photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Lawrence school board members met on Monday, April 28, 2025.

Lawrence school board members heard about additional priorities in the next school year – like streamlining parent communication, AVID rollout and MacBooks at the high school level.

Based on community input, Superintendent Jeanice Swift on Monday presented plans to create more opportunities for students and to improve services for families. She presented three new “enhancements” or strategies to create those opportunities and reduce disparity gaps.

“We direct a line to what our students, our staff, our parents and our families told us they wanted to have in Lawrence Public Schools,” Swift said. “And we know that no one knows that better than those who bring their children and live, and work, and serve right alongside us every day.”

There were three new areas the district hopes to explore in the upcoming school year, which includes implementing ParentSquare – a school-to-home communication platform – for the 2025-2026 school year. It acts as a central hub for all school, classroom and group communications and enables parents to interact with teachers and staff.

“Not 14 apps that parents are expected to get,” Swift said. ” … But all communication in one location from the school … For our parents, it was among the top requests.”

Board member Shannon Kimball said that parents can get overwhelmed by communication at times, and she is hopeful that this tool will help unify the message and give people a single place to go.

The district will also be completing districtwide AVID implementation in 2026. The program is a comprehensive college and career readiness system designed to help students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds or who are in the “academic middle,” students neither struggling with low grades nor excelling at high levels.

Additionally, there will be efforts to equip high school students with MacBooks. The presentation states that this is a direct response to student feedback and it will replace iPads with a “more college aligned laptop.” There will be capital outlay funds that will be used to fund this endeavor.

In March, Swift announced the first five educational program enhancements, including expanding preschool, growing the district’s Montessori school at New York Elementary, amplifying elementary science for all students, advancing STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics – programming at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, and strengthening Jayhawk Blueprint, as the Journal-World reported. The Jayhawk Blueprint is in partnership with the University of Kansas to enable high school students to take college courses at one-third the cost of tuition.

There will be an update on the AVID program at the May 12 board meeting, according to the presentation.