Lawrence public schools just got better.

Earlier this month, voters overwhelmingly approved a pair of bond issues – one for $54 million, the other for $8.9 million – aimed at improving facilities and enhancing technology throughout the school district.

“This is great news for kids,” school board member Sue Morgan said. “These projects are going to serve kids for decades to come and, in the technology area, keep us moving forward.”

Three Lawrence architectural firms – Gould Evans Architects, Treanor Architects and GLPM Architects – have begun the projects’ design work.

The projects include:

• $31.9 million to raze and rebuild South Junior High School and improve Broken Arrow School, including asbestos removal, new special-education rooms and an art room. Cafeterias in each school will be reconfigured and connected with a shared kitchen. Portable classrooms at Broken Arrow will be eliminated.
• $16.7 million to add 35 junior high classrooms – six at Central, 16 at Southwest and 13 at West – modify or build gyms, and expand Southwest’s cafeteria. Portable classrooms at Central, Southwest and West will be eliminated.
• $5.4 million to renovate locker rooms and science labs, build a new entrance to the east gym and add space for three science labs at Lawrence High School and add labs for welding and other courses at Free State High School.
• $8.9 million to expand computer networks and buy nearly 2,000 laptop computers and software, providing wireless Internet access in all classrooms and offices in the district.

The bonds will increase property taxes within the school district by 2.25 mills. A mill is a tax of $1 per $1,000 assessed valuation.

Property tax on a $100,000 home would increase $2.16 per month; $3.23 per month on a $150,000 home; $4.31 per month on a $200,000 home.

“These aren’t the easiest of times to vote for a tax increase on yourself,” Morgan said. “But people obviously thought it was worth the investment, which, I think, is in keeping with traditional Lawrence. Lawrence has a long tradition of supporting kids.”

Voters rejected a similar bond issue in 2003, a defeat most observers blamed on its coinciding with a board decision to close Centennial and East Heights schools.

“The only opposition I heard was a few comments that, yes, it would raise taxes,” said Erv Hodges, co-chairman of the Vote Yes for Lawrence Kids campaign. “But I think it’s pretty clear the public recognized the need and realized that, really, it’s a very small increase. It’s fiscally responsible.”

It also will promote equity in facilities throughout the district, said board member Austin Turney.

“You don’t hear people talk about this much, but it’s something we’ve been working on for six years now,” Turney said. “We have standards now for things like lighting or ventilation or, in the winter, heat. We very much want them to be equal throughout the district.”

Several years ago, Turney noticed that art classroom facilities in elementary schools were considerably different. Some, he said, had ready access to water and kilns; others did not.

Many of the projects in the bond issue, he said, will reduce or eliminate these inequities.

“Whether you like property taxes or not, capital improvements are the one thing on the local level we still have local control over,” Turney said. “The fact that the bond issues passed and that they will benefit kids throughout the district in ways that we, as a community, want them to, I find tremendously encouraging.”

– Staff writer Dave Ranney can be reached

at 832-7222.