A keen eye toward planning in the past is putting the Lawrence school district in good standing, financially speaking, to propose a bond issue, financial advisers say.

The district is in a fortunate position in terms of its borrowing capacity, said Dave Arteberry, senior vice president with George K. Baum & Co. The company has assisted the district with past bond issues.

“The district has been prudent and cautious on when they borrow money,” he said. “The bonds they have had, the district has paid off quickly over a 10- to 20-year period of time.”

Arteberry will provide a look at the district’s financial status and outlook during the school board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the district office, 110 McDonald Drive. The presentation will be made during the board members’ discussion of a bond issue.

Lawrence Supt. Randy Weseman said the financial report, which reviews the district’s debt, sounded like it would be positive for the district.

“The capacity to have a bond issue is there,” he said. “This will be a matter for the community to decide. The question for the public is going to be will they want to borrow money to fix up buildings?”

In April 2003, district voters rejected a $59 million bond issue that would have made improvements at 15 schools.

While ideas and opinions have been tossed around for a new bond referendum, details of what will be included haven’t been nailed down. But it has been said the bond issue could be from $40 million to $45 million.

Arteberry said that based on a quick assessment, people who own a house appraised at $100,000 in the Lawrence school district would pay $23 more in property tax if a $50 million bond issue passed.

“What’s nice right now for Lawrence schools is they are in a situation where in the next three to four years, the amount owed on existing bonds drops in half,” Arteberry said.

The district had $50 million in outstanding bonds as of June 2003. That’s 6.5 percent of the district’s $775 million in assessed valuation.

Based on Arteberry’s assessment, bond payments should drop from about $8 million to $5 million by 2009, and current bonds should be paid off by 2016.

Dale Dennis, deputy commissioner in the division of fiscal and administrative services for the Kansas State Department of Education, said the district’s percentage of debt was low in comparison to other school districts. While Lawrence has about 6.5 percent, the average bond debt for school districts is 11.6 percent of their assessed valuation.

“What that means is you don’t owe very much compared to other districts,” Dennis said.