The owner of a typical $200,000 home in Lawrence will need to come up with approximately $50 more per year to pay property taxes, if voters approve two proposed school bonds on April 5.

Members of a new citizens group — Vote Yes for Lawrence Kids — kicked off their campaign for the $63 million in school improvements at a press conference Wednesday. Group members said the improvements — which would include replacing South Junior High and adding nearly $9 million worth of technology throughout the district — would come at a bargain price to taxpayers.

“If you have a $100,000 house, it will be slightly less than a cheeseburger a month,” said Erv Hodges, a former Lawrence mayor and one of four people who co-chair the citizens group. “If you have a $150,000 house, it will cost you a little less than a Big Mac per month.

“The people I know can accept that in their budgets very easily. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even notice it.”

Former school board member Alice Fowler, former Mayor Marty Kennedy and his wife, Patty Kennedy, also co-chair the Vote Yes group.

The group presented information prepared by the school district that estimates the $63 million in improvements would increase the district’s property tax rate by 2.25 mills from 46.72 mills to 48.97 mills. A mill is one dollar in property tax for every $1,000 in assessed property value.

According to school district figures, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an extra $25.88 per year in property taxes. The increase would be $38.81 for a $150,000 home, $51.75 for a $200,000 home, $64.69 for a $250,000 home and $77.63 for a $300,000 home.

Technology needs

Group members said if voters rejected the improvements, many students would be at a disadvantage because they would not have adequate access to important technology and would continue being taught in portable classrooms and at an outdated South Junior High School.

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“If we want to have facilities across the community that are comparable, the only way we can get that big work done is with a bond issue,” said Leni Salkind, board president, who, like every other school board member, is part of the advocacy group.

Group members also said now was a good time for the district to move forward with the bond issues. School district numbers show the district’s mill levy still would be the ninth lowest among 27 area school districts, if voters approve the improvements.

“And the longer we put off doing these things, the more expensive it gets,” Fowler said, noting that inflation could add upwards of 5 percent per year to construction costs. “This makes good, sound fiscal sense.”

Retrying after 2003 issue

Two years ago, voters rejected a $59 million bond issue that would have funded construction or renovation at 15 schools. But group members said they thought this year’s proposal would fare better, in part because the 2003 issue became linked with the issue of elementary school consolidation. That won’t be the case this time.

“The feeling I get from members of the community I have talked to is let’s get it done and let’s get it built,” Marty Kennedy said. “We need to keep our kids safe and provide them a quality learning environment.”

The bond issue two years ago spawned a citizens group to oppose the proposal. That group hasn’t come together again, nor has any other citizens group yet formed to oppose the issue.

Voters actually will be asked to decide the fate of two school bond issues April 5. Board members decided to break the issue into two parts. One part would provide $54 million in funding for improvements to Lawrence High, Free State High, Central Junior High, South Junior High, Southwest Junior High and West Junior High. The second question asks voters to approve $8.8 million in funding for technology improvements across the district.