The Lawrence school board is backing away from a plan to seek a half-cent, countywide sales tax increase to be divvied up among all the county’s school districts.

Instead, board members are considering a city-only sales tax increase with all proceeds going to the Lawrence district.

The board’s retreat from the plan to seek the half-cent county tax for schools came after criticism from key members of the Kansas Legislature. Lawmakers must give Douglas County permission to conduct a county sales tax vote, while a citywide sales tax vote doesn’t require the state’s consent.

“This is the leaner way to do it,” said Randy Weseman, schools superintendent.

The Lawrence school board is expected to discuss in October options for spending the estimated $5.2 million that could be generated each year for the school district from an increase in Lawrence’s sales tax.

Mayor David Dunfield said he would be willing to put a sales tax proposal on the City Commission’s agenda. A 4-1 vote of the commission would be required to put the measure on a ballot for approval by voters.

Before a countywide sales tax is dropped, the school board and City Commission must reach agreement on a sales-tax measure. It’s possible a city sales tax could go to a public vote in November. If approved, tax revenue could begin reaching the Lawrence district in 2004.

It’s likely Douglas County schools wouldn’t have received revenue from a countywide tax until 2005.

“I would like to see us get it the quickest way we possibly can and the way we think has the best chance of clearing the hurdles,” said Sue Hack, a city commissioner.

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Linda Robinson, Lawrence school board member, said opposition at the state level made the citywide tax a better option from a tactical perspective. Nonetheless, gaining voter approval of a city or county sales tax for education would be a difficult challenge, she predicted.

“Times are hard economically,” Robinson said. “People are concerned about the continuation of the war in Iraq.”

She said another reason to sidestep a countywide sales tax vote was opposition expressed by Jere McElhaney, a Douglas County commissioner. He said the county’s voters should avoid adopting a sales tax for public schools.

At least two superintendents leading districts that would have received benefit from a countywide sales tax were dissatisfied with the Lawrence school board’s move toward a citywide tax.

“We’re obviously disappointed that they took that action, but we realized that it was an option,” said Jim White, Baldwin’s superintendent.

Marty Kobza, superintendent of Eudora schools, said a sales tax that only subsidized Lawrence schools would be a challenge for some Douglas County residents to accept.

“It is hard to explain to the community of Eudora, who patronizes the business in Lawrence, why a sales tax they pay in Lawrence will benefit only the students in Lawrence,” he said.

Steve Johnston, superintendent of the Perry-Lecompton district, said the district hadn’t built revenue from a sales tax into its long-range budget plans.

“Quite frankly,” he said, “we weren’t counting on it.”

A countywide tax could bring in $5.8 million annually for the seven districts serving Douglas County residents. Lawrence would receive about $4.1 million of that total, with Baldwin and Eudora receiving about $500,000 each.

Eliminating more than $1 million in student fees and beginning all-day kindergarten are Weseman’s priorities if the half-cent city sales tax is passed.

“We need to roll back fees … and entertain the notion of better programs for students,” Weseman said.

Weseman said sales tax revenue could replace about $1.2 million in fees charged students for bus transportation, textbook rental and other services.

It would cost the district about $800,000 to hire enough teachers for an all-day kindergarten program, he said. The cost of renovating or adding kindergarten classroom space is unknown.

In recent years, budget woes led the Lawrence school board to raise fees and eliminate all-day kindergarten at a half-dozen elementary schools.

Kansas University journalism student Lindsay Kiliper contributed to this report.