Marta Lawrence

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Marta Lawrence

Nonpartisan

Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board District 2

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Miami University, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Lima, Ohio

Profession

Chief of staff

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Marta Lawrence is a member of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board in Indiana, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Lawrence ran for election to the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board to represent District 2 in Indiana. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Lawrence completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Marta Lawrence was born in Lima, Ohio. Lawrence earned a bachelor's degree from Miami University in 2002. Her career experience includes working as a chief of staff. She has been affiliated with the Lawrence Township School Foundation.

Elections

2022

See also: Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Indiana, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board District 2

Marta Lawrence defeated Janet Jacobs, Patricia Brenamen, and Nichole Sledge in the general election for Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board District 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marta Lawrence (Nonpartisan)	35.1	7,641
	Submit photo	Janet Jacobs (Nonpartisan)	34.3	7,474
	Submit photo	Patricia Brenamen (Nonpartisan)	17.4	3,789
	Submit photo	Nichole Sledge (Nonpartisan)	13.3	2,889

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,793
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view Lawrence's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Marta Lawrence completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lawrence's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My husband, Greg, and I have been married for 17 years. We moved to District 2 from Washington, D.C. shortly after we got married. We have three children in the district and in my first term I will have one in high school, one in middle school and one in elementary. Professionally I lead strategic efforts for the Salesforce Marketing Cloud selling team. In my role I help drive efficiency and effectiveness for our multi-billion dollar organization. I've led many projects that have had a foundational impact on our company's success and I am a trusted advisor to executives across our business.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Growth for EVERY child
• Preparing students for the economy of the future
• Transparent communication for all stakeholders in the district

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equality, Inclusion, Keeping Public Schools Public

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My daughter has a reading disability and struggled to learn how to read. Despite her struggles, she's been an Honor Reader every year. Watching her push herself, even when it was difficult, has been so inspiring. I've also been blessed with many leaders throughout my career that have taught me the value of recognizing and cultivate the greatness in others.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Team of Rivals. I believe the best decisions are made by engaging various points of views to arrive at a consensus.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, authenticity and a heart to serve others over your own interests.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Those elected should represent the values of those that put them in office. When decisions are made that contradict the sentiment of the public, the elected official should be able to stand by his/her decision, support that choice with facts and a well reasoned argument.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Challenger Explosion was the first major historic event I recall. I was probably in kindergarten and I remember watching news coverage from my grandparents couch. We were all so sad because a teacher was among those killed.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Arbys through high school. My parents weren't well off and I had to work for all my spending money.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The role of school board is to be a fair and honest steward of the public's tax dollars. Members of the school board should be the voice for the community, students, teachers and administrators.

Who are your constituents?

The students, teachers and residents of Lawrence Township are who I serve.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Lawrence Township is one of the most diverse schools in the state. Not only are we racially diverse, but we are also diverse in terms of socioeconomics and in learner interest and level. Focusing on the growth of the individual student is key. We must examine low-achieving and low-growth groups and support these students’ success with attainable goals. Further, the board should continue to evaluate and implement the recommendations from the Equitable Student Outcomes report, delivered in February.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

At my core I am a communicator and connector and I believe it is my responsibility to use these skills to better connect families, schools, teachers and staff to the work of the board. After discussing with many members of the community, I can make an immediate impact by:

Twice yearly shadowing in classrooms across the district to understand the ground truth experienced every day by our teachers and students.

I will work throughout the year with the Lawrence Education Association to further liaison with the schools and teachers.

A quarterly email newsletter where I breakdown the work of the board and explain my perspective on the decisions we make.

Twice a year online forum (at the beginning and end of each school year) where I will answer questions from the community.

Regular communication on social media.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I have met with teachers and administrators from across the district and the teacher shortage is the number one threat shared by everyone. This is a competitive business challenge and the solve is both short- and long-term. As with any business competing for talent, we need to pay a competitive wage and offer appealing benefits. Long-term we need a pipeline of talent that is invested in Lawrence Township. That could mean curriculum for current students who have expressed an interest in becoming a teacher. It could also mean partnerships with colleges and even the public sector. The bottomline is that we must think creatively to solve this problem to remain a destination district, proving the best education for all students.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Politics is one of the biggest barrier to quality education. School board is a nonpartisan position. My goal is to make informed decisions that benefit our students, not to adhere to a political agenda.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

I will regularly respond to emails and will communicate transparently when key decisions are made.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township school board District 2

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