Lawrence Lazar
Lawrence Lazar was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Rockwood Board of Education in Missouri. Lazar lost the general election on April 7, 2015.
Lazar participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 campaign themes.
Biography
Lawrence Lazar is a resident of St. Louis County, Mo. Lazar earned a B.S. degree in business administration from Ferris State University. He is employed in sales operation management with Energizer/Eveready.[1][2]
Elections
2015
The election in Rockwood featured three of the seven seats on the board up for general election on April 7, 2015. Incumbent Rob Castle and newcomer Jaime Bayes ran unopposed and won two at-large seats with three-year terms. A pair of challengers, Herman Kriegshauser and Lawrence Lazar, competed for an at-large seat with an unexpired one-year term. Kriegshauser defeated Lazar to win the election.
Results
| Rockwood School District, At-Large Special Election, 1-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Herman Kriegshauser |
53.1% | 5,634 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence Lazar | 46.2% | 4,901 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.8% | 83 | |
| Total Votes | 10,618 | |||
| Source: St. Louis County Board of Elections, "Summary Report," accessed April 16, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Lazar reported no contributions or expenditures to the Missouri Ethics Commission during the election.[3]
Endorsements
Lazar received an endorsement from the local affiliate of the Missouri National Education Association.[4]
Campaign themes
2015
Lazar published a candidate statement on the Rockwood School District website:
| “ | I believe strong, effective and financially healthy schools help build the foundation for successful citizens and for well-functioning communities. While I consider RSD to be an excellent school district there is always opportunity for improvement. I look forward to helping advance those improvements however I can.
My family has personally benefitted from Rockwood School District for 16 years and now it’s my turn to give back.[5] |
” |
| —Lawrence Lazar (2015)[1] | ||
Lazar completed a voter guide profile for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
| “ | What are your top priorities for the district?
While the Rockwood district has many stakeholders, I'll always put our kids first: 1. Set our kids up for success by implementing high standards for curriculum and student achievement. 2. Support the expansion of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM.) 3. Represent our community stakeholders by maintaining fiscal responsibility and Rockwood's AAA bond rating. Why are you qualified to serve in this office? Years of experience in managing the operations of a large and complex national sales organization have provided me with insights into effective decision-making strategies and techniques. Additionally, my two kids, both Rockwood graduates, are now thriving college students. They sure taught me a lot about how our schools operate![5] |
” |
| —Lawrence Lazar (2015)[2] | ||
Ballotpedia survey responses
Lazar participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | 1. Kids First: The primary objective of a school is to help prepare students for the next level, whatever that might be. Giving our children the opportunity to prosper and thrive, regardless of their individual differences, will always be my highest priority. 2. Support for a Learning Environment: I support efforts to develop a learning environment that maximizes student potential. This requires the right curriculum, time for educator development, right sized classrooms and overall support from administrators and the community. I’ll partner in creating learning environments that speak to all students. |
” |
| —Lawrence Lazar (2015)[6] | ||
Ranking the issues
Lazar was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Missouri. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
Lazar was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Modifications are required before they are implemented." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "I support efforts to develop a learning environment that maximizes student potential. This requires the right curriculum, time for educator development, right sized classrooms and overall support from administrators and the community. I’ll partner in creating learning environments that speak to all students." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "By calling into question the definition of "Failing" and whoever it is that is making that claim. I think the most important and valuable action the board can do is to help make sure the school is adequately resourced and administered effectively." | |
| "No" | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "I believe that working with other members of the School Board, listening to the voices of stakeholders, and providing sound judgment to help ensure that Rockwood's excellent schools continue to serve our kids, and our communities, at a high level and within budget is the best thing I can do for positive community-school board relations" | |
| "Taken together, I believe that I have the skills, experience, and temperament to work well with other members of the School Board, to listen to the voices of stakeholders, and to provide sound judgment to help ensure that Rockwood's excellent schools continue to serve our kids, and our communities, at a high level and within budget.." |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lawrence Lazar Rockwood School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rockwood School District, "Lawrence Allen Lazar Candidate Bio," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Voters Guide," accessed April 4, 2015
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "Candidates By Election Search," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ Missouri NEA, "Local affiliates recommend school board candidates," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Lawrence Lazar responses," March 29, 2015
| 2015 Rockwood School District Elections | |
| St. Louis County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large (3-year term): • Incumbent, Rob Castle • Jaime Lynn Bayes At-large (1-year term): • Herman Kriegshauser • Lawrence Lazar |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
