Gary Lewis has always wanted to be principal at a school with no walls.

He’ll get his chance in Lawrence.

Lewis, who has dedicated his career to using technology in the classroom, was announced Monday as the principal of a new virtual charter school in Lawrence.

“I’ve always dreamed of this,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of developing a school using the Internet. It brings new challenges.”

Lewis is a Lawrence resident who has worked two years as an educational specialist with the De Soto school district, overseeing the delivery of professional development and the assessment of staff performance.

He also is a graduate teaching assistant at Kansas University, where he is working on his doctorate; an adjunct professor at Wichita State University, where he teaches an online education course; and quality performance accreditation chairman for three schools in south-central Kansas.

Lewis previously served in several capacities, including technology coordinator, in the Maize school district.

He’ll lead the development of curriculum and recruitment for the charter school, which was approved by the state Department of Education in March.

Karen Vespestad, director of grants, board services and strategic planning, said Lewis was ideal for the job.

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“We found someone that can do everything,” she said. “He had administrative, curriculum, technology and PR/marketing experience with a strong background in education.”

The school will target students who are homeschooled or attend private schools. Classes also will be available for students needing to retake courses or who need other remedial help.

The district initially hoped to provide core-subject instruction online for students in third through eighth grades, with hopes of expanding to provide high school and adult education courses. But Lawrence received only $101,709, about a sixth of the amount it requested from the state.

Lewis, who starts July 1, said he thought the scaled-down version of the charter school still could provide core-subject curriculum in third through sixth grades, with some students starting as early as August.

He said he also hoped to provide professional development information online for parents who homeschool their children.

Lewis will be the only full-time staff member, though Vespestad said stipends might be available for teachers to assist with the project. Plans initially called for a principal, two curriculum coordinators and a Web technician.

“It’ll take longer to get it full-blown, but we’ll be able to get it going,” Lewis said. “We’ll start on a small scale and grow it from that point.”