photo by: Lawrence Public Schools

Broken Arrow Interim Principal Amanda Green, left, and Pinckney Principal Jennifer Schmitt, right, will be moving to new roles next school year after their schools close.

When Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementaries close later this year, the interim principals of both schools will be moving to new positions, the Lawrence school district announced Friday.

The district’s announcement said that Pinckney Interim Principal Jennifer Schmitt will become the interim principal of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, and that Broken Arrow Interim Principal Amanda Green will be moved to a districtwide position called coordinator of systems of support. They will start in their new positions on July 1, pending school board approval.

Green’s new position will be funded by emergency relief dollars and will focus on “supporting elementary students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs,” according to the district’s news release. She will also help students, staff and families affected by school closures with their transition to their new schools.

“Broken Arrow has been my home for five years and each year I have been amazed to see the genuine care and connections, innovative ideas, and incredible growth among students, teachers, and our Broken Arrow community,” Green said in the release.

Green has been the interim principal at Broken Arrow for the past school year, and she previously worked as a learning coach at the school for four years, the news release said. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emporia State University.

Schmitt will be replacing Liberty Memorial Principal Anne Hawks, who will be leaving for an administrative role in a Kansas City-area district, the release said. Like Green, Schmitt had only spent one year in her current interim principal role, but she previously spent two years as the interim principal at Lawrence High School and two more years as a learning coach at Billy Mills Middle School. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of Kansas, as well as a master’s degree from Fort Hays State University.

The district also announced on Friday that the interim principal of Prairie Park Elementary, Jason Townsend, will become the permanent principal of that school, also pending school board approval. Townsend was named interim principal in May 2022.

photo by: Lawrence Public Schools

Jason Townsend, the interim principal of Prairie Park Elementary, will become the permanent principal at the school.