photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence school district

Bill DeWitt

The principal of the Lawrence College and Career Center is resigning to become principal at an area high school, the Lawrence school district announced in a recent news release.

At the end of June, Bill DeWitt will leave the Lawrence district to take over leadership of Eudora High School.

“I am thankful for my 11 years working in USD 497 and appreciate the many dedicated educators I had the privilege to work with during that time. I am grateful to the many students and families who put their trust in me and our team to care for their educational experience,” he said in the release.

Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis described DeWitt’s work at the College and Career Center as “groundbreaking,” citing his and his staff’s work to help students at risk of dropping out of school to receive an education and go on to college or to pursue a career.

After joining the district in 2013 as an assistant principal and athletic director at Lawrence High School, DeWitt took over the leadership of adult education services and alternative programming as principal in 2018. These include the Adult Learning Center, the Diploma-Completion, Suspension Alternative, and First Stop programs, and the delivery of educational services at the Northeast Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

In 2020, he added director of the Lawrence College and Career Center to his responsibilities and led the district’s opening of the Academy to provide a full-day alternative for students struggling in the traditional high school setting. The Academy earned the National School Boards Association’s Magna Grand Prize last year for innovative solutions to educational challenges.

DeWitt previously served four years as principal of Thomas More Prep-Marion Junior/Senior High in Hays, and as a social studies teacher and coach at Eudora High for seven years and Tonganoxie High School for five years. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Kansas and a doctorate at the University of Arkansas.

DeWitt replaces Justin Bogart, who is leaving the Eudora position to become principal at Piper High School.