Post last updated at 3:48 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21:
The Lawrence school board has selected current Interim Superintendent Jeanice Swift as the permanent superintendent, according to a Friday news release.
“One of the things I love about Dr. Swift is that the challenges in front of us do not distract from her resolve to do what’s right for kids,” school board President Kelly Jones said in the release. “She has a practical, common-sense approach to education leadership that’s infused with ambition, backed by over 30 years of experience and an equity focus.”
Swift has served in the interim role since roughly the start of the school year, coming to the district from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jones said in the release that in a review of applications for the permanent position from across the country, it “was clear that Dr. Swift was the most qualified candidate and had the full support of the board and committee members.”
“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity, and thankful to the Board of Education and all on the team and in this community for their amazing support,” Swift said in the release.
During her interim tenure, Swift worked with the board and district staff to implement a new cellphone policy in district schools, and she has emphasized meeting directly with school community members to guide the district as it moves forward, according to the release.
Swift previously served as superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan for over a decade. Before that, she served as an assistant superintendent, principal, and a secondary English teacher in Colorado Springs for 15 years and also taught secondary English and Spanish for a decade in Texas.
In a letter Friday, Lawrence Education Association members Emerson Hoffzales, Josh Spradlin and Julie Donley issued a statement of support for Swift assuming the permanent superintendent role.
“Multiple LEA members and staff expressed that they wanted a superintendent who is a strong communicator, values staff (and the time they dedicate to our profession,) and is also a direct and transparent decision maker. Through the search process, it became clear to us that Dr. Swift exemplifies these traits and more,” the letter said. “… We appreciate that the LEA was included throughout the selection process, and not as an afterthought.”
The board used the services of the Kansas Association of School Boards for the search. Members of focus groups conducted during the search process said they wanted the new superintendent to be effective in communication and honest with transparency.
Swift, during her time as interim, has begun emailing school families weekly messages, including to affirm the district’s intent to keep students’ information private and support their constitutional right to education regardless of their immigration status.
She also shared that the district was taking steps to review processes “to ensure safety, security, reassurance, and care for our entire school community” in the wake of sexual assault allegations against a speech pathologist at Prairie Park Elementary School. “The district has launched a comprehensive review of safety protocols across all school buildings, including ensuring clear sightlines into all physical spaces where children are served, so these spaces remain open and observable at all times,” she said in a message to school families last week.
Swift fills the role left by the departure of former superintendent Anthony Lewis. She’ll be the 10th superintendent of the district, pending a formal vote by the school board on Monday.
In August, the board approved a contract with Swift to serve as the interim superintendent through June 30 at a salary of $194,482 for 10 months — the prorated equivalent of a $235,000 salary. The contract included benefits, including more than six weeks (33 days) of vacation, as well as sick and personal leave.
If our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
Related coverage:
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
August Rudisell / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
