Superintendent of Normandy School District Stanton Lawrence will resign at the end of the current school year, announced the Normandy School District Board of Directors on Oct. 18.
In a letter to the board, Lawrence said that recent personal and family circumstances had caused him to reconsider “his commitment to remain in the school district.”
Board Vice President William Humphrey said Lawrence will continue to lead the school district through June 30, 2013.
Last month, the Missouri State Board of Education voted to strip Normandy of its accreditation, only two years after merging the failed Wellston School District with a troubled Normandy School District. On Jan. 1, 2013, Normandy will lose its provisionally accredited status, which it has held since the 1990s.
Lawrence is currently in his fifth year as superintendent, and his contract was scheduled to expire on June 30, 2015.
During his time, Lawrence has led the district through “several major developments,” the board stated in a press release. Lawrence arrived during a mid-year budget reduction that resulted in layoffs. The $1 million reduction made the district lose 40 employees in the middle of the school year.
As a result, the district was forced to reorganize, and all non-teaching employees reapplied for their positions. The district then hired new school and central office administrators.
Lawrence has also helped to establish external partnerships, including Beyond Housing’s 24:1 Initiative Community Plan. In 2010, 24 mayors came together to form “24:1,” through the leadership of Lawrence and Chris Krehmeyer, president and CEO of Beyond Housing.
The name stands for 24 communities committed to one vision for the Normandy School District. When Lawrence arrived, Krehmeyer and Lawrence brainstormed the idea of bringing the district’s 24 communities together to ensure success for Normandy students through a holistic approach.
Beyond Housing secured a five-year grant to provide staffing for a community plan that pushes development in education, community health and wellness, real estate, community engagement and research.
Under Lawrence’s leadership, the district also initiated a Reach Out to Dropouts Program, which won national recognition, to reclaim students who had dropped out of school or who were at risk of dropping out. In addition, the district established the Teacher Excellence Task Force, which generated reports and recommendations to aggressively improve the capacity of classroom teachers to perform at high levels.
Lawrence plans to pursue other career opportunities, likely in his native Texas, where he and his wife, Leola, just became grandparents.
Lawrence told The American that he has to put his family first.
“We understand Dr. Lawrence’s interest in being responsive to the needs of his family, and recent developments related to our classification probably make this a natural transition point to consider new leadership,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey said the school board will establish a calendar and timeline to begin a formal search process for Lawrence’s replacement.
“Our procedure will be a transparent one that will engage the community throughout the process,” he said.
Through his letter, Lawrence shared that he is “totally indebted to the Board of Directors for allowing me the opportunity to serve. I am also genuinely appreciative of the great students, outstanding staff as well as the community, elected officials and others for the support they provided me during my time here.”
Lawrence grew up in a seaport, oil refinery town called Port Arthur, Texas. He said it’s no coincidence that he has spent his career working in impoverished urban areas, similar to the one he grew up in. His doctorate research focused on high-performing, high-poverty schools.
In 2010, Lawrence received the Stellar Performer in Education award from the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2010 Salute to Excellence in Education.
