photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Zach Harwood, principal of the Centennial Choice Campus, is pictured Monday, June 8, 2026.

Lawrence school district officials revealed details of the curriculum for their new high school program on Monday, which is meant to provide more flexible and personalized classes for students who don’t want a traditional high school experience.

The district will begin offering the new Centennial Choice Campus program in 2026-2027 in addition to its two main high schools, Lawrence High and Free State High, and its Lawrence Virtual School. Zach Harwood, principal at Centennial, said that while any student could benefit from the program, it’s aimed at students who don’t feel well served by the other options available.

“It is for those students who don’t yet want to be at (Lawrence High School) and (Free State High School) all day,” Harwood said. “They don’t want to be at (Lawrence Virtual School) at home.”

In the Centennial program, students will be able to collaboratively build a schedule with their family and a “facilitator” staff member who will help them set goals, monitor progress and stay on track for graduation and their postsecondary plans. The idea will be to give them a variety of different ways to take their classes, including virtual, in-person, self-paced and more traditional offerings, so that they can choose what fits them best.

Each student’s schedule will be unique, and they will have flexibility on how to approach each individual school day. Students could even go to Centennial in the evening to work on class credits if they work or have family commitments during the day.

“Not every student’s schedule will be the same every day,” Harwood said. “… It is very possible on Monday they come to Centennial in the morning and go to LHS or Free State in the afternoon. It is just as likely on a different day, they start their day at LHS or Free State and come to Centennial afterwards … That flexibility is kind of built in depending on what the student needs.”

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Lawrence school board members are pictured Monday, June 8, 2026.

As students progress through the program, they will have the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary projects, which can give them credit in multiple school subjects while applying real-world problem solving. For example, a student might design and launch a small business, from pitch to financials to product. This could give students credit in entrepreneurship, math and finance.

The Centennial campus will be staffed with teachers in each core area, including math, English, social studies and science. There will also be mental health support, front office staff, a school nurse and instructional assistants to work with students one-on-one if needed.

In the future, Harwood said he could see other opportunities being offered at Centennial. This includes opportunities for students who want to graduate early, students who want to learn job skills while completing their school work, night school and in-person support for Lawrence Virtual School.

Board member Shannon Kimball said Centennial is not only filling a gap in the district’s offerings, but that there’s a lot of potential for it to support services that are already offered in the district.

Applications for the Centennial program open July 8. Once a student has enrolled, they will be paired with a pathway facilitator and develop a personal schedule.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, BOARD MEMBERS:

• Approved an increase in school meal prices for the 2026-2027 school year on a 6-1 vote, with board member Matt Lancaster opposed. The changes include a $0.15 increase to paid student lunch prices and a $0.10 increase in paid student breakfast prices compared to meal prices in 2025-2026, as the Journal-World reported.

For elementary school students, lunches will cost $3.25. Middle school lunches will be priced at $3.45, and high school lunches will cost $3.50. Elementary school breakfasts are priced at $2.20, middle school breakfasts will cost $2.30, and high school breakfasts will be $2.35.

The reduced-price meals will remain at $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch for all students. Students who qualify for free meals will continue to receive meals at no cost. The application for free or reduced-price meals for the 2026-2027 school year will be released in early July. Families can apply at https://shorturl.at/gsBV3.

There will also be a 10-cent increase to adult meal costs. Adult meal prices for the 2026-2027 school year will be $5.25 for lunch and $3.20 for breakfast.

• Approved the district’s facility rental fee structure and guide for in-district and out-of-district groups looking to rent school buildings. Nonprofit organizations generally pay lower rates than for-profit groups, while school-sponsored events often have fees waived. The rental guide and fees can be viewed at https://shorturl.at/GBKdP.

• Approved the payment of the district’s excess workers compensation insurance policy for the next two years with an estimated annual premium of $79,337 to maintain coverage that protects the district from workers’ compensation claims exceeding $400,000. The coverage will be in place from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028.

• Approved a three-year contract for the family communication platform ParentSquare in the amounts of $50,408 in 2026-2027, $52,928 in 2027-2028 and $55,575 in 2028-2029. The 2025-2026 school year’s contract cost $42,007.

This platform consolidates all district and school-level communications, such as urgent alerts, attendance notifications, newsletters, two-way messaging and online forms into a single platform that can be accessed by all families. According to the agenda, 99.2% of district families currently use the platform.

• Approved the sale of marketable excess items – such as furniture, fixtures, equipment, shelving and electrical supplies – through online auction platform Purple Wave, and donating less sellable items to Restore-Habitat for Humanity and Orphan Grain Train Inc. The funds received will go toward the capital outlay fund.