Plans show additions and improvements to the first floor of Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana St.

Two longtime Lawrence residents have launched a campaign in support of the school district’s $87 million bond issue.

The Vote Yes for Lawrence Schools Committee is chaired by Lawrence High School alumnus Martin Moore and former LHS assistant principal Willie Amison.

“I’m here because I think that it’s a very worthwhile venture to promote the notion of doing a better job for all schools in Lawrence public schools,” said Amison, who is now an academic adviser for the University of Kansas Center for Educational Opportunity.

Moore and Amison are looking for members of the community to join the committee to support the bond issue, which will fund improvements to the district’s secondary schools. Moore said those improvements are long overdue, especially for LHS.

“The bond issue has a lot to do with things that need to happen at Lawrence High, and that’s important to us and it’s important to our community,” said Moore, who graduated from LHS in 1976 and is now president of Advanco, a local real estate development company.

Close to 60 percent of the funds from the bond issue, or $50.8 million, will go toward construction and renovation at LHS, which is more than 60 years old. The remaining $36.2 million will go toward construction and renovation at the district’s other secondary schools. That includes the district’s four middle schools, Free State High School and the Lawrence College and Career Center.

If approved, the bond issue would increase the district’s mill levy by about 2.4 mills, or about $55 tax per year for the owner of a $200,000 home. The school district vote could be followed by other local ballot measures in the next couple of years. The Douglas County Commission may seek a tax increase for a jail expansion and crisis intervention center project. In addition, the Lawrence City Commission could ask voters to renew a .55 percent sales tax that is set to expire at the end of 2018.

The district’s recent $92.5 million bond issue, passed in 2013, went largely toward the district’s elementary schools, particularly the older schools in central and eastern Lawrence. School Board President Marcel Harmon said that school facilities are a critical tool for teachers, but that upkeep to K-12 facilities tends to get neglected in many districts.

“This has built up, not just in Lawrence but across the nation,” Harmon said. “And we dealt with that at the elementary level, and now we get the opportunity to deal with it at our high schools, particularly Lawrence High, and our middle schools.”

Upgrades planned as part of the $87 million bond issue include classroom additions, modernization of libraries, building infrastructure upgrades, energy-efficient upgrades, and safety and security improvements. Small common spaces for group work will also be added to all schools.

LHS would see upgrades to its mechanical, electrical, plumbing and roofing systems, as well as renovations to the annex, auditorium, gym, fine arts, and career and technical education areas. In addition to enlarged hallways and classrooms, the hallway on the eastern side of the building would be expanded to connect to the annex and enclose what is currently an open campus.

Moore said anyone interested in joining the committee can attend a campaign kickoff meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Bioscience and Technology Business Center, 2029 Becker Drive.

Ballots for the school district’s $87 million bond issue will be mailed to registered voters in the district April 12 and must be received at the Douglas County Clerk’s Office by May 2. Those who aren’t yet registered must do so by April 11 in order to receive a ballot.