The Lawrence school district is cramming for a political test that could be worth more than $4 million a year — provided that Douglas County commissioners, state legislators and, ultimately, county voters give it passing grades.

Commissioners voted Wednesday night to pursue legislation to give the county permission to conduct an election that could give schools a financial boost.

At the urging of the county’s three home-based public school districts, commissioners are asking state legislators to allow the county to seek approval for a half-cent countywide sales tax. The county would need special permission because it already has reached its lawful sales-tax limit.

The additional tax, were it approved by voters, would be expected to pour $5.8 million a year into eight school districts that have students living in the county.

The Lawrence district would get the most — about $4.2 million, money that likely would be used to spare counseling programs, nursing services, extracurricular activities and other programs most likely to face cuts in the scramble to make up for shrinking revenues and finance compliance with growing federal mandates.

“We’re a successful system,” said Sue Morgan, a board member. “Will that continue if we don’t have the resources? … No, I don’t think it will. We have a good system, and to maintain it will require resources. I don’t think starving it will maintain what we’ve got.”

‘Knee-jerk reaction’

Morgan’s appeal came under a line of critical questions from Commissioner Jere McElhaney, who has opposed the pursuit of a schools sales tax and was the lone commissioner to vote against the idea later Wednesday night.

McElhaney told board members Morgan, Cindy Yulich and Austin Turney that they were doing their job well by advocating for students. But commissioners, McElhaney said, have the wider responsibility of advocating for taxpayers, who are facing tight budgets of their own as the economy slips.

“Taking $5 million out of the community on a sales tax is a lot of money,” McElhaney said. “Just because there’s a dip in the (economy) doesn’t mean we have to make a knee-jerk reaction to bail us out of a problem.”

But Bob Johnson, commission chairman, and Commissioner Charles Jones both said that the idea was worth a shot.

Johnson based his support on the idea that board members from the Lawrence, Baldwin and Eudora districts all had agreed to ask for such an election.

“They are representing the people as much as I do,” Johnson said. “I don’t think I can stand in the way of the will of the people.”

‘Let’s not lose’

Jones long has argued that schools need financial help. His main concern now is that district officials come up with a spending plan so convincing that neither the Legislature nor county voters could turn it away.

Jones wants supporters to organize polls and conduct other political research to ensure that the high-stakes effort doesn’t get wasted.

“Let’s not lose,” he said.

Added Johnson: “This is not an issue we can afford to lose. It has the potential of sending a very, very bad message to the state. It would be awful to put to the people a vote that they could not support.”

Whether the concept even has a fighting chance in Topeka remains unclear. Three legislators — Sen. Mark Buhler, R-Lawrence; Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence; and Rep. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin — attended the meeting but had nothing to add to the formal discussion.

After the meeting, Buhler said he would work hard to carry the message to his fellow legislators in January. But he wouldn’t forecast its chances.

“Every step from here on out becomes more difficult,” said Buhler, a former commissioner. “We’ll do our best.”