Funding the fields: How the 2005 bond comes into play

After the Lawrence school board approved construction of athletic facilities at Lawrence High School, Free State High School and Lawrence Virtual School, comments on the live-blog entry I wrote from the meetingasked just how the district could use funds left over from a 2005 bond issue.The bond requested no more than $54.1 million to “construct additions to and renovate, furnish and equip existing junior high and high school(s),” as well as to build a new South Junior High.As the school board noted, money left over from the bond has grown to be more than $4 million. In January, the board voted to designate $2.4 million of the remaining funds to the High School Outdoor Athletic Facilities (HSOAF). On Monday, the district requested an additional $1.4 million of the bond. The board thus approved $3.8 million of that to be used to build the fields, citing the clause that the funds were designated for secondary school improvement.I’ve included an image of the bond issue here. Have a look for yourself.!