photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Interim superintendent Jeanice Swift talks with School Board President Kelly Jones and Board Member Carole Cadue-Blackwood at a meet and greet on Monday, August 12, 2024.

The Lawrence school district’s interim superintendent, Jeanice Kerr Swift, has been chosen by the Lawrence school board to fill the permanent superintendent position, according to a district news release on Friday.

“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity, and thankful to the Board of Education and all on the team and in this community for their amazing support,” Swift said in the release. “We look forward to continuing our important work together, meeting the challenges we face, and taking the action steps necessary to ensure that we truly serve ‘Every Child, Every Day’ and learn, grow, and thrive in our excellent Lawrence Public Schools.”

Swift took over as interim superintendent after the district’s previous superintendent, Anthony Lewis, resigned from the position last summer. The board had hired the Kansas Association of School Boards to help with a search for the permanent role, but the release says that after the school board’s superintendent search committee “reviewed applications … from across the country,” they decided Swift was the most qualified for the job.

“The committee saw no need to further extend the search process at additional expense to our district and community,” said Board President Kelly Jones, according to the release.

Before the announcement of Swift as the new superintendent, the search was expected to include candidate interviews in mid- to late February, and a final decision was expected in March. A designated search committee had been created alongside KASB to aid in the search for the permanent position, which included union representatives and community members.

A letter from leaders of the Lawrence Education Association, the district’s teachers union, to union members said that the search committee had thoroughly reviewed data from surveys, community sessions led by Swift and smaller focus groups representing each building and program. The letter said union members thought it was important to have a superintendent who is an effective communicator, values staff and demonstrates directness and transparency in decision-making.

“Through the search process, it became clear to us that Dr. Swift exemplifies these traits and more,” read the letter, which was signed by LEA President Emerson Hoffzales, LEA Negotiations Co-Chair Josh Spradlin, and Julie Donley, leader of PAL-CWA, which represents the district’s paraeducators and other classified staff.

“She used community and staff conversations to inform her goal setting and began sending out regular communication via frequent emails and even a new podcast,” the letter read. “She does not only listen to staff and students about our needs, but also celebrates us.”

Jones said in the release that Swift “enjoys the support of board members, district administrators, and LEA leaders.”

“One of the things I love about Dr. Swift is that the challenges in front of us do not distract from her resolve to do what’s right for kids.” Jones said in the press release. “She has a practical, common-sense approach to education leadership that’s infused with ambition, backed by over 30 years of experience and an equity focus. I have heard directly from students and educators that she has already improved our policy practices, communication approaches, and instructional strategies.”

After arriving in Lawrence to begin her work as interim superintendent, Swift met with hundreds of school families, staff and community members during back-to-school events and made visits to multiple schools during the first week of the school year.

“From her first day at the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s Kids Expo in August, it was evident that Dr. Swift is a boots-on-the-ground superintendent,” said Kristen Ryan, assistant superintendent of human resources and employee relations, in a press release. “Her experience, leadership, and ability to connect the vision of student learning and staff support to the day-to-day work has enabled our district to have a laser-like focus on the critical mission of supporting our schools.”

Swift has worked with the board and staff to respond to one of the community’s top concerns by implementing a new cellphone policy and guidance in January, as the Journal-World reported. The new policy established cellphone-free instructional environments for high school classrooms to limit distractions of personal devices. Now, student cellphones must be turned off and put away during instruction time.

Swift also presented a report to the school board in January that detailed input gathered from 55 face-to-face conversations and 1,193 online surveys from September to December. The input will be used to guide the district’s future strategic decisions.

“We have our marching orders and our direction from the community,” Swift said in the press release. “The path forward is rooted in opportunity, partnership, and accountability. This report is proof that in Lawrence the center still holds, and that center is the heart for every child in our community.”

Several other board members, including board Vice President GR Gordon-Ross, said they too had been impressed by Swift during her time as an interim leader.

“She balances that strength with genuine care and compassion for our students, staff, and families — qualities that are evident in everything she does,” Gordon-Ross said in the press release. “Dr. Swift is exactly what Lawrence Public Schools needs right now.”

Board member Yolanda Franklin praised how Swift jumped right in and started working, and said, “that’s the dedication to the students and their learning that I looked for in a superintendent.”

Swift previously served as superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan for more than a decade. She also served in the Colorado Springs School District 11 in multiple positions, including assistant superintendent, teaching and learning executive director, principal, assistant principal, and secondary English teacher, and she taught secondary English and Spanish for 10 years in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School District in Texas.

In 2018, Swift was named Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association of School Administrators. In addition, the National School Public Relations Association has recognized her as a “Superintendent to Watch.”

Swift earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, her master’s at the University of Colorado and a doctorate in educational leadership at the Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver.

“Dr. Swift leads by example, holding herself and all those around her to the highest standards in support of our students, staff, and families. Her ability to actively listen, empathize, and problem-solve with courage and clarity will help our district thrive,” said board member Shannon Kimball in a press release.

Swift is the 10th superintendent to lead the Lawrence school district since district unification in 1965. The previous superintendents include Carl Knox, Dan Neuenswander, Al Azinger, Kathleen Williams, Randy Weseman, Rick Doll, Kyle Hayden, Interim Superintendent Anna Stubblefield and Lewis.

Swift’s selection still requires a formal board approval, which will take place at the board’s meeting on Monday, according to the release. The Journal-World reached out to Swift for comment, but Swift was not immediately available for an interview.