawrence schools.

In his toolbox are instruments with names like “boundary issues” and “transfer policies” — even one called “combination classrooms.”

“All of these tools can be thought of as things that you use together,” said Minder, one of eight school board candidates who will be looking for votes on April 1. “We don’t just grab one tool called ‘closing small elementary schools.'”

Minder, 44, is against a $59 million bond issue proposed by the board that eliminates two low-enrollment elementary schools — East Heights and Centennial — while pouring $12.8 million into expansion projects at nine others. The school board made a mistake in proposing the bond issue before considering other options, he said.

“I’m certainly not opposed to a well-considered bond issue at the proper time,” he said. “But this is the wrong bond issue at the wrong time.”

A collaborative projects coordinator for Success by 6 Coalition of Douglas County, Minder earned 10.78 percent of the primary vote.

He moved to Lawrence three years ago when his wife, Vicki Penner, became pastor of Peace Mennonite Church. Their two children are in a preschool program at New York School.

He has a master’s degree in urban planning and design from the University of Pittsburgh, and he’s co-founder and current treasurer of Delaware Street Commons, a Lawrence residential development that eventually will contain 28 homes.

His career reflects his community-minded values, which Minder hopes to bring to the board.

“Neighborhoods have their little own small culture,” he said, adding that such cultures are boosted by nearby schools.

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He said East Heights could serve as a model of how to teach economically disadvantaged students — unless it’s combined with New York, a move he doesn’t think would free up a significant amount of resources.

“Suddenly now we’re going to start teaching these kids where before we weren’t because we combined them?” he asked. “That just doesn’t compute to me.”

Instead of pouring money into new buildings, Minder said he would like to see the district invest in neglected areas.

“Right now it feels like what we’re doing is we’re saying, ‘Let’s invest our resources so we can eliminate waste,'” he said. “And I think there’s a more positive way to think about making investments to attract customers, and attract families to come and enroll their kids there.”

While Minder is against linking the bond issue to consolidations, he does support some proposed improvements.

For example, he agrees that South Junior High School needs to be replaced, Lawrence High School needs improvements and other buildings need to be made to meet standards set by the American Disabilities Act.

And while he would like to see money saved by eliminating small duplicative classes and wasteful administration, he advocates spending more on intensive reading instruction and early child development.

“If we invest in resources in the first three years of life, we really can make a huge difference in later school success, and that pays off,” he said.