photo by: Mackenzie Clark/Journal-World File Photo

The Lawrence Board of Education meeting room at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive, is pictured in this file photo from Feb. 25, 2019.

The Lawrence school board will hear a report regarding the school district’s progress on its strategic plan during its meeting on Monday.

Superintendent Anthony Lewis is expected to provide the update, which is scheduled to occur during a work session. The board will not take any action on the matter.

The overall purpose of the strategic plan, which the board approved in June, is to help increase district students’ literacy by third grade, increase students’ math proficiency by eighth grade, narrow achievement gaps among student groups, increase high school completion and improve student postgraduation success in college or career.

The plan’s five strategic themes are effective and committed employees; guaranteed and cohesive curriculum; student-centered learning; social/emotional support for students; and data-informed decisions. The plan calls for several initiatives attached to each theme to be conducted within three phases.

Lewis provided his first update on the school district’s progress in October, when he said some work is moving along well, such as the creation of a new survey that faculty and staff will be able to take to provide data to the district administration related to school culture. However, he said there have been some challenges, such as issues with electronic locks on school building doors, which faculty and staff may need more training to use correctly.

The update on Monday will be the second progress report since the plan was put in place. Lewis previously said he would provide the school board with regular updates on the progress of the plan.

The board will also hear a report on its capital outlay fund and project planning. The capital outlay fund is used to pay for capital improvement projects around the school district, such as renovations of facilities.

The report will provide an update on the fund and provide a summary of school district capital improvement projects that have occurred or are planned for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends in July, according to the board agenda.

In other business, the board will consider approving two new courses at the Lawrence Virtual School for the 2020-2021 school year:

• Reading for College Success, which aims to provide students with tools to become successful in both academics and in the workplace. It will explore how reading is a vital skill needed to effectively take notes, summarize ideas, and separate fact from opinion.

• Sports and Entertainment Marketing, which explores basic marketing principles and delves deep into the multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment marketing industry.

The board will meet at 5 and 6 p.m. for its work session and regular meeting, respectively, at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. Full agendas can be found on the district’s website, usd497.org.