Post updated at 5:02 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3:
Both outside candidates being considered for the interim Lawrence superintendent left their previous superintendent jobs under some controversy.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan school district came to a resignation agreement with Jeanice Swift last year after a school bus aide was convicted of abusing a child who has autism, according to WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit.
And after Thomas Ahart’s contract with the Des Moines, Iowa school district was not renewed, he left in 2022 with a large payout from a separation agreement, according to the Des Moines Register and Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The school board announced Swift and Ahart as two finalists and interviewed them in separate executive sessions, or closed-door meetings this week.
Larry Englebrick, recently promoted from the Lawrence school district’s chief operations officer to the deputy superintendent role, is also being considered as a finalist and was interviewed by the board Monday.
The interim superintendent is expected to serve for the 2024-25 school year while the school board seeks out the next permanent superintendent.
School board members began their search in early July after outgoing Superintendent Anthony Lewis accepted a superintendent position with the Durham, North Carolina school district. Lewis’ final day is Aug. 9, and the board plans to hire an interim before the first full day of school on Aug. 14.
WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit reported that a former school bus aide for the transportation services company for Ann Arbor Public Schools was convicted for repeatedly slapping a second grader “while he was in an illegally used restraint harness.” The child’s mother said she was kept in the dark for five weeks even though other students reported the abuse to their teachers and social workers.
Close to 100 parents in the district signed a letter that called for Swift’s resignation and said special education families didn’t feel safe in the district. “The letter also references allegations of ‘a racially hostile environment in our schools’ and concerns about ‘an overall lack of leadership in addressing antisemitic incidents,’” WXYZ reported.
In September 2023, the Ann Arbor school board voted 5-2 to approve a resignation agreement with Swift.
Swift, reached via email after this article was published, said that “An incident of this nature is abhorrent and runs counter to everything I have worked for over a career dedicated to serving children in schools, as well as what our teams, schools and communities stand for in the care and education of our children.”
Update:
• Lawrence school board names Jeanice Swift as interim superintendent, Aug. 7, 2024
She said she understands that “levels of concern rise for all of us when we hear of an incident like this.”
“I especially understand the level of concern among parents of students with specialized needs, and look forward, if given the opportunity in Lawrence, to opening and continuing conversations with our parents of students with special needs, to listen, to assure of the excellent work in place to serve students, and to address any questions or concerns as they arise,” Swift said.
She said a lawsuit was filed in federal court last summer, and because of the ongoing litigation, “we are not able to comment more specifically on particular details and allegations; more importantly, this child and family are entitled to their privacy.”
“… It is important to note that details of merit in this case will be thoroughly tested in court as a part of the ongoing litigation process,” she said.
The Des Moines Register reported that when Ahart resigned from Des Moines Public Schools in June 2022, he’d continue receiving his salary for the next year. The agreement between him and the school board would grant him a nearly $400,000 payout, which equated to about nine first-year teachers’ salaries at that time.
The previous year, the Des Moines school board had decided not to extend Ahart’s contract past 2023.
“In an interview, (the Des Moines school board vice chair) declined to say whether the vote not to renew the contract amounted to a no confidence vote by the board because it is a personnel matter,” the Des Moines Register reported.
An agreement between the board and Ahart says they “will develop a mutually agreeable statement regarding Dr. Ahart’s resignation from the district, which shall be the sole statement from the parties, including board members in their individual and official capacity,” according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Lawrence school board President Kelly Jones said the board is aware of Swift, Ahart and Englebrick’s histories.
“The three interim superintendent finalists were selected only after KASB conducted a full vetting process,” Jones said via email.
The Kansas Association of School Boards posted the job opening on its website to actively seek out external candidates and reviewed internal and external candidate applications. KASB also provided the board with sample interview questions and an evaluation rubric.
“The board knows about each educator’s personal background and professional records of success in their previous school districts,” Jones continued. “We have had candid conversations with each finalist about their strengths, challenges faced, lessons learned, and areas they desire to improve as public education leaders.”
The district’s union leadership, a community group that included parents and members of various district committees, and administrators met with the candidates and then completed a feedback survey, Jones said. Their feedback in addition to the board’s interviews with candidates will inform whoever is finally selected, she said.
Neither Swift nor Ahart could be reached for comment by the time of publication Friday evening.
In news releases this week, the Lawrence school district shared general successes Swift and Ahart had during their previous superintendent jobs but made no mention of controversies.
Both candidates have been working as consultants — Ahart since 2022, Swift since January, according to the district.
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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.
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