At his final school board meeting, outgoing Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis said his hope for the district and greater community is “collaboration over conflict.”
“I will tell you, we all know in this community, we have faced some extreme challenges over the years,” Lewis said Monday. “There have been competing values, there have been varying factions, and at times, our differences have caused us to turn inward … Let us always assume positive intent, focus on building bridges and fostering even more collaboration. Let’s continue to engage in constructive dialogue.”
Lewis in June was selected for the superintendent position in the Durham, North Carolina school district. His resignation came after six years of leading Lawrence Public Schools.
“To all of our many previous and current students, you are the reason we do what we do,” Lewis said, becoming emotional. “You’re the reason we come to work every day — your curiosity, your intelligence, your creativity, perseverance is just so awesome to watch … Thank you for allowing me the privilege to just play a small part and observe your growth and achievements during these past six years.”
He continued, expressing gratitude to the board, administrators, staff and community members for their steadfast service. Teachers, he said, “are simply the heart” of the district.
Board members returned their thanks to Lewis, especially commending his relationship-building across schools and the community.
A few programs, one being the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Health Summer Leadership Academy, were being recognized at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. Upon reflection, board President Kelly Jones credited those successes to Lewis.
“To be able to see community members that we’re honoring tonight, the program we saw — the expansion at LMH — the relationship we have with Junior Achievement, the work that we do at Project SEARCH, that just grows because of Dr. Lewis’ work in this district,” Jones said.
Early this month, the board began its search for the new superintendent, planning to first select someone to serve in the interim role by early August.
Lewis’ final day in the Lawrence school district is Aug. 9, and the first full day of school for kindergarten through 12th grades is Aug. 14.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
