001We're going to come back uh for our final report which is uh 5.3 the 2025 2026 enhancements and Dr. Swift. Thank you Madame President, members of the board. Um I'm sorry that this has been a lot of heavy information this evening. Uh but we really are excited. Uh March is that month where we uh begin to set the table uh for the following school year. And we wanted to take time this evening to really review some work that we've been doing to prepare for our next steps in USD 497. I will just point out that these enhancements that we'll see really are uh following that northstar of quality education, excellence, and equity in everything we do. Uh these are focused on providing opportunities and access for students. Steps that you will see right away will
002close disparity gaps. And and it is important to note that every one of these um initiatives and next steps that we're proposing come directly from the feedback of our students and staff, our parents and community. Uh they're borne out in the in the work that we've been doing throughout this year to hear about the next steps in the district. Uh we'll start with the addition of preschool and the preschool offerings in Lawrence public schools. We've long been proud of Kennedy preschool, Kennedy Early Childhood Center, that programming. And so, uh, the idea of the next steps with preschool is to expand access by adding preschool classrooms across our neighborhood schools. We know the power of a quality preschool education. We know that research, decades of research show that it's effective and and helpful for all students
003and most especially students who come uh from homes that have higher impact whether that's poverty, second language, whatever the case may be. Um, we know that by adding classrooms into the local school, uh, that we'll be able to engage and support families earlier, three and four year olds right in our neighborhood schools. So, in 2526, uh, we want to begin a phased approach opening preschool classrooms, one each, at Sunflower and Woodlon elementary schools. Uh the schools were selected based on need and demand uh for the programming uh and being able to enroll students. But I want to just share that the vision is a preschool seat for every child in Lawrence. It may take us a few years to get there, but we know the importance of that onramp of a quality preschool education. We
004also understand and hear from our parents a real crisis around quality child care not just in Lawrence but across the country and this will help to meet that need. Uh we're sharing on each of these endeavors a research base. Um we uh will uh at some point here in March and April publish a single summary sheet of each of the enhancements and the research base behind them. Um but there is a wide base of research in support of preschool offerings um for every student. We talked about this a little bit at a prior board meeting when we were highlighting the addition of the second professional planning time for our teachers at elementary. We're really excited that that time for our students will be focused on elementary science really to foster critical thinking, problem solving, creativity,
005nurturing curiosity, promoting, hands-on learning. All of these crucial for a child's development and future success. I also believe that some of our earlier discussion around the use of technology and long periods of time, this will really relieve uh pressure on a number of fronts and provide more stimulating learning throughout the day and also importantly give our professionals, our teachers time to do their professional work. Uh we've already heard from teachers across the district who are putting their hands up high saying this is a job I've long wanted to do. Please uh consider me as you're making your selection of science teachers. Um so we will be putting together Miss JC Robersonson will be leading it with principles and teachers uh some brainstorming sessions as to what the nature scope and sequence of standardsbased elementary science
006learning will look like in USD 497. It's an exciting time. I look forward to bringing you updates on this work as we move forward. There's a wide research base on getting that science in early. I've heard from our teachers and from our parents uh that in our current approach sometimes students are coming without a lot of science because that's being pressed into uh that general education teacher who's trying to do so many things most especially literacy and math. So this should uh raise the level of play for everyone and also support our elementary teachers with the gift of professional time. Um a program that you already know about uh very well is our JHawk Jay-Hawk blueprint partnership both at Lawrence High School and Free State High School. We will be sharing with you over the
007coming weeks enhancements to the blueprint program in a school district where 40% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch in a county where we have no junior college located. This is so important to narrow disparity gaps and ensure that students have the opportunity to do college level coursework while still in high school. We know the data says that they're more likely to graduate high school, to enroll and persist in college, and to complete a college degree or credential if they even have one experience during the high school years. And we can even do better than that. Um, the research really highlights the importance of ensuring college success as well as significant cost savings for our families, a smoother transition to college through opening the store right in our high schools. Uh we are
008excited to continue the enhancement of steam programming at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. I wasn't sure board members if you were aware that that team and we have Josh here tonight and um as as one Liberty team member um but that programming really is unfolding under the Project Lead the Way umbrella. That is a national program, recognized, award-winning program. And I just want folks to know that our team is really stepping up and leaning in. Each year, Liberty Memorial will add an additional project lead the way module or course. uh already uh steam design and modeling and robotics are currently offered and each year we will progress by adding additional modules. So when folks in the community say what's that steam difference that Liberty Central offers um we've got an answer and uh this is
009part of it. We'll be sharing more as we move forward. Um so excited to move into the next phase of New York Monastery programming. Um it seems like it can't be here already, but it is. We're really ready to transition um to the upper L elementary monitoring model. Uh so uh really excited uh that our students are progressing through preschool and lower L and now uh for 2025 we'll be moving into upper L. And so we have a video just to share more about what that Montasauri difference means in Lawrence public schools. So, thanks to Andrew Beavenon for putting uh that updated monastery video uh out for us. We'll be posting that publicly. We waited until this evening because we wanted you to see it first, but really excited about the next steps of uh
010working toward a fully developed upper elementary public monastery model. So, uh, to wrap up, um, this is part one of a number of components on enhancements for 2025. And there are some technology uh, pieces that folks referenced earlier. We're just not quite ready uh, tonight, but that's that's under a preview of coming attractions uh, there. Uh but we are looking at enhancing and expanding preschool offerings into neighborhood schools, amplifying that elementary science by placing it on a specials rotation with a highly uh certificated uh teacher, a passionate about science instruction, strengthening the Jay-Hawk blueprint college course offerings across our high schools, continuing the development of steam programming at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School with Project Lead the Way and continuing the growth of New York Monastery public monastery uh into the upper L phase. Uh
011we are so mindful that we are following the direction we've heard from our community. These um these enhancements are about opportunities for students and reducing uh disparity gaps. They're also in response to everything we've heard. And for that reason, uh members, it's just my honor to share them this evening as next steps. Uh in Lawrence Public Schools, we'll continue to share more. Uh there will be uh advisory groups and already are in some of these areas working and we look forward to bringing you regular updates on the progress that we're making to have the table set for a great 202526 school year. Thank you. Uh questions? Uh I do have one one question. So, if a if a parent were watching this and they were really interested in um Liberty Memorial's Project Lead the Way
012model or they're interested in the um early childhood education opportunities at at um Woodlon, what are the are we in are we looking I know we started looking at the transfer procedures, but can you talk a little bit about choice for parents? Yes, absolutely. Thank you for that. Uh we will be emailing directly to every parent to share these updates as well with our community and we'll have email locations where they may um through a Google form or however express interest in those programs so that we can provide them the next steps with whether that's open enrollment or how that might look. We'll also uh provide that externally uh in the community as well uh because we're hoping there are folks out there with three and four year olds who are thinking it's a great
013time to join Lawrence Public Schools. We're district on the move and lots of great things are happening here. Uh, and so we'll be in touch both internally and externally with how to enroll, how to sign up, how to get more information. Thank you. Well, I appreciate all the work and those are really exciting things to be um seeing to expand and grow and look forward to seeing how they impact our students uh in the 2025 26 school year. U married to a chemist, I'm very excited about the science teacher. Um, but all the all the things look great.