photo by: Contributed and file photos

Seen here are Lawrence Deputy Superintendent Anna Stubblefield and the school district's administrative offices at 110 McDonald Drive.

The Lawrence school district’s second-highest-ranking administrator will leave her position at the end of the school year, the district announced on Friday.

Superintendent Anthony Lewis said in a news release that Anna Stubblefield, the district’s deputy superintendent, has accepted the top leadership position at the Kansas City, Kan., school district. Stubblefield — who is currently serving her 13th school year in Lawrence, including a stint as the interim superintendent before Lewis was hired — will leave her current position on June 30.

Lewis, who has been the district’s leader since 2018, said in a news release that Stubblefield had been a “calming force” for the district before he arrived. He also cited her ability to work with staff and the respect she has earned from the district community.

“Dr. Stubblefield is an amazing leader and is more than ready to take KCKPS to the next level,” Lewis said. “That community is getting a jewel.”

Stubblefield said the change of districts would be bittersweet, but she is excited for the new chapter in her life.

“I have been blessed to have mentors within the district who supported, encouraged, and believed in me,” Stubblefield said in the news release. “The compilation of my experiences in Lawrence has prepared me to be the next superintendent in KCKPS.”

Prior to joining the Lawrence district, Stubblefield served four years as a special education and English teacher and basketball and track coach for the Center school district in Kansas City, Mo. She also spent six years as a middle school assistant principal for the Blue Valley school district in Overland Park.

In 2008-2009, she became principal of Lawrence’s then-Central Junior High, which is now known as Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. She was later promoted to division director of human resources in 2012-2013, and served various administrative positions until the district promoted her to become the deputy superintendent in the 2017-2018 school year, which is when the school board appointed her to serve as the interim superintendent during the search process that resulted in the hiring of Lewis.

With Stubblefield leaving, it is unclear if the district will fill the deputy superintendent position. According to the news release, Lewis will reevaluate the position and consider a potential administrative restructuring that could eliminate the position.