Executive Director of Special Education Dr. Jakyta Lawrie

Email: jakyta.lawrie@kckps.org
Phone: 913-627-4372
Visit the Special Education page.

Dr. Lawrie is a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas. She attended Eugene Ware Elementary, West Middle School, and F.L. Schlagle High School. Dr. Lawrie’s love for the community and desire to empower young people led her to a career in education. She also served the Wyandotte County Unified Government on the Board of Zoning Appeals Committee as well as the Education and Training Diversity Committee. She also serves as a Representative of the Economic Opportunity Foundation (EOF) Board of Trustees and Parent President for the EOF Headstart Parent Board.

At KCKPS, Dr. Lawrie has held various positions, such as Parent Liaison, Paraprofessional, Long-term Substitute Teacher, Preschool Teacher, Homebound Teacher and Special Education Teacher. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Avila University and the University of Phoenix, teaching courses in Special Education and Math.

Dr. Lawrie served as a District Administrator in Special Education for five years in the Kansas City Public School District (KCPS), where she developed and implemented programs focused on improving teaching and learning for students with disabilities. She also dedicated her time and resources to parent empowerment and advocacy for meeting the individual needs of students.

She earned her Doctorate’s Degree and Education Specialist’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Saint Louis University, Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Baker University, Master’s Degree in Special Education from University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Park University. She also studied at Howard University (HBCU), DeVry Institute of Technology, and Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she attended and was selected as a Convener for a group of district leaders across the U.S. in their School Turnaround Leaders Program.

She is currently a member of the Council for Exceptional Education, the Council of Administrators for Special Education, the Kansas Association for Special Education Administrators, and the Wyandotte County Leadership 2000 Class of XXI. Dr. Lawrie is also an honoree of the KCKPS’ 2007 Reasons to Believe Alumni Honor Roll.

Dr. Lawrie is committed and proud to serve her community as the Executive Director of Special Education, where “KIDS First” is the mission and the vision is to empower ALL youth with exceptionalities to live up to their full potential in school and in her community.