Jessica Lamer and Caitlin Shanks are on opposite ends of the rope in the Lawrence school district’s tug of war between cola giants Pepsi and Coke.

Lamer, a 17-year-old senior at Lawrence High School, says she sees no reason to change the exclusive deal Coca-Cola has to supply soda to LHS.

Shanks, a junior at the high school, insists it is time to return Pepsi to the school’s vending machines.

“I want to have the vanilla Pepsi here,” Shanks said. “It’s a lot better than Vanilla Coke.”

The Lawrence school board has struggled for a couple of years with questions of health and economics related to vending machine sales in the district’s junior high and high schools.

The board will grapple again with the topic Monday because it’s time to negotiate new soda contracts with suppliers.

“I think we’re going to anticipate a lively discussion,” said Kathy Johnson, the district’s budget director.

She will outline options for the board:

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• Keep the current system of negotiating exclusive contracts with Pepsi or Coke at each school.
• Negotiate a contract with a single supplier for the entire district.
• Discontinue exclusive contracting and hire a private vendor to stock beverages selected by the district.

For the past year, vending machines at Central, South and West junior high schools have contained only Pepsi products. The other secondary schools in the district have been Coke’s domain.

The Lawrence School Board is to negotiate new soda contracts with suppliers. School administrators, students and boosters are split on how the contracts should be settled.

Lawrence elementary students can’t buy soft drinks in school.

The stakes are high in the district’s beverage debate. Coke and Pepsi collectively sold 145,900 bottles or cans of soda during the 2002-2003 school year at the seven Lawrence secondary schools. Sales commissions to the schools totaled $54,900.

Free State High School and LHS both sold more than 55,000 units of Coke and pulled down at least $20,000 in commissions.

Helen Seeley, sponsor of the Lions’ Den at LHS, said the board ought to return to the practice of delegating decisions about soft-drink contracts to each school building.

Removing Pepsi from LHS reduced revenue needed for student business and marketing programs, she said.

“We currently have a gaping hole in our revenue,” she said. “By returning to a multiple vendor system … revenues would increase, due to our meeting marketing demand.”

Johnson said each option carried positives and negatives.

While an exclusive, multiyear contract with a single company could generate more money for the district, is that type of corporate marketing appropriate for public schools?

While teachers and students enjoy soft drinks, should consequences of marketing empty-calorie drinks prompt the board to remove certain products from schools?

Finally, how should revenue from sales be used?

“I think accountability is the key,” she said. “It’s important that we are accountable and are good stewards of the money we’re receiving.”

Discussion of soft-drink contracts will occur at a board meeting starting 7 p.m. Monday in district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive.