The superintendent of the Normandy School District in St. Louis announced that he will be stepping down in June.
In a letter to the school board today, Dr. Stanton Lawrence cited personal and family reasons for his resignation. This is his fifth year as superintendent. His contract was set to expire in 2015.
A local representative of the Missouri National Education Association, Grayson Brown, said the resignation still provides plenty of time for the district to find a new superintendent.
“Well, I don’t believe it will cause any instability," Brown said. "I know the administration and the association remains committed to maintaining educational continuity to all of the children in the district.”
The school district has been in the news recently after losing accreditation in September. It had among the lowest scores in the state’s MAP test and will be unaccredited until January 2015.
Under Lawrence, the district also opened its doors to students from the Wellston district after it was closed for poor performance. It also underwent budget cuts and reorganization that resulted in staff changes.
A news release from the school board says their new unaccredited status may serve as a good "transition point to consider new leadership" and that they are working to establish a timeline for replacing the superintendent.
Lawrence was unavailable for comment, but a member of the Normandy Board of Education said the focus will still remain on the children.
Lawrence is expected to move closer to his family in Texas when he steps down in June.
Follow Tina Eaton on Twitter: @kristinaeaton
