Wording of the two bond issues:
Information on the
Proposition One:
Shall the following be adopted?
Shall Unified School District No. 497,
Douglas County, Kansas (Lawrence),
issue general obligation bonds in an
amount not to exceed $54,100,000, to
pay the costs to (i) construct additions
to and renovate, furnish and equip
existing junior high and high schools;
(ii) demolish the existing South Junior
High School, construct, furnish and
equip a new South Junior High School
on land adjacent to Broken Arrow
Elementary and construct additions to
and renovate, furnish and equip
Broken Arrow Elementary School and
(iii) make all other necessary and
related improvements, all pursuant to
the provisions of K.S.A. 10-101 et.
seq., K.S. A. 25-2018(f) and K.S.A. 72-
6761?
To vote in favor of any question
submitted on this ballot, darken the
oval to the left of the word “Yes.” To
vote against it, darken the oval to the
left of the word “No.”
○ YES
○ NO
Proposition Two:
Shall the following be adopted?
Shall Unified School District No. 497,
Douglas County, Kansas (Lawrence),
issue general obligation bonds in an
amount not to exceed $8,900,000, to
pay the costs to furnish and equip
school facilities by purchasing,
constructing and installing new and
upgraded computer and
communication technology, all
pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A.
10-101 et. seq., K.S. A. 25-2018(f) and
K.S.A. 72-6761?
To vote in favor of any question
submitted on this ballot, darken the
oval to the left of the word “Yes.” To
vote against it, darken the oval to the
left of the word “No.”
○ YES
○ NO
2005 USD 497
School Bond Ballot
Issues
Compiled by the
League of Women Voters
of Lawrence–Douglas County
P.O. Box 1072
Lawrence, KS 66044
email: league@sunflower.com
The League of Women
Voters, a non-partisan
political organization,
encourages the
informed and active
participation of citizens
in government, works to increase
understanding of major public policy
issues, and influences public policy
through education and advocacy.
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more about local elections, visit our website at
http://community.lawrence.com/LeagueWomenVoters
B a c k g r o u n d . In November 2001, USD 497
Board of Education hired DLR Group, an
Overland Park consulting firm, to perform a
comprehensive educational facilities study and
formulate a 20-year facility improvement plan for
the District. The consultants inspected existing
facilities for needs and met with stakeholder
groups, including administrators, teachers,
parents, and community members, before
presenting their recommendations to the Board
in October 2002. The Board combined selected
elements into a $59 million proposal that came
before the voters in April 2003. The 2003 bond
issue was defeated with only 45% supporting its
passage, partly because there was controversy
over the perceived coupling of the bond’s success
with closure of two elementary schools.
The current Board of Education has selected
elements for two proposals that would be funded
by two separate bond issues. USD 497 has a
contract with the DLR Group oversee the seven
construction projects included in the proposed
$54 million bond issue (Proposition One). Under
the contract, DLR will be paid 3.5 percent of the
construction costs, not the total bond amount.
Construction costs are estimated at $40.7 million
of the proposed $54 million. Payment is
contingent upon passage of the bond issue.
USD 497 asserts that its priorities are on
increasing student safety, replacing portables
with classroom additions, and on improving
equity in facilities and access to technology
throughout the district. If successful, the bonds
will free up capital outlay money to address
needs in elementary school facilities. The
Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the
Lawrence Education Association have endorsed
both bond issues.
B o n d i n d e b t e d n e s s . At $63 million,
adoption of both bond issues would be the
largest in USD 497 history, bringing the District’s
bonded indebtedness to over $114 million, or
13.78% of the assessed valuation of its property.
But how would that compare with other Kansas
school districts? Data were not available for
2004, but as of July 2003, 185 of 304 districts
reported outstanding bond debts. Districts
varied widely in size and the size of their debt.
However, debts ranged from 0.2–68% of assessed
valuation of property within each district, with a
median value of 15.9%. At $60.8 million in 2003,
USD 497’s debt ranked 11th in the state in size,
but—at 8.4% of the assessed valuation within the
district—138th in the ratio of debt to valuation.
C o s t t o t a x p a y e r s . As of 2004, Kansas
school district mill levies ranged from a low of 20
to a high of 73.01, with a median value of 43.29.
If both propositions pass, USD 497’s mill levy
would increase by approximately 2.25 mills, from
46.72 to 48.97. At current interest rates, the tax
burden on the appraised value of a $100,000
home would increase by $2.16 per month;
$3.23 per month on a $150,00 home; $4.31 per
month on a $200,000 home.
What would the bonds pay for?
(All costs except Totals have been rounded).
Proposition One: Improvements to Junior &
Senior High Schools.
● Free State High: Addition of industrial
technology labs .................................. $1.3 million
● Central Junior High: Addition of 6 classrooms
and a competition gym ..................... $4 million
● Lawrence High: Addition of science labs and
east gym entrance; renovation of locker rooms ..
............................................................... $4.1 million
● West Junior High: Addition of 13 classrooms
and gym .............................................. $5.8 million
● Southwest Junior High: Addition of 16
classrooms and gym .......................... $6.9 million
● South Junior High: Replacement of junior high
facility and renovations to Broken Arrow
Elementary ....................................... $31.9 million
Total ..................................................... $54,023,705
Proposition Two: Technology Improvements for
all Lawrence Schools:
● Network Management: Centrally managed
network for district-wide computer service .......
.................................................................... $150,000
● Building Re-Wiring: Adequate wiring
infrastructure for computer network, security
systems, and telephone service across the district
................................................................... $500,000
● Storage Area Network/Disaster Recovery:
Secure, off-site back-up system for storing and
protecting district data ........................... $950,000
● Wireless Environment: Create wireless access
for each school and throughout the district for
flexible use of instructional equipment ...............
................................................................. $1 million
● Classroom Presentation Systems: Improve
technology for classroom presentation of
curriculum materials ......................... $1.1 million
● Student Records/Financial Software: Purchase
student and financial record systems to meet
reporting and data management requirements ..
.............................................................. $1.6 million
● PC/Server Refresh: Ongoing replacement for
desktop and laptop computers ........ $3.7 million
Total ..................................................... $ 8,893,500
Some background data for this pamphlet were
obtained from the Kansas Department of
Education website (www.ksde.org). Data on
proposed expenditures were obtained from the
USD 497 website (www.usd497.org).
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REPRODUCTION OF THIS
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