The Lawrence school board on Monday elected Bob Byers as board president and Yolanda Franklin as vice president for the 2026-27 school year.
Byers was unanimously elected president after being the sole nominee for the position. Franklin was elected vice president after being nominated along with Carole Cadue-Blackwood, who declined the nomination.
During his first remarks as president, Byers said that he would like the board to revisit general public comment in the meetings. Monday marked the 14th meeting in a row without public comment.
“I vehemently supported 100 percent past president (GR Gordon-Ross’s) need to discontinue public comment,” Byers said. “I think it was the right thing to do at that particular moment. I think at this time, it’s time for us to relook at it and invite the public back in some form.”
Superintendent Jeanice Swift opened her report by celebrating student and staff accomplishments, including Free State students who performed on an international music tour, district students who earned top honors at the Kansas Choral Directors Association summer convention and a West Middle School student, Éabha Klinksick, who received national recognition at the National History Day contest.
Swift said that more than 3,000 students — about 35% of the district’s total enrollment — had completed the annual enrollment as of Monday.
Gordon-Ross said parents planning to use buses should submit transportation requests by July 24 even if they live within the 2.5-mile radius, so routes can be finished before school starts on Aug. 13.
The board also unanimously approved a $45,590 furniture purchase for the first phase of Centennial Choice Campus, the district’s new nontraditional high school option at the former Centennial Elementary School site. The purchase is part of the district’s efforts to open the campus in August as a personalized learning environment for students who want a more flexible setting.
As approved as part of the board’s personnel report, Kathleen Sjursen will take on the role of assistant principal at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, and Jennifer Welborn-Jimenez will take on an assistant principal role at Lawrence High School.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
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