Lawrence school board members on Tuesday will hear updates on the student-focused coffee shop at Community Connections at Pinckney.
The former elementary school building now serves students in various district programs including Community Transition, or C-Tran, which provides independent living and workplace skill building for young adults ages 18 to 21 with disabilities.
The district launched the grant-funded Pinckney Bakery in August 2025, and students began working there in the spring.
Staff were brainstorming how to launch a coffee shop there at that time, though they thought it was likely that it would take a couple of years to implement.
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Through the coffee shop, “Students have the opportunity to build skills such as customer service, communication, teamwork, responsibility, and job readiness while working toward greater independence and successful employment after high school,” the meeting agenda states.
During the school board’s meeting, “Dena Johnston and Principal Jenna Viscomi will overview the efforts of the Big 12 / College Football Foundation in tandem with the Lawrence Schools Foundation who over recent months have awarded Pinckney Community Connections in planning and completing an upgrade to their coffee shop and outdoor seating area, with support from the USD 497 Facilities team,” according to the agenda.
A ribbon cutting is tentatively planned later this month, according to the agenda.
There were no old business, new business or report items on the board’s agenda as of Sunday afternoon.
Meeting info
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.
Board meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, but the upcoming meeting was moved for Indigenous Peoples Day, which is now a paid holiday in the district.
People can email [email protected] by noon the day of the meeting to sign up to give general public comment. Only in-person public comment will be allowed.
Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@USD497, and broadcast on Midco channel 26.
See the full meeting agenda at this link. See more ways to contact the school board at lawrencekstimes.com/contact-usd497bd.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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