At the Jan. 12 Lawrence Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Swift summarized district highlights and upcoming opportunities for families.

Dr. Swift noted the boardroom art display features original student artwork from Lawrence High School and said selected pieces will be included in superintendent reports and social posts. He announced that Sunflower Elementary was named one of 45 AVID Schools of Excellence nationwide and introduced Todd Mercantoneo of the AVID Center, who described the school's implementation and why the award was given.

Dr. Swift shared a human-interest story from Quail Run Elementary: a second-grade student and family upcycled a wooden chair for teacher Sarah Kingsley; the moment went viral on TikTok and was covered by People Magazine. He also recognized Free State High School theater for performing at the 2026 Kansas Thespian Festival.

On operations and services, the superintendent announced a preschool enrollment window from Feb. 2 to March 22 for six elementary sites and said acceptance notifications are expected by April 1. He also introduced a winter series of "community conversations" to review progress on district priorities and invited broad participation, including an MLK observance event scheduled Jan. 22 at the Lehi Center of Kansas.