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Lawrence Blaber first came to Niagara Falls to study at Niagara University and later returned to live and raise a family. He is running for a position on the Niagara Falls School Board due to concerns about the lack of student achievement in the area. Blaber highlights alarming literacy rates—25% for grades 3-8 and 36% for grade 8—as unacceptable.
Born in Ghana, West Africa, and raised in New York City, Blaber considered settling closer to his wife's family in Buffalo but ultimately chose Niagara its balance of proximity and lifestyle. “My wife's family is in Buffalo, so Niagara Falls worked for us—I wanted closeness without the ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ life,” he explains.
Currently, Blaber works as a realtor for Metro Roberts Realty. He holds an associate degree in black family studies, a bachelor’s degree in history, and an MBA. His two children motivated him to enter the school board race, as he sees a critical need for improvement in local education. “You can now graduate without being literate. We are not producing citizens capable of excelling in life because of this,” he states. He criticizes the school administration and board for successful improvement initiatives implemented in other areas of the United States, such as Seaford, DE, and Matthews, MO. Blaber wonders why similar success cannot be achieved in Niagara Falls, despite his appeals falling on deaf ears. As part of his campaign, he has already sought an endorsement from the Niagara Falls Teachers Union.
Blaber believes that improving the school district should be the top priority, as it is a major factor for families considering relocation to the area for work. No one wants to send their children to a district that has been ranked among the lowest in the region by Business First for over 20 years.
His involvement in education reform began when he sought to understand and support his then 6-year-old daughter, who has dyslexia. Now 8, she is improving with specialized tutoring covered by the district, but Blaber insists that more can be done. “I started this journey looking for better ways to help her and discovered effective curriculums and teaching methods that could benefit all children,” he explains. He supports the “science of reading” curriculum, which has a strong track record and will soon be mandated by the state for all school districts. However, he feels that the Niagara Falls district has not fully embraced it, implementing it incorrectly and inconsistently, which could jeopardize its effectiveness.
During our interview, Blaber put his mother, Diana, on the phone to share stories about his childhood, providing insight into his character. Diana recalled, “He was always concerned about other kids, especially those who had less. Before he was even 7 years old, he would gather kids in our community compound and share the fried plantains and groundnuts his dad gave him for himself.” She continued, “I would pack his lunch for school, but he would give it away. I thought he was being bullied, but his teacher explained, ‘Oh, you don’t know about Chief. The other kids called him Chief because he would bring his lunch and share it evenly with less fortunate classmates.’”
Diana concluded by emphasizing, “He is different from all my other kids. He has always cared about his brothers and our neighbors’ children.”
The School Board Election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20th. The Niagara Community Information Group will host a Candidate Forum at the Main Street Library on May 13th from 6 to 8 PM.
