Maria Lorenz
Maria Lorenz was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Elizabeth Public Schools school board in New Jersey. Lorenz was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
Lorenz participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Lorenz has a background in human resources including the credentials of PHR (Professional in Human Resources) and SHRM-CP (Human Resource Management-Certified Professional). She obtained her bachelor's degree in business administration from Monroe College and went on to earn her master's degree in human resources from Mercy College.[1]
Elections
2016
Three of the nine seats on the Elizabeth Public Schools school board were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Stanley Neron and Jose Rodriguez, along with Diane Barbosa, defeated incumbent Carlos Trujillo, Ricky Castaneda, Christina Moreira, Maria Medeiros DaRassi, Sima Farid, Maria Lorenz, and former candidate Virginia San Pedro for the three seats up for election.[2]
Results
| Elizabeth Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Diane Barbosa |
25.33% | 11,330 |
| Jose Rodriguez Incumbent |
21.62% | 9,669 |
| Stanley Neron Incumbent |
21.59% | 9,656 |
| Carlos Trujillo Incumbent | 10.67% | 4,774 |
| Christina Moreira | 7.33% | 3,277 |
| Sima Farid | 3.96% | 1,773 |
| Maria Lorenz | 3.92% | 1,753 |
| Ricky Castaneda | 2.23% | 999 |
| Maria Medeiros DaRassi | 1.79% | 799 |
| Virginia San Pedro | 1.44% | 642 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 56 |
| Total Votes | 44,728 | |
| Source: Union County Clerk, "Official Results," accessed December 1, 2016 | ||
Funding
Lorenz reported $807.58 in contributions but no expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, which left her campaign with $807.58 on hand in the election.[3]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Maria Lorenz participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 20, 2016:
| “ | I would like to encourage parental involvement by opening committee meetings to the public. I also want to involve students,teachers and administrators to rountable discussions in order to better establish policies. Establish an elected and functional Special Education Parent Group along with a Bilingual Parent Group. I want to work towards providing equal access to education for all students.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in New Jersey. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I believe that closing the achievement gap and improving special education go hand in hand. Improving relationships with teachers is also key as they are teaching our kids and deserve to be recognized and appreciated. Expansion of the arts is also important as not everyone in Elizabeth has equal access to the arts program. Balancing and maintaining a budget is also key as we would like to provide a 0% tax increase but not at the cost of educating our kids. Lastly school choice options would not be necessary if we are able to achieve all of the above.[5] | ” |
| —Maria Lorenz (October 20, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. Charter schools take away funding and resources from the district. Considering that Elizabeth is a Urban School district which struggles to provide resources already. In addition, Charter schools can be highly selective. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. I believe it is an accurate measure of retention not what has been learned |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I like the "common" part because it provides a stable and consistent learning criteria platform. Due to the fact that we are a transient nation where families move and relocate. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. However, while the teacher is seeking to improve the administrator should offer as much support as possible within a defined time period. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Merit pay based on a capstone project per marking period that is scored by a committee of colleagues. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| Yes. It is my belief that education should not be determined by your zip code. If the school where the child attends is not providing a free and appropriate public education parents should be allowed to find another school. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only in cases where the students have endangered the lives of others. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Research has shown repeatedly that Teachers are what makes the biggest difference in the classroom. |
Candidate statement
Lorenz submitted the following statement:
| “ | I am a mom who choose [sic] to run for office to make a difference for our kids and put them first. After years of watching how politics have infused our school system via nepotism, improper supports to teachers and children, wasteful spending and unethical behavior it is time for a change.[5] | ” |
| —Maria Lorenz (2016)[1] | ||
She also added the following:
| “ | "What we would like to change:
Testing Policies:
Equal Education Access:
All Should Mean All:
Making a difference for Special Needs:
|
” |
| —Maria Lorenz (2016)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Maria Lorenz Elizabeth Public Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on October 14, 2016
- ↑ Mandy Gillip, "Email communication with Lisa Bobish, Union County Election Supervisor," July 26, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Public Information," accessed December 12, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Maria Lorenz's responses," October 20, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Elizabeth Public Schools Elections | |
| Union County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Stanley Neron • Incumbent, Jose Rodriguez • Incumbent, Carlos Trujillo • Diane Barbosa • Ricky Castaneda • Christina Moreira • Sima Farid • Maria Lorenz • Maria Medeiros DaRassi • Virginia San Pedro |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
