Superintendent Reports

Download January 13, 2925, Superintendent Report 

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
Monday, January 13, 2025

School Board Recognition 
January is School Board Recognition Month. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the leadership and support of our schools and the dedicated public service of Board President Jones, Vice President Gordon-Ross, Past-President Kimball and Members Byers, Cadue-Blackwood, Costello, and Franklin. 

We have a small token of appreciation to share with board members. It is an original artwork by Hillcrest kindergartner Louise in Beth Iversen’s art class.

Andrew Beaven created this video that we would like to share. 

The full text of the Lawrence Public Schools Board Member appreciation may be accessed here. 

Superintendent Report

California Fires
While we have been focused here on winter weather, Californians have been affected by devastating fires. The loss and hardship these individuals and families are facing is unimaginable. I want to acknowledge the resilience of Californians and the heroic work of firefighters and other first responders battling the fires and supporting the people of Los Angeles. We continue to hold all those who are impacted close in our thoughts. 

Classified Professional Development Day
Following winter break, we enjoyed spending Friday, January 3, with our classified staff in professional learning. We heard a humorous and important message from Florida teacher-turned-comedian Devin Siebold about the importance of laughter in creating safe and positive learning environments for our students. Staff spent time with their job-alike colleagues across the district and took part in sessions about leadership, wellness, and other topics tailored to supporting classified team members, teachers and students.

Thanks to all who worked hard to put together a great New Year’s day of learning and many thanks to all our classified staff members who participated. 

January 2025 Blizzard
Thanks to Facilities & Operations Team and LPS Custodians 
Many thanks to all our students and staff, families and community for the efforts to navigate the foot of snow and ice, and the community ‘dig out’ necessary to resume school last week. 

I want to highlight our Facilities and Operations crew who braved the foot of snow and frigid temperatures during  inclement weather days last week. These valued team members worked around the clock to treat and clear sidewalks, drives, and parking areas on all of our campuses, as well as to attend to HVAC and many other weather-related needs.  

We appreciate the hard work of our Facilities and Operations Team, which includes custodial, maintenance, and grounds staff.

Thanks to all on our team who are working today and throughout this week to welcome and support our students to reacclimate and reset back to school in January 2025 for a solid start to this spring semester. 

Staff Honors
Just prior to winter break, the Lawrence Schools Foundation surprised Southwest Middle School band director Deborah Woodall-Routledge with its Dedication to Education Award and $5,000. This honor was created by the sons and daughters of another group of anonymous Foundation donors who founded the Bobs Award for Teaching Excellence, a $10,000 award, presented in May.

Congratulations to Mike Jones, Lawrence High Director of Bands and the recipient of the Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association Outstanding Band Director Award.

Student Honors
Congratulations to Free State’s Regional Debate Champions and best wishes to the team and Coach Parker Hopkins at state.

Congratulations also to Lawrence College and Career Center Academy early graduates who celebrated prior to winter break: Ryan Carlson, Audri Keeton, Dominic Johnson, Miles Berger, and Elliott Geisler. We are excited to see what great milestones are next for them. 

Donations
Our thanks to Midco for their generosity and support of the Lawrence Schools Foundation and our students and families. Midco awarded the Foundation with a grant for $1,000 toward the Meal Support Program to assist district families in need with their negative meal account balances. 

We also appreciate the Lawrence Breakfast Optimist Club for donating personalized dictionaries to every fourth grade student in our schools. The Optimist Club has supported this special program for many years.

Priority on Instruction and a Cell Phone-Free Instructional Environment
As we return to school today following the weather related disruption of last week, it’s a great time to remind ourselves that we are working together to make a systemic shift, to prioritize the work of our teachers and students and the critical mission of learning across our classrooms by minimizing the distraction of cell phones. All of our staff and students continue to work together to focus on learning and keep personal electronic devices off and away during instructional time.

You may read more about the many advantages of reducing cell phone time in classrooms at Away for the Day. 

Legislative Priorities 
My thanks to board president Jones for representing our district at Friday’s Chamber Legislative Priorities Breakfast. The 2025 Kansas legislative sessions started today. We will keep an eye on legislation affecting public education and appreciate the Douglas County delegation for its continued advocacy on behalf of our schools.

Community Engagement 
I look forward to bringing the board and public on January 27th a report about our fall community engagement efforts, including a summary of input shared in the survey that our partners at KU are preparing for us. We look forward to our next steps to share this information and explore priority next steps we have heard from our students, staff, parents and community. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20 
We are sharing a couple of calendar reminders for everyone. First, there is no school on Monday, January 20 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King day. 

Lawrence Public Schools Dr. Martin Luther King Event
We are excited to invite students, the board, staff, and community to join us for our district’s annual MLK celebration: "ONE DREAM: Protecting Respect, Courage, and Responsibility in the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." The gallery of student work and educational materials opens at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 23, at the Lied Center. The program follows at 6:30 p.m. and will include musical performances and a celebration of students and staff members who carry Dr. King's ideals forward in their daily lives. Special thanks to the Lied Center for its longstanding partnership and for providing its world-class performing arts space for this annual celebration at no cost to our district.

Thank you, Board Members, for the opportunity to share this Superintendent Report; it is an honor to serve the Lawrence Public Schools. 

Sincerely, 

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download December 9, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Monday, December 9, 2024

Hello Lawrence Public Schools Community,

We appreciate the diligent work of our students, teachers, school and district teams, as well as our parents and community members as we work to wrap up this first semester 2024-25 over the coming December days.

Community Engagement

My thanks to all of the staff, school families, and community members who joined me in conversations this fall, and especially value my time in conversation with our Free State, Lawrence High, and Lawrence Virtual School students. We learned a great deal from hearing about their school experiences, insights and priorities for the future of Lawrence Public Schools.

Community Survey

Our LPS community survey will remain open through December 19th, so I encourage anyone who hasn't already done so to visit our website and share their input by completing the survey. We appreciate KU for partnering with us for survey analysis. I look forward to sharing a full report with the board and community in January or February and using what we learned to plan some next steps for Lawrence Public Schools.

LMCMS Student Showcase

I was excited to see Liberty Memorial Central Middle School students sharing their STEAM project-based learning projects at a Student Showcase last week. One of their projects involved researching the Americans with Disabilities Act and using their findings to design and engineer their own model access ramps. We can't wait to see what they come up with in the spring!

Student Honors: Free State Lifesaving Award

The American Red Cross presented Free State senior Lucas Fearn with its Lifesaving Award. Earlier in the fall, Lucas successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver to assist Firebird educator Jacob Lewis, who was choking. We are grateful for Mr. Lewis' safety and Lucas' quick actions, which he learned while serving as a lifeguard.

LHS Students YoungArts Awards

Two Lawrence High students, Lola Brown and Adele Erickson earned national awards in the YoungArts competition for photography and painting, respectively. They each will receive $250, as well as mentorship opportunities and a lifetime of creative professional development as part of an intergenerational community of artists.

Adding more to Lawrence High's illustrious artists, the 28th Annual High School Visual Arts Competition received 640 entries this year and only 100 were accepted into the juried exhibition in Merriam, Kansas. Of those 100, 21 were from Lawrence High students! In 2D, Lola Brown placed second and Wren Jay, third. In 3D, Ru Yother won first place for her ceramic sculpture and Jayden Moore placed third for their jewelry. Congratulations to these students and their teachers - Emily Markoulatos, Angela Perkins, and Todd Poteet.

Staff Recognition

Mike Jones, Director of Lawrence High Bands, was named the Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association Outstanding Band Director. He also is that professional organization's nominee for the state Outstanding Music Educator Award.

It was my honor on last Friday morning to recognize Jori Roberts, New York Montessori and Elementary's administrative assistant, with our fall Class Act Award. Her colleagues describe her as hard-working, helpful, and joyful. They say she loves and cares for them, and is the happy heart at the center of their school. Our thanks to Jori Roberts and to LEAP Partner Truity Credit Union for presenting her with a check for $500.

Appreciation to Farm-to-School Partners

As winter weather arrives, we thank our Farm-to-School partners for providing delicious fruits, vegetables, and protein to our kitchens and cafeterias during the fall growing season. All of our farm and ranch partners -- South Baldwin Farms, Jirak Family Produce, Juniper Hill Farms, Table View Farm, and 2 Trails Ranch -- are within 50 miles of Lawrence, ensuring fresh products. Nutrition and Wellness Director Julie Henry provides the by-the-numbers look that you see on this slide of some of our Farm-to-School purchases this fall.

Seasonal HVAC Concerns

As we begin the second full week of December and winter weather has arrived, this includes making sure the temperatures in our buildings are comfortable. I want to thank Dr. Englebrick and our Facilities and Operations staff, a small yet very hard working and dedicated team. When an indoor temperature issue is reported, they respond, and work diligently to address it.

During this past week, Dr. Englebrick has reviewed the processes - face to face with our principal team and shared reminders via email - for how to report right away when we need assistance with building temperatures. This is a seasonal issue for us, just as it is for homeowners managing the comfort level of their homes by adjusting their thermostat when temperatures drop. We will continue to work to ensure our students and staff are comfortable and learning, and we appreciate folks reporting right away so we can address any issues.

Winter Break Calendar Reminder

All students will be out of school December 20-January 3 for winter break. All district buildings will be closed December 23-January 3.

Instructional Priority: Cell-Phone Free Classrooms

Am deeply grateful for the leadership and courage of the Board to develop a cell-phone free classroom; we have achieved congruence with our school teams and principals and we are ready to move forward together. It's a big effort that will yield significant benefits for the quality of learning and student well-being.

I have valued the opportunity to work alongside Directors Ervin and Roberson, Ms. Luckett, Ms. Boyle and other members of the team, also we’ve worked directly in meetings with each of the levelled principal teams. I have been impressed with the focus and energy to organize and prepare for a strategic implementation of cell phone free instruction across our Lawrence Public School classrooms.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this Superintendent Report, and thank you for the opportunity to serve in the Lawrence Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download November 25, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Monday, November 25, 2024

On this Monday of Fall Break, I hope that everyone has enjoyed this past weekend, and we are wishing our students and staff, families and community a safe and peaceful Fall Break this week.

Reflecting on Recent Student, Staff and Community Engagement and Activities

I have appreciated meeting in conversation with many groups this fall, most recently with student groups at Lawrence High, Free State, and Lawrence Virtual School; as well as parents and community members gathered at Southwest and West Middle Schools. Conversations have been thoughtful and insightful, and I am impressed by the level of authentic engagement we see among so many who really care about their schools.

I also valued conversations with Quail Run staff, and with parents at Quail Run last Monday evening. Thanks to Kristen Ryan and the HR team for their support to preview the process, explore needs and preferences, and consider next steps in their upcoming principal search.

 I appreciated having time with our ESC Team members in an 'all teams' meeting last Tuesday. It was great to see everyone gathered together; I especially offered my thanks for so many on the team who have offered extra time this fall to push out to support our schools on busy days. We plan for regular monthly meetings to ensure the ESC team is fully updated, and has an opportunity to ask questions. I appreciated the participation of Facilities and Operations members, also; it is especially helpful to get a few minutes together with folks who are so often working and running in different directions.

We hosted our second Blue Ribbon Community Leaders meeting on Friday morning, and I am delighted that this group is really beginning to take form. They offered additional thinking and contributions on next steps with the Community Conversation, as well as on upcoming work in prioritizing instruction and limiting cell phone use in our classrooms.

The opportunity to connect during the KU School of Education Faculty Assembly on Friday afternoon was particularly meaningful, as Dean Rick Ginsberg kindly hosted me in conversation with KU faculty. There is tremendous opportunity for strengthening, increasing and enhancing our university partnerships, and I look forward to next steps. I appreciate Julie Boyle and Jana Craig-Hare supporting me in this meeting.

Lawrence Public Schools Podcast

I appreciate Andrew Beaven hosting the first Lawrence Public Schools Podcast, available where you find your podcasts. In this inaugural episode, we discussed our community engagement efforts and community survey, which will remain open through December 19. We will continue to publish regular podcasts episodes, as one more way to share information, and engage with our community.

Friends of Education

It was my honor to help celebrate 24 outstanding school volunteers during our American Education Week Friends of Education Recognition Reception last week. What an inspiring event! We are truly indebted to these parents and community partners for the many ways they support our students and staff. In addition to each of our schools honoring a volunteer, the Lawrence Public Schools chose to recognize Ms. Jan Hurst, who for 35 years has supported the safety of our community by serving as a crossing guard in front of Cordley school on 19th Street.

Many thanks to Members Cadue-Blackwood, President Jones, and Vice President Gordon-Ross for their beautiful contributions to this special event.

Awards, Recognitions, and Activities

Several Free State High student journalists earned awards at the fall National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia. Jared Shuff is their journalism adviser.

The Free State Unified Bowling team placed fourth at Regionals to move on to the state tournament. Congratulations to these students and Coach Erin Campbell.

We were pleased for several of our students to have the opportunity to travel to Washburn University to hear Ruby Bridges' firsthand account of integrating an all-white elementary school at the age of six in New Orleans on November 14, 1960. Many of our schools also participated in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.

Billy Mills Middle School enjoyed welcoming back Indigenous rapper and fancy dancer Christian Parrish Takes the Gun, known professionally as Supaman, and fellow artist Logan Howard, also known as DJ Element. We appreciate the support of the Kickapoo Nation School and Haskell Indian Nations University in making this assembly possible.

Congratulations to our district's Nutrition and Wellness Team, which was named a 2024 Culture of Health Champion by Live Well Douglas County. This honor recognizes the team's work this past summer to provide meals to children in Douglas County. This team served 74,288 breakfasts, 1,932 snacks, and 88,689 lunches to children in the community last summer. Our thanks to the team and Julie Henry, director of nutrition and wellness.

I also want to congratulate Dr. Kelly Welch's Early Childhood Education Child Development Associate candidates. These LHS, Free State, and College and Career Academy students completed rigorous assessments to earn their Career and Technical Education certificates of mastery!

Thanks to Tech Team and Integration and Data Services Team

We want to thank our Technology Team for finishing the fiber project at the athletic facilities on both of our high school campuses. The baseball, softball, soccer, and track facilities on both campuses are complete, new security cameras have been mounted, and Wi-Fi is up and running, including to the concession stands and ticket booths.

We appreciate our Integration and Data Services Team for spending time last week building data walls and dashboards in Ion, our new data warehousing and analytic platform. This will help our schools access and monitor student-level data more easily!

This team is led by James Polk, director of data and assessment.

Communications Update

We value the opportunity to share district news with students and staff, parents and families, ensure clarity and want to update the engagement data from recent communications, featuring more than 40,000 views of our content during November so far:

Newsletters

• November 15 "Take a Listen to our New Podcast," 19,392 views, 182 views of linked content, 6 min. average read time
• November 1 "November News & Gatherings," 21,006 views, 138 views of linked content, 6 min. average read time
• October 24 "Engagement Beyond Conferences," 16,287 views, 303 views of linked content, 8 min. average read time
• October 11 "First Quarter Wrap-Up," 21,898 views, 559 views of linked content, 5 min. average read time
• September 27 "Timely Topics for Fall," 17,458 views, 291 views linked content, 8 min. average read time
• November 22 "Happy Fall Break," 14,961 views, (no links included), 1 min. average read time

Safety Video

• “Dr. Swift and Chief Lockhart,” 633 views

Podcast:

• Episode 1, "Community Engagement," 167 total views (155 YouTube, 4 Apple, 3 Listen Notes, 3 Web Browser, 1 Amazon Echo, & 1 Pocket Casts)

Next Steps with Cell Phone-Free Instruction in the Lawrence Public Schools

We experienced a productive session with our school administrators on Thursday morning, exploring the draft cell phone guidance for discussion and feedback, including the areas of 'rationale,' steps to ensure 'readiness,' lifting our vision to see the 'reward' of working through a systemic change, and confirming the timeline for next steps. Our goal is to achieve clarity and focus to support this systemic change. This journey will not be easy, yet we are committed to this task for the good of our students and successfully prioritizing out the critical mission of teaching and learning across all our classrooms.

Ms. Kiley Luckett has been serving as a lead, alongside Directors Dr. Waymond Ervin and Ms. Jayci Roberson in this cell phone transition, and I have asked her to join the Superintendent’s update at this time to highlight some of the preparation work she has been busy with in our schools.

I appreciate the opportunity to share this Superintendent Report, and thank you for your tremendous partnership, collegiality and support.

During this season of reflection and gratitude, I am especially grateful for each of our 10,600 students, their families, and the talented teachers and staff who serve so beautifully.

Wishing all a safe and peaceful fall break,

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download October 28, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Monday, October 28, 2024

Hello, Members of the Board,

It’s a busy time as we wrap up October this week in the Lawrence Public Schools.

I want to thank our students, teachers and staff, school and district leaders for such a strong start to this second quarter of the school year. I continue to see the work in progress as we are out and about in classrooms and schools across the district.

Blue Ribbon Advisory Group Launched

I am delighted to have informally welcomed a dozen community leaders for the first Blue Ribbon Community Leaders Advisory gathering on Friday morning.

We had a solid conversation about the organization of the group to ensure all sectors - non-profit, higher education, business, and community organizations are appropriately represented. We plan to fill in the gaps in our membership and look forward to meeting again on Friday, November 22nd.

Part of our work was to highlight the Atlantic article from a few years back: Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed (from this source because the Atlantic article is behind a paywall).

Specifically, we pointed to item 2 in the article:

2. You can pick out the local patriots.

A standard question they’d ask soon after arrival was, “Who makes this town go?” The answers varied widely. Sometimes it was a mayor or a city-council member. Sometimes it was a local business titan or real-estate developer. Sometimes a university president or professor, a civic activist, an artist, a saloon-keeper, a historian, or a radio personality. What mattered was that the question had an answer. And the more quickly it was provided, the better shape the town was in.

 Other signs of note include a reference to schools, of course, and to the presence of a public research university.

We had a productive conversation, and I am grateful for the engagement of this stakeholder group.

Additional Community Engagement

We are looking forward to our next Community Conversation will be held tomorrow evening from 6:00-7:30 in the Liberty Memorial Central Middle School cafeteria.

Families needing childcare for children ages 3-7 may RSVP by tonight to Kelly.Welch@usd497.org. Dr. Welch teaches our high school students enrolled in the early childhood education pathway. These students are excited to provide childcare during our remaining evening community conversations. The fall engagement schedule and community survey are available on the district website at www.usd497.org/Superintendent.

Many thanks to all who have attended a conversation, either at your school or at one of your community gatherings. We are excited to continue this community conversation throughout November and look forward to sharing an update of what we are hearing at the second meeting of the Board in November.

It was my pleasure this week to read "I am We: A Book of Community" at Cordley Elementary's assembly wrapping up a month of learning about Responsibility.

The Boundary Advisory Committee met Wednesday to continue discussing options for balancing high school enrollment numbers and student population demographics and to prepare for public input sessions to be held on November 13 and 14.

Dr. Englebrick and the Board will be discussing more about the next steps in this work this evening.

Pedestrian Safety Need

The City of Lawrence notified us that starting this week, there will not be a crossing guard in place at the temporary pilot crossing guard location at 27th and Wildflower that serves Sunflower Elementary and Southwest Middle School students. The city is looking for a crossing guard replacement.

Interested individuals need to be available from about 7:30-8:00 a.m. and 3:30-4:00 p.m. daily, except on Wednesday afternoons, when crossing guards work from 1:30-2:00 p.m. due to early school dismissal.

If you know of anyone who would pitch in to support pedestrian safety by serving as a city crossing guard at this location, please contact krista.rakes@ExpressPros.com or call 785-749-7550.

We are working with the city to communicate about this need as Express Pros tries to recruit a crossing guard to fill this position.

Celebrations

Last week started with a wonderful surprise presentation to John McCrary, Southwest Middle School custodian, as he worked to clean the cafeteria during the eighth-grade lunch period. His colleagues say that in addition to keeping the building in tip-top shape, John builds strong relationships with students and staff and helps to make the Southwest school community a welcoming and positive place. We appreciate the Lawrence Schools Foundation for recognizing some of our outstanding educational support professionals with its A.C.E. Award and $500.

Congratulations to students who participate in Cordley’s after-school club. They danced their way to first place at the Boys and Girls Club’s annual Lights On! competition held at Haskell Indian Nations University. Students in the Langston Hughes and Hillcrest after-school clubs finished second and third. We appreciate the dedicated Boys and Girls Club staff and the choreographers who worked with 150 students from 12 club sites on their dance performances. What great teamwork!

Thanks again to the Lied Center for providing to our high school students last week a special performance about hip-hop culture that demonstrated how Muslim artists Amirah Sackett and Mr. MiC use their performance art to encourage social change.

Events

The Free State and Lawrence High football teams and spirit squads, along with our middle school cheer teams, hosted a hygiene supply drive at Friday night’s Free State vs. LHS football game. Dena Johnston, executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation and coach of the Firebird Spirit Squad, reports that thanks to this amazing partnership with our local high school Football & Spirit Squad teams and all four middle school cheer teams, we will have hygiene donations heading to all schools this week! We are proud of our student athletes’ dedication and support to TACKLE barriers to basic needs for our community! And, thanks to fall of the football fans who donated!

Native American Student Services will again host its Trunk or Treat event on Wednesday, October 30th, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Broken Arrow.

Wednesday, the 30th, is also the final opportunity to see our Elementary Art Show on display at the Lawrence Public Library. We appreciate the library for showcasing our students’ creativity and supporting the excellent work of our elementary art teachers.

Awards

During the Kansas School Public Relations Association Conference last week in Wichita, our communications team received six awards in the association’s Publications Contest: three Awards of Excellence and three Awards of Merit. Congratulations to Julie Boyle and Andrew Beaven, our communications team!

Thank you for the opportunity to share this report this evening, and for the opportunity to serve the Lawrence Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download October 15, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Tuesday, October 15, 2024

As we approach mid-October, we wrap up the first quarter of the school year this week. We are thankful for the hard work of our teachers, school and district teams, parents and community partners, working together to support the learning and growth of our students.

It’s Conference Week!

It’s an exciting time in Lawrence Public Schools as we welcome families to conferences this week. Fifty years of research reveals the striking benefits of school teams actively partnering with families to improve their children’s learning. We welcome families to conferences this week, and our teachers and staff look forward to meeting with families to share more about student progress.

Please remember that due to conference schedules there is no school Thursday, Oct. 17 for early childhood-grade 8 students. High schools are in session! All students will be out of school, and all district buildings will be closed Friday, Oct. 18.

Quality public schools are a hallmark of engaged, caring communities that value our children and their education. We are grateful for your partnership in support of students, staff, schools, and our shared community.

Secondary Teacher Professional Learning Last Friday

I appreciated the large turnout among our secondary teachers at professional learning last Friday, and especially valued the opportunity to greet and thank our teachers for their important work.

Kim Campbell, a middle school educator and dean from Minnesota, cracked some smiles Friday morning during her keynote session with our middle and high school teachers. She emphasized the importance of building relationships, laughing, and having a little fun in our classrooms.

Kim said not only are these three components keys to teacher survival, they also have mental health and wellness benefits, as well as motivate and engage our students in their learning.

Our attendance data for fall professional development shows High School team attendance improved by 30% this year; elementary teachers achieved 87% attendance for their September 15th day of learning.

Lawrence Public Schools Celebrations

Free State High Earns 2024 AP Honor Roll Bronze Recognition

Congratulations to Free State High for earning Bronze recognition on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll.

The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while also broadening access. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.

The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. For a school to be recognized on the AP School Honor Roll in a given year, it must:

Meet each of the following criteria for their students in the most recent graduating class; these criteria are anchored in research-based relationships between AP and college outcomes:

• College Culture: 40% or more of the graduating cohort took at least 1 AP Exam during high school.
• College Credit: 25% or more of the graduating cohort scored a 3 or higher on at least 1 AP Exam during high school.
• College Optimization: 2% or more of the graduating cohort took 5 or more AP Exams during high school. At least 1 of those exams was taken in 9th or 10th grade, so that students are spreading their AP experience across grades rather than feeling disproportionate pressure in any single year.
• Have full-time grade-12 enrollments. AP coordinators can update this information online in AP Registration and Ordering. Learn how.

Team STEAM Robotics Club

The Kansas Association of School Boards chose our Team STEAM Robotics Club among student groups to showcase their programs during its convention in November. My thanks to Lawrence High educator Jeannie Merritt for organizing this trip for students.

Hannah Hurst, Deerfield Art Teacher

Congratulations to Deerfield art teacher Hannah Hurst for earning a California Casualty Arts and Music in Education Grant.

More Celebrations

Our longtime Lawrence Education Achievement Partner the Lied Center of Kansas recently hosted all of our third through fifth graders for a school-only performance by Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards out of New Orleans. They shared the history of jazz with our students in what turned into quite the dance party!

The Lied Center will provide another school-only performance by Amirah Sackett and Mr. MiC October 24th and 25th. This duo of Muslim heritage will share hip-hop culture and demonstrate using art for social change for our high school students.

We are also enjoying the outstanding art display on our south wall of the Board room here by students of Lawrence High School under the direction of their extraordinary teachers, Todd Poteet, Angela Perkins, Emily Markoulatos, and Jen Dixon-Perkins.

If you have not had the chance yet, please stop by the Lawrence Public Library this month to see our Elementary Art Show featuring the beautiful, creative works of students across all of our elementary schools.

Staff Honor: Quail Run

What a fantastic way to start off the week, surprising and celebrating one of our staff members with a Lawrence Schools Foundation's fall A.C.E Award and a check for $500! Congratulations, Dionne          Chavez, Quail Run instructional support assistant!

“Dionne is the epitome of a lifelong learner. She has gone above and beyond what is expected or asked of her to increase her knowledge and application of best practices in small group reading instruction. Dionne has attended conferences, watched webinars, participated in online learning communities, and listened to podcasts to learn as much as she can about how to provide effective reading instruction to our neediest students. Last year, she attended a conference about the science of reading, which prompted her to change her instruction around comprehension, said Cynthia Emery, Quail Run interim principal.

"Relating to students is another strength of Dionne’s. Even students who are reluctant to work in class are excited to go to intervention group time with Dionne. She has high expectations for all of her students, and it's obvious they feel safe and loved in her care," she added.

The A.C.E Award recognizes and applauds classified employees whose efforts benefit students, faculty and staff, and families. Congratulations, Dionne!

Shared by Dena Johnston, Executive Director, Lawrence Public Schools Foundation

Be Active Safe Routes Gets a Boost

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Monday nearly $31.5 million will be awarded for 31 projects in communities across Kansas to create safer, more walkable and bike-friendly routes through the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program. “This investment is more than just improving infrastructure – it’s about strengthening the safety, accessibility, and mobility of our communities,” said Governor Kelly. “I’m pleased the state can offer the support needed to help advance these projects.”

The competitive grant program, administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and provided by the Federal Highway Administration, is currently the primary source of KDOT funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects statewide, including Safe Routes to School. The program also funds transportation projects of a historical nature and scenic and environmental projects, including Main Street beautification projects.

The city of Lawrence received more than $1 million for the Safe Routes to School program, also called Be Active Safe Routes. The program, a city partnership with Lawrence Public Schools, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, is a comprehensive approach to making neighborhoods safe and accessible. The efforts of Be Active Safe Routes, including the recent Walk & Roll to School Day, reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, increase the opportunity to be physically active, and build community cohesion.

School Pix: Cordley

Cordley celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day in many ways. In addition to a special morning message with a reading of the Native American Tribes and Nations of all of our staff and students, we focused our attention on our responsibility to challenge incorrect stories and celebrate opportunities to get it right! Some students and staff wore their regalia and shared more details about their culture with us as well! Pictured is Jonah Wesley from Ms. Spurlock's class. A special “thank you” to first grade parents, Marlon Wesley and Jennifer Bonilla, who shared their own stories to support our learning!

Boundary Advisory Committee Work

The board’s Boundary Advisory Committee is hard at work on its charge to study and recommend a proposal to better balance high school enrollments. Members have identified two options for examination and sharing with our community at upcoming public input sessions scheduled from 6:00-7:30 p.m. November 13 and 14 at LHS and Free State, respectively.

 One option expands Lawrence High's attendance area by moving its 15th Street boundary line east of Massachusetts St. to the north to include East and North Lawrence. A second option would create feeder middle schools. Southwest and Billy Mills Middle School students would attend LHS, and West and Liberty Memorial Central Middle Schools would advance to Free State. Follow the work of the BAC on our website and mark the public input sessions on your calendar and share your feedback.

Study in Progress: Viability of Twice-Monthly Pay Cycle for Certificated Staff

We have heard from our engagement conversations the request for a twice monthly pay cycle, and I want to update the Board and community that we are currently conducting a study of the topic: including a review of the level of interest among staff, the adjustments that would be required in the department to consider such a change, the associated costs, and potential benefits.

I will report back on the steps required, viability, and perceived sustainability of a potential change, and look forward to a discussion of risks and benefits once we have more confirmed organizational information.

Donations

We have several donations to celebrate!

The Lawrence Schools Foundation announced last week $21,122 in innovative teacher, staff development, school assistance, and MusicWorks! grants. These grants will fund programs that enable our teachers to participate in professional development and enrich their students' educational experiences.

All three Lawrence Rotary Clubs sponsored a snack drive to provide student snacks to all of our elementary schools this semester. The Clubs also donated more than eight-thousand dollars to the Lawrence Schools Foundation to purchase additional student snacks as part of a spring snack drive.

The LHS Class of 1971 made a $3,000 donation to support negative student lunch account balances at LHS.

Many thanks to these generous donors!

Fall Community Engagement

I also want to thank the 30 students, staff, parents, board members, and community members who came out last week to our first Community Conversation at Billy Mills Middle School. Several families were encouraged to attend by the co-chairs of the Lawrence Special Education Advisory Committee, so we appreciate Carrie Poe and Kristi Heintzelman for that outreach.

We met new people and had great conversations about how to plan for a bright future for our Lawrence Public Schools.

Here is our schedule for the next three evening conversations. We are excited to announce that Dr. Kelly Welch’s early childhood education pathway students will provide childcare for children ages 3-6. Families must RSVP to Dr. Welch so we know that we will need that childcare. My thanks to Dr. Welch and her high school students!

Community Engagement

We also will host a Brown Bag lunch at the public library November 8, so please take advantage of that opportunity if you can get away for conversation at lunchtime.

We are hopeful that everyone in our community will take a few minutes of their time to provide us their valuable input via our community survey.

The survey is on our website and open for input until November 22. We have partnered with friends in KU’s School of Education for survey analysis.

Engagement Data from Superintendent Communication

Our September 27 newsletter sent via email to staff, school families, and some community partners received 16,769 total views.

There were 420 views of the embedded video message Chief Lockhart and I shared about school safety, and 287 views of linked content.

The majority of views, 66%, were from a mobile phone, and 7 minutes was the average time spent reading the newsletter.

The October 11th newsletter sent via email received 18,684 total views and 6 minutes was the average time reading.

Additional Highlights of Superintendent Fall Community Engagement Activities

• Lawrence Schools Foundation Kids Expo
• All Lawrence Public Schools
• Lawrence Community Safety Fair
• Lawrence Special Education Advisory Council
• Lawrence Education Association Trivia Night
• Rainbow Kids & Families Board of Directors
• Schools Foundation Board of Trustees
• Foundation Meet & Greet with Jaunelle White
• Foundation Community Education Breakfast
• USD 497 Principals Meetings
• Lawrence High vs Free State Soccer
• USD 497, LEA, PAL, Foundation, & Truity All-Staff Mixer
• Chamber Taste of Lawrence Mixer
• Haskell Indian Art Show
• Lawrence Art in the Park
• The Chamber Board of Directors
• USD 497 Administrators
• East Lawrence Neighborhood Assoc. Block Party
• Haskell Welcome Powwow
• Free State and LHS Homecoming Parades
• Candidate Meet and Greet Events
• Oct. 8 Community Conversation, BMMS/L-SEAC
• Lawrence High School Orchestras Concert

Thank you, Board Members, for the opportunity to share this Superintendent Report; it is an honor to serve the Lawrence Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download September 23, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Monday, September 23, 2024

Lawrence Schools Foundation Community Education Breakfast

I want to thank the Lawrence Schools Foundation staff and board for the wonderful Community Education Breakfast September 13th.

It was my honor to recognize Foundation Student Champions: Cameron Hardie and Aubrie Magnuson, of Lawrence High School, and Daijah Preston and Ryan Weishaar, of Free State High School.

Our high school bands and spirit squads, Firebird orchestra members, and Harrison Leiszler, a Free State freshman violinist, represented our schools very well during their performances.

My thanks also to Jaunelle White of Lawrence High’s Class of 1996 for returning home from Georgia to speak at this event; we were inspired by the message she shared with us.

Our schools are truly fortunate to benefit from tremendous community support. Foundation Executive Director Dena Johnston announced a record $100,000 raised from sponsorships and ticket sales, and Truity Credit Union, a Master LEAP Partner, donated $40,000 to the Foundation to continue its support of our student and staff needs.

National Merit Semifinalists

Congratulations to our Lawrence Public Schools eight National Merit Semifinalists: Amaya Gab, Malcolm Karman, Richard Li, Noah Pultz-Earle, Elinor Russo, Anwen Williams, and Lois Xie of Free State High and Elise N. Rathmel of Lawrence High. These are students with exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. As semifinalists, they are part of a nationwide pool representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Elementary Professional Learning Day

I want to thank our team for planning and presenting a meaningful early childhood and elementary professional learning day last Wednesday.

I also appreciate our school families enabling our teachers to have this dedicated time to continue to perfect their professional practice.

Professional Learning Day Video

The theme of Wednesday’s Professional Learning Day was “Be the Educator Your Students Need You to Be.” Andrew Beaven, our multimedia communications specialist, talked to some of our students and shared this video with our teachers to set the tone and inspiration for the day.

LVS Day in the Park

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Lawrence Virtual School elementary staff, students, and families face-to-face during their Day at the Park last Friday. This event in South Park was well attended, and I heard some powerful testimonials from families about their appreciation of the LVS staff and for having a high-quality virtual education option for their children.

Safety Video

This morning Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart and I filmed a video that we will share with our middle and high school students, their families, and our community about safety. Schools across the country, including ours, are dealing with an uptick in threats of violence and rumors about threats of violence.

We want our students, school families, and community to know that the Lawrence Police Department and Lawrence Public Schools are partners in making sure our schools are safe places to learn. We also want to impress upon them the seriousness of making threats and spreading rumors and the importance of immediately reporting safety concerns to an adult at school.

We need our school families’ assistance in talking to their children about this serious issue and setting some of their own family expectations, consequences, and screen time limitations. Safety is a shared responsibility. We must work together to provide safe learning environments for all students and staff.

Community Engagement

I continue to enjoy getting to know Lawrence and meeting members of our community, including attending Art in the Park last weekend, and meeting with the Rainbow Kids and Families Board of Directors Monday and the Lawrence Schools Foundation Board of Trustees Tuesday.

I also attended the Lawrence Special Education Advisory Committee meeting Tuesday, visited with our outstanding elementary principal team on Thursday, and attended The Chamber's Taste of Lawrence Mixer and the Free State - Lawrence High soccer match Thursday evening.

​October-November Community Conversations

We will be creating a website home and other marketing materials to share with our community several opportunities to come together for community conversations, including at each of our middle schools in October and November and a brown bag lunch conversation at the Lawrence Public Library.

Community Survey

We will also share a community survey, and continue to meet with civic groups, faith communities, and others who would like me to attend their meetings. In December, I will share with the board and community a report about what we heard and learned and how we will use this information to plan the future direction of our Lawrence Public Schools.

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools

Download September 9, 2024, Superintendent Report PDF

 

Superintendent Report to Board of Education
& Lawrence Public Schools Community
Monday, September 9, 2024

I am so grateful to have arrived and settled into Lawrence over this past week, and have really enjoyed starting to get acquainted with Lawrence, including attending Haskell Indian Nations University's Indian Art Market this weekend.

School Tours & Community Events Video

I can't say enough about the highly successful first annual Lawrence Schools Foundation Kids Expo on August 10. I met hundreds of students and families, as well as community partners providing backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, lunch, and other services and resources.

This event spoke volumes to me of our community's generous support of students and families and making sure they had what they needed for a successful start to the school year.

During the first week of school, I loved visiting all of our schools. I saw caring staff and happy children getting to know one another, practicing school routines, and engaging in learning. Our buildings are extraordinary and proof of our community's investment in its public schools.

I finished the first week of school by visiting with more students and families, as well as first responders, emergency management organizations, and social service agencies during the annual Community Back-to-School Safety Fair at South Park. I appreciate that our community's focus during back-to-school time prioritized safety!

Students were fitted with free bike helmets and lots of support from our Lawrence community organizations.

Our multimedia communications specialist, Andrew Beaven, put together this video sharing a few of the photos taken from our welcome tour of schools during the first week of back-to-school in Lawrence Public Schools.

Highlights of this past week included visiting Kennedy Early Childhood Center to meet some of our youngest learners. I was interviewed by talented student journalists with the Lawrence High Budget and the Free State Free Press and had a great time participating in LEA's Staff Trivia Night.

I also appreciated the opportunity to meet with the co-chairs of the Lawrence Special Education Advisory Council, L-SEAC. My thanks to Carrie Poe and Kristi Heintzelman for their work to connect and support families of students with special needs.

New Student Art Gallery

Members, you'll notice on the south wall here a new student art gallery. Catherine Meihaus, New York and lead elementary art teacher, is spearheading this collaboration among our excellent fine art teachers.

This month, the gallery features the work of Hillcrest and Sunset Hill students, under the direction of their art teachers Michelle Salmans and Bethany Iversen. I appreciate Catherine for leading this project and our F&O staff for ordering and hanging the frames.

Our elementary art teachers asked that I invite the board and community to the Annual Lawrence Public Schools Elementary Art Showcase at the Lawrence Public Library October 3rd through the 30th.

Cans for the Community Donation

Our friends with Cans for the Community presented a $1,000 check to Dena Johnston, Lawrence Schools Foundation executive director, and Julie Henry, nutrition and wellness director, for the School Nutrition Meal Support Fund.

Community volunteers Linda Klinker and Will Lunn shared that a local business plans to match this donation, so my thanks to all of them for thinking of us and supporting school families with negative lunch account balances.

Please keep in mind that our district provides full meals to all students regardless of any lunch account balance.

USDA/KDA $100,000 Grant

Speaking of school meals, we were thrilled to receive from USDA and the Kansas Department of Agriculture a nearly $100,000 Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grant. Nutrition and Wellness Director Julie Henry said that we will use these funds to create a district-supporting bakery at Community Connections at Pinckney.

The bakery will engage with the local food system by prioritizing the use of local grains through expanded Farm-to-School partnerships. It will enhance the recipes and meals we provide in our child nutrition programs, and it will offer job training for students with disabilities attending our transition programs at Pinckney.

Foundation Community Education Breakfast

I'm excited to attend my first Lawrence Schools Foundation Community Education Breakfast Friday morning at the DoubleTree hotel. This event is sold out. Many thanks to the businesses, organizations, and individuals sponsoring and buying tickets to support this fundraiser.

The breakfast will feature student performances and recognition as well as remarks from Lawrence High alumna Jaunelle White, of the Class of 1996. She is the first female athletic director and vice president of intercollegiate athletics at Point University in Georgia.

Lawrence Lions Alumni Association Hall of Honor Induction

It's always great to hear the success stories of our alumni. The Lawrence Lions Alumni Association invites the board and community to save the date and join them for the induction of five distinguished individuals into its Hall of Honor at 2 p.m. October 6, at LHS. The Hall of Honor recognizes graduates of Liberty Memorial and Lawrence High Schools, as well as individuals who contributed significantly to the success of both schools.

This year's inductees are Dirk Wedd of the Class of 1970 and a former Lawrence High football coach; Gwen (Junior) Harwood Wedd, also of the Class of 1970 and longtime LHS Spirit Squad director; the late Mike Browning of the Class of 1964, a dedicated educator, LHS administrator, and community leader; Paul Carttar of the Class of 1971, a social impact strategist and innovator; and Lance Hill of the Class of 1968, an anti-racist activist and educator.

We look forward to this event coming up in October.

In Memory of the victims at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia

We want to take a moment this evening in this public meeting of the Lawrence Board of Education to remember the two students and two teachers who were killed in the tragic school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, last Wednesday.

The students who died were Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14; the educators were Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.

Mason was described by friends of his family as a lighthearted teen who liked reading, telling jokes and playing video games; Christian was described as ‘a very good kid’ who was ‘sweet and so caring.’

Ms. Irimie was a math teacher who came to the United States from Romania as a member of a dance troupe nearly three decades ago, according to her friends and family members, and was devoted to her students at Apalachee.

Mr. Aspinwall was a math teacher, also, and he served as the football team’s defensive coordinator. The players called him ‘Coach A’ and described him as supportive and uplifting. He had two young daughters.

We recognize that the recurrence of school shootings and gun violence continues as a scourge across our country, and we continue to dedicate ourselves to taking action here in Lawrence, across Kansas and the nation to reverse this horrible reality and ensure the safety of our students at school.

I am grateful to have connected with members engaged in the Be SMART campaign here within our own Lawrence community; Be SMART is a campaign to promote responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths.

Secure firearm storage is an important part of keeping your family safe and we can all take the step of ensuring the proper storage of firearms.

Firearms are now the leading cause of death among children in the United States. That’s why it’s more important than ever for parents and caregivers to know how secure firearm storage works. It’s simple. To help keep your family safe and prevent tragedies, it’s crucial to secure your firearm.

Anyone interested may learn more at besmartforkids.org https://besmartforkids.org/.

Preview: Fall Community Engagement

Over the coming days of September, we will be sharing more detailed information about our Fall Community Engagement in Lawrence Public Schools, and I am excited to share preliminary information this evening as a preview of coming attractions.

Fall Engagement

Lawrence Public Schools: A Community Conversation

 “Everything good in life - a cool business, a great romance, a powerful social movement - begins with a conversation. Talking with each other, one to one, is human beings’ most powerful form of attunement. Conversations help us understand and connect with others in ways no other species can.”

-     Daniel Pink, To Sell Is Human

Engage. Connect. Inspire.

The premise of our engagement this Fall is straightforward:

No one knows better the strengths and celebrations, the challenges and areas for improvement, dreams and hopes for the future than those individuals who live, work and bring their children to learn and grow in Lawrence Public Schools each day, and those who live and contribute across our Lawrence community.

As we focus the work to enhance equity, inclusion and opportunity for all our students, and prepare to move forward in planning for our future in the Lawrence Public Schools, we want to hear from everyone in the school community.

We will use what we hear and learn in our conversations to inform and align our work with the thoughts and direction, experience, needs and aspirations of our students and staff, parents, families, and greater community.

This Fall, we will also be working with representatives across all sectors in the community: community groups and agencies, nonprofit, higher education, business, and community leaders.

We invite you to participate in this Lawrence Public Schools Community Conversation over the coming weeks. We hope you will join in one of the public meetings, participate in a parent group or school-based conversation and/or access the online survey to share your thoughts.

We want to hear all voices in our community and especially from those who may find it challenging to come out to a meeting. In addition, we will work to extend our reach into the community, connecting to engage at public community events where individuals are already gathering.

Quality public schools are an outcome of caring communities. Successful schools, districts, and communities are those who engage together, and are responsive to the voices, needs, and direction of their stakeholders.

Additional Information and Dates of Community Meetings will be posted here: Please check back regularly for additional meeting times and locations.

We hope to see and connect with you at an event this fall!

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent
Lawrence Public Schools

Questions

Fall Engagement

Lawrence Public Schools: A Community Conversation

Launching a community conversation to uncover as a community what we need and want most for our students as we move forward in these Lawrence Public Schools. What are our best hopes and dreams for the future of our children, our schools, and our Lawrence Public Schools community.

1. From your personal/family experience, in what areas are we doing well - - what should we continue to strengthen and ensure in our schools?
2. From your personal/family experience, in what areas do we have opportunities for improvement?
3. What do you see as the top priorities as we move forward together this year?
4. What else do you want us to know?

Timeline

• Community Conversations: September, October, and November Ways to Engage:
• Face-to-face meetings with groups: students, staff, parents and families, and community groups
• Engagement and connection at district and community events
• Online survey
• Regular updates on progress shared in Fall Superintendent’s Reports

Fall Engagement Lawrence Public Schools: A Community Conversation Report to the Board of Education and Community

• December 9 (2nd Monday) 6:00 p.m. Board Business Meeting
• January 13 (2nd Monday) 6:00 p.m. Board Business Meeting

This completes my superintendent's report for this evening. Thank you, Members, for the opportunity to share this report this evening.

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools