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Lawrence Public Schools presents fall community engagement report; five priorities emerge
Summary
Interim Superintendent Dr. Janice Kerr Swift told the USD 497 board that a fall engagement effort and outside analysis produced five consistent priorities — teachers and staff, academic opportunity, safety, equity and clearer communication — and will guide a refreshed strategic plan and spring check-ins.
Dr. Janice Kerr Swift, interim superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools, presented the district’s fall community engagement report Monday, summarizing thousands of public comments and roughly 1,200 online survey responses collected since September.
The report, prepared with analytic help from the University of Kansas, distilled responses across schools, staff and community groups into five recurring priorities: quality teachers and staff; commitment to academic excellence and program access; prioritizing safety and consistent discipline; equity, inclusion and belonging; and transparency, communication and engagement.
The report matters because board members and district leaders said the findings will form the starting point for the next strategic plan and near-term work. "We have our marching orders," Dr. Swift told the board, saying the district will set measurable short- and long-term goals and return to the community in spring 2025 with progress updates.
Administrators highlighted examples and next steps that came from the data: strengthening teacher recruitment and retention efforts, evaluating ways to expand student access to specialized programs (for example, music, AVID and environmental science) across schools, aligning discipline practices for consistency, and improving two-way communications so families see the district’s work without relying on multiple apps or fragmented channels.
Board members welcomed the synthesis and said it provides a clear foundation for policy and budget decisions. Several members suggested labeling agenda items to show which draft strategic priority they align with while the new plan is written.
Dr. Swift said portions of the fall dataset reflect perceptions as well as current practice and recommended outside confirmation and continued data checks as the district crafts specific initiatives. She announced the district will return to the community in spring 2025 to report progress.
Ending: The board did not take formal action on the report Monday; members asked staff to use the report’s priorities to inform planning, budgeting and targeted community engagement ahead of a formal strategic-planning update later in 2025.
