Lawrence school board members at their meeting Monday elected GR Gordon-Ross as the next board president and approved a bid to renovate Woodlawn Elementary School to implement a preschool program there.
Bob Byers was elected as the board’s vice president. He was nominated by outgoing board president Kelly Jones. Yolanda Franklin was nominated for the role by Carole Cadue-Blackwood.
Gordon-Ross, who has served as board vice president for the past year, was the only member of the board to accept a nomination for the role of president. Board members Cadue-Blackwood, Anne Costello, Byers and Jones declined nominations to run for the role, instead choosing to support Gordon-Ross.
The board also approved a litany of administrative items at the meeting, including planned renovations at Woodlawn Elementary School, 508 Elm St. The renovations would help support a new preschool program there. The items were approved as part of the board’s consent agenda and were passed with no discussion.
Superintendent Jeanice Swift told board members in March that the district plans to open one preschool classroom each at Sunflower and Woodlawn elementary schools for the upcoming school year.
The project at Woodlawn Elementary will add a restroom and a second exit to the preschool area, according to the agenda. ACI Boland Architects and B.A. Green Construction Co. will complete the work, which is expected to cost about $208,000 and will be funded through the district’s capital outlay fund.
In April, the board approved a $79,000 purchase of preschool-appropriate playground equipment for both schools.
Board members also approved renewals for several district software systems including PowerSchool, ClassLink and WebEx, along with a new $43,000 contract for the ParentSquare communication platform.
ParentSquare is designed to streamline communication between district staff and families while protecting personal contact information. The district piloted the tool this spring and cited its versatility and private messaging features as key benefits.
“Moving forward, implementing ParentSquare district-wide will streamline more secured communications and foster stronger family engagement,” according to the agenda. “Training and support will be provided to ensure all staff and families can effectively utilize the platform.”
Jones and the superintendent also gave statements condemning federal action freezing grants. The action could cost the district $468,151. Read more about that at this link.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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