Members of the Lawrence school board agreed Monday to lease a 12,000-square-foot warehouse near Walmart and Home Depot, a move to help the district save at least $100,000 in annual expenses by purchasing canned fruits, cleaning supplies and copy paper by the truckload instead of smaller quantities.

The district will pay $4.20 per square foot, or $4,200 a month, to lease the building at 1811 W. 31st St. The lease rate is nearly 30 percent less than the rate that had been advertised by the building’s owner.

While the lease will be paid through the district’s Food Services Department, the ability to buy items in bulk will allow the district to save money on other items as well, including those assigned to the district’s General Fund.

In other action Monday, board members:

• Approved the hiring of G. Keith Wilson as principal for the Lawrence Virtual School.

• Agreed to buy two delivery trucks and two pickup trucks (which also are used for plowing snow), from Laird Noller Automotive, for a total of $102,508.