photo by: Lawrence school district

Anthony Lewis

Updated at 2:50 p.m. Monday, July 1

The Lawrence school board has called a special meeting for Tuesday to discuss the search and selection process for both an interim and a new superintendent.

The district announced this weekend that Superintendent Anthony Lewis, who was hired in 2018, would be leaving for a job in Durham, North Carolina. His resignation is effective Aug. 9, as the Journal-World reported.

The board at its 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday will consider approving payments to the Kansas Association of School Boards Leadership Services for assistance in coordinating the board’s interim superintendent search, with a total budget not exceeding $6,500, to be paid out of the board operating budget.

The board will also go into executive session “for the purpose of discussing personnel matters of non-elected personnel in order to protect the privacy interests of the individuals to be discussed, with Dr. Anthony Lewis invited to be present.” The agenda item notes that possible action could follow the executive session.

Lewis’ resignation is the third in recent weeks of top-level administrators in the district. Chief Academic Officer Patrick Kelly announced in May that he would retire at the end of June, and earlier this month Cynthia Johnson, the executive director of inclusion, engagement and belonging, said she would also be leaving at the end of June.

The board meets at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. Meetings are also live-streamed on the district’s Youtube Channel.