Some Shoreline School District gyms, cafeterias, sports fields, classrooms and book bags will have a new look or new technology when school starts next month.

The work is the result of district officials moving forward with capital projects funded by a roughly $149 million bond voters approved in February.

Among other projects, all high school and middle school students will be given laptop computers and both high schools will offer wireless Internet access. Teachers will be given portable microphones, digital projectors and document cameras. Shoreline Center football games will be played on new artificial turf.

The rest of the long list of projects – specifically approved by voters – will take about four years to complete.

Here’s what’s coming first:

• New laptops. Later this month, all students at the two high schools and Einstein Middle School will receive laptop computers. Kellogg Middle School students got laptops last year as part of a pilot program, returned them for the summer and will get them back this month.

The 3,500 new laptops given to students this year will cost about $4.7 million. That figure doesn’t include the costs of technology support, software and other ancillaries, said Jim Golubich, director of instructional technology.

“I don’t have a dollar figure on it,” he said.

The laptop program began in 2000-01, when the district bought a set of about 20 laptops for classroom use. Fifth graders at Echo Lake Elementary have had laptops for a few years as part of a pilot project. In spring 2005, a laptop was given to every teacher in the district.

• Wireless Internet access. By the start of school, the district hopes to have outfitted both high schools with wireless Internet access.

• Digital projectors and document cameras. The district plans to install digital projectors and document cameras at both high schools, both middle schools and at Echo Lake Elementary by the time school starts.

“Digital projectors will replace overhead projectors and the TVs,” said Paul Plumis, the district’s facilities coordinator. He manages the district’s capital fund projects.

Digital projectors can project onto a wall anything that’s on a computer – for example, a Web site page, Power Point presentation or video. Document cameras can display anything they take a picture of: handwritten student work or objects the teacher is rearranging for a math lesson, for example.

“It’s a very much enhanced overhead projector,” Plumis said.

This fall and winter, all elementary schools will have the cameras installed as well.

• Sound amplifiers. Teachers will be given wireless microphones to speak through that will amplify their voices.

• New gym and cafeteria floors. The district has been pulling up carpeting in the gyms and cafeterias at four elementary schools and replacing it with vinyl. By summer 2007, all elementary schools will get that upgrade except Meridian Park, which already has tiles.

“It’s a significant issue among schools and parents,” Plumis said. “We have carpets in the cafeteria, but you serve food in the cafeteria.”

The vinyl flooring in the gyms also will allow for more sports there.

• Synthetic turf. This summer, the Shoreline Center stadium had new artificial “Field Turf” installed. The turf allows teams to play or practice even when it’s raining.

Next year, district officials want to replace the Shorecrest High School grass football/soccer field with Field Turf, as well as the baseball and fast pitch infields. Grass football/soccer fields at Einstein and Kellogg are on the same timeline.

Eventually, several other sports facility improvements will be made, including new Field Turf at Shorewood’s grass football/soccer fields and baseball and fastpitch infields.

• Security cameras. This year, the district will decide whether all elementary and middle schools need exterior security cameras. The two high schools already have them, but officials will examine Shorewood High School to see if it needs more.

“(Shorewood) spreads over five blocks,” Plumis said. “From a security point of view, it doesn’t function as well as it could.”

• New roofing and painting. Next summer, the roofs of some schools will be upgraded. The district also is looking at which schools need exterior and interior painting.

• A study of the need to rebuild the high schools. District officials will review Shorewood and Shorecrest High Schools to see if either needs to be rebuilt.

“We’re not sure yet what this review will potentially yield,” Plumis said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about a new Shorewood. So much work has to be done at Shorewood, you can’t just remodel.”

Shorewood’s buildings were built in the 1950s.

If the review shows that a new school or schools need to be built, the district will go back to voters in 2010 with a new bond measure, Plumis said.

• Fire alarm systems and other building improvements. District officials are now assessing fire alarm systems and electrical, heating and ventilating systems to see which schools need upgrades. They also are looking at school plumbing to see what needs replacing.

• More projects to come. District officials are working out a time line to complete the rest of the projects voters approved.

At elementary schools, those projects include adding science classrooms, buying science equipment and replacing band and orchestra portables. There’s also updated classrooms and equipment for vocational and technical programs in high schools, adaptive technology for students with special needs, upgraded play fields and much more.

District officials sold $61.5 million in bonds this spring, so they have only that amount to spend until the end of 2008, when more bonds can be sold.