photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Lawrence school board met on Monday, March 9, 2026.

A new family welcome center, expanded preschool classrooms and additional college credit opportunities are among the Lawrence school district initiatives planned for 2026 and 2027, and school board members got an overview of them at their meeting this week.

The district is planning to create an “Open Engagement Welcome Center” this year at its Education Support Center at 110 McDonald Drive, Superintendent Jeanice Swift told board members at their meeting on Monday. The entrance will be on the side of the building closest to the city bus stop, and Swift hopes it will “serve as a front door to the district.”

“With the opening of this Welcome Center location, our student support team will invite families to connect directly with support services for students, families, and the community, including enrollment and navigation of wrap-around supports, learning, and assistance,” Swift wrote in a memo to the board.

Board member Matt Lancaster said he was excited about the new Welcome Center, but asked district staff to consider ways to make its resources more accessible for Lawrence residents who live farther away.

The preschool classroom expansions, meanwhile, are something the board has touched on before. As the Journal-World reported, the district has been working to expand its preschool programming at all elementary schools, and in the 2026-2027 school year, the district will begin offering classrooms at Deerfield and Prairie Park.

The preschool enrollment window is open through March 22, but there’s already more demand than spots available. Swift said in the memo that in the span of about a month, there have been 230 applications for 120 slots.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Superintendent Jeanice Swift is pictured on Monday, March 9, 2026.

“We will continue our work to open doors for as many students and families as possible to meet this demand,” Swift said in the memo.

The district is also planning to strengthen its Jayhawk Blueprint Partnership, which enables high school students to take college courses. When students complete these courses, they not only earn credit towards obtaining their high school diploma, but also receive college credit. Up to 22 credit hours in University of Kansas courses are currently available for the district’s high school students.

The presentation said the goal is to get more students at both high schools involved, but to also for the first time offer these courses to Lawrence Virtual School students in 2026-2027. One such course is scheduled to be offered in spring 2027, and the intention is to continue expanding over time.

Swift also said parents have asked about offering an Advanced Placement program. In response, the district plans to introduce an Advanced Placement Seminar next year and Advanced Placement Research the following year. Together, the two courses make up the AP Capstone diploma program, which focuses on building students’ research, analysis, writing, collaboration and presentation skills rather than teaching a specific subject.

Additionally, the district will be refining its Career and Technical Education programs to create clearer course sequences for students across all middle and high schools. District leaders say the changes will help programs better reflect student interests and workforce needs while giving students more opportunities to earn industry credentials and college credit and do other post-secondary work. The district will also strengthen programming at the Lawrence College and Career Center, including redesigning its partnership with Peaslee Tech to support workforce training and technical education programs.

“These improvements will ensure the College and Career Center continues to serve as a hub for innovative programming that prepares students for multiple post-secondary opportunities,” Swift said.

A capital project that has been in the works and anticipated to open August 2026 is “Choice Campus at Centennial.” The program will offer high school students a flexible, come-and-go learning environment that is designed to personalize education around individual needs. While there will be a few traditional classrooms in the building, the space will primarily be used for each individual student’s benefit, as the Journal-World reported.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Lawrence school board president GR Gordon-Ross is pictured on Monday, March 9, 2026.

At the next board meeting at the end of this month, there will be a second presentation outlining goals for teaching and learning in the upcoming school year, Swift said.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, BOARD MEMBERS:

• Approved multiple bids related to renovations at the Centennial building, which will house the new Choice Campus at Centennial program this fall.

One bid was awarded to Centric Projects LLC for interior and exterior renovations at a total cost, including contingency funds, not to exceed $3,503,603. The company will do interior renovations such as finish improvements, door replacements, wall reconfiguration and fire system upgrades, as well as some exterior improvements, such as a new enclosed vestibule, a new canopy and sun-shading devices, according to the board’s meeting agenda.

Another is for roof replacement services from Meridian Roofing Solutions. The total cost of this work is not to exceed $625,828. According to the agenda, due to the age and configuration of the existing roof system, the project’s scope extends beyond a typical roof replacement, and the existing roof materials will need to be removed and disposed of.

A third bid for engineering and construction administration services was awarded to Norton and Schmidt Consulting Engineers LLC and Roof Asset Management Services LLC in the amount of $28,170. The services they’re being contracted for include site visits, written reports and final inspections, among other things.

• Authorized Musco Sports Lighting LLC to replace football field lighting at Free State and Lawrence high schools and softball field lighting at Lawrence High. The total project cost is not to exceed $649,000.

The athletic field lighting at the high schools is nearing obsolescence, and the high-intensity discharge fixtures are becoming difficult and costly to maintain due to limited replacement parts and declining manufacturer support, according to the meeting agenda. The schedule for these projects is meant to align with track replacement projects at both stadiums, allowing the work to be completed more efficiently and avoiding the need to damage newly installed tracks later.

• Approved a one-year extension of existing contracts with Beautiful Music Violin Shop for $20,000, Wind Instrument Connections for $37,400, and Meyer Music for $49,300 for the maintenance and repair of band and orchestra instruments. The extension covers the period from May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027.