Lawrence schools to get a $5 million overhaul

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com

The Lawrence school district is proposing to spend $5 million on several capital projects beginning in the summer should the propositions to spend the money be approved by eligible district votes on May 16, when voting takes place on the proposed 2023-2024 school budget and Board of Education candidates.

A roof is planned for Lawrence High School, along with upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, classroom improvements and renovations to the athletic wing, including to the school’s NCAA-sized gymnasium, which includes AC and new lockers.

Lawrence Middle School will also see improvements, including library, classroom renovations, cafeteria upgrades, locker replacements, gymnasium renovations, boiler replacements, and a new equipment storage facility.

The new projects come as the ongoing $5 million capital project from 2022-23 continues at the Broadway Campus. A Herald reporter took a tour of the construction and the completed renovations with district officials on April 19.

The project began three years ago when schools first shut down due to the Covid pandemic in March 2020.

The work continued through the district’s variations of remote and in-person learning and is now being done after school hours.

As scHooL offIcIALs prepare for renovations to begin at Lawrence High School, work at the old gym at the Broadway Campus is nearly complete.

The school district is also in the final stages of securing a Federal Emergency Management Agency award, which is anticipated to be over $50 million.