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Lawrence board reviews search report, community input and sets timeline for superintendent selection
Summary
At its Jan. 21, 2025 meeting the Lawrence Board of Education reviewed KASB’s report on focus-group and survey feedback for the superintendent search, requested additional outreach to Indigenous stakeholders, and set application and interview dates; the board also approved the meeting agenda and later adjourned by voice vote.
The Lawrence Board of Education on Jan. 21 reviewed a Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) report summarizing focus-group sessions and a district survey as it moves through a superintendent search, directed additional outreach to Indigenous stakeholders and received a proposed timeline that sets the application deadline for Feb. 7 and candidate interviews Feb. 17–21.
KASB consultant Dr. Hart presented the search-team materials, saying the process combined small focus-group conversations and a broader online survey. "The highest personal quality is just that student centered, that kid-first personality," Hart said while reviewing ranked survey results. He told the board the packet includes both raw survey responses and a condensed themes sheet to help the board finalize candidate-screening characteristics.
Why it matters: The board is choosing a new superintendent to lead district strategy, instruction and community partnerships. The materials presented — focus-group notes, a summary of open-ended survey responses and ranked lists of desired personal and leadership qualities — will be used to screen applicants and shape interview questions.
Most of the substantive discussion focused on what the board wants in a superintendent and how KASB gathered and condensed input. Hart said focus groups involved "over 30" participants across stakeholder groups, including a 24-person building-level administrators session, and that the district received 804 survey responses. Board members repeatedly emphasized the district’s desire for a candidate who is student-centered, a strong instructional leader, a strategic planner, fiscally competent and committed to equity and inclusion.
Board member Shannon Kimball urged that instructional leadership be made explicit on the screening criteria. "Just a clear statement about being a strong instructional leader ... the ability to hold the district accountable to our strategic plan and our expected outcomes," Kimball said.
Several board members pushed for additional, targeted outreach to Indigenous students, staff and families. "I see that the Indigenous curriculum committee is not one that’s listed — maybe they just haven’t been reached out to as of yet," said Board member Carol (first name only on the record). Carol also asked the district to strengthen ties with Haskell Indian Nations University; she noted the district’s last memorandum of understanding with Haskell dates to February 2006 and suggested a renewed MOU.
Dr. Hart acknowledged the gap and said KASB would add a standalone engagement with Native American Student Services and the district’s Indigenous curriculum committee. "We didn't have necessarily just a stand-alone group for Indigenous communities but I think that's definitely something that we can add," Hart said.
Board discussion also refined how "safety" appears in the candidate materials. One board member, Anne, said she was uncomfortable with the phrase "safety concerns" as used in raw feedback and urged the board to reflect both structural building safety and the broader, nuanced issues that affect students — such as behavioral-health needs and community violence that can enter the school environment. Board members suggested the candidate packet should distinguish physical facility safety work from student behavioral-health and community-safety issues.
Other recurring priorities from KASB’s compiled feedback included community partnerships (members mentioned University of Kansas and Haskell), parent engagement, class size and long-term budget planning, humility and an "action-minded" approach that can listen and then implement changes. KASB’s summary also listed preferred prior experience: business/operations experience, prior superintendent experience and curriculum/instruction leadership.
KASB described the next procedural steps: applications will close at midnight on Feb. 7; the search committee and board will review candidates in executive session on Feb. 12; finalists will be designated in a "finalist memo" and interviews are tentatively scheduled Feb. 17–21. Hart told the board KASB conducts background checks and will flag any character issues for the board to consider when it evaluates finalists. "We will talk about every candidate that applied ... and we discuss ... strengths and areas of growth," Hart said.
The meeting also included routine procedural votes. At the start of the Jan. 21 meeting a motion to approve the agenda passed on a recorded voice roll call, 7–0. Later the board voted by voice to adjourn the meeting.
Next steps: Board members were invited to send additional suggested screening characteristics to KASB; Dr. Hart said he would include any follow-up comments in a Friday update to the board. KASB staff and district leadership will add the Indigenous-focused engagement and circulate finalized candidate characteristics before candidate review in February.
