Meet Dr. Shawn Smith, superintendent of Lawrence Township Schools
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — School is back in session, meaning it’s the perfect time for parents and students to learn more about the leaders of local school districts and their plans for the academic year.
Dr. Shawn Smith is the superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township. He joined the district in 2014 after serving as principal, director of community services, and assistant superintendent of secondary education for Pike Township Schools.
Lawrence Township is in its third week of the school year and things are going well so far, according to Smith.
“It’s good to get back to normal and to have our students back in school immediately and without all the masks and things that we’ve had to deal with over the last couple of years.
One of the priorities for last school year was something called equitable student outcome, Smith says, and it’s something that is impacting the district this year.
“Our equitable student outcome was a year-long journey that we took… to find a way to improve outcomes for every single student that we have in our school corporation. Lawrence is a very diverse district and my goal is, at the end of the day, we want all of our kids to graduate and go on to become successful. So what we worked on is a plan to eliminate any barriers that are going to keep students from achieving at the highest level.”
Smith says Lawrence Township is very diverse, and that can be a really strong resource.
“It serves as a conduit for every single student and family and what their dreams are. At the end of the day, we want all of our students to graduate and go on to whatever they want to do in our community,” Smith said.
Smith shared his words of encouragement for the district.
“It might feel like it’s kind of you know, starting to feel like a well-oiled machine at this three weeks in, but it’s still fresh. My words of encouragement…let’s get back to work. Kids need to be back in school back in the classroom, back with their teachers interacting and doing the great things that we did before the pandemic. So let’s get back to normal.”
Visit the Lawrence Township Schools website for more information.