Boykin Sr. Wants to See More Emphasis on Tutoring in HSD

At the 's (HSD) held in February as an effort to get district voters some time with the board of education candidates, a new face appeared. It was that of Keith Boykin Sr. With a smile and lighthearted attitude, he sat down between two incumbents ready to show who he was and why he was running for a seat on the board of education.

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Boykin is one of three candidates running for two seats on the Hazelwood School District's Board of Education in the April 3 election. The others are and . Behlmann and Whitlock are incumbents.

Why Board of Education?

"I'm a youth pastor, and a father and a husband," Boykin Sr. said. "I came to the conclusion to get on the board to make a difference."

Boykin said he sees holes in some areas as it pertains to HSD students and support for them.

"I see that there are a some things that need a little bit extra help like the tutoring," he said. "The tutoring is something where there's not enough done about it.

"There needs to be more tutoring after school and the teacher's can't always do it so maybe there needs to be some outside help come it."

Boykins said his experience as a youth pastor would help him to serve as a productive board member.

"I mentor at my church and I see a lot of things that children need," he said. "They need a lot of love and a lot of support.

"I'd like to do that for the children to make things comfortable for the children and to make them successful at everything that they are doing." 

District Perspective

Boykin Sr. has four children that currently attend adding them as his motivation to want help improve the district.

“As a concerned parent, I am looking forward to helping form the minds of our youths so that they can become productive contributing members of society,” he said.

Boykin has resided in the Hazelwood School District since 1995.

When it comes to one of the bigger district concerns at the moment, open enrollment, Boykin said he see the influx of students as a big impact on the district but not necessarily a problem.

"I've talked to some parents that have children in the Riverview School District and they were asking if Hazelwood would have an issue with them coming over and I don't think they would," he said. "(Riverview School District is) a large district so I could see how this would pose a problem."

Life Experience

He is a member of Dads of Great Students (DOGS), Fathers.com and serves as a youth pastor at his church Kingdom Learning Center.

Boykin Sr. is the oldest of four boys and a St. Louis native. He attended Normandy Senior High School, and graduated in 1978. In 1991, he also graduated from DeVry Univeristy in Kansas City, MO., with an associate’s degree in electronics.

Boykin Sr. worked at the Chrysler Plant in Fenton for a number of years, leaving in 2003 to pursue a dream of owning his own business. His company is Handyman Contracting Company known as Boykin & Sons Group, LLC.

After eight years of marriage, Boykin's his first wife passed away. They have two sons, D’Artanyun and Keith Jr. Boykin also has a son named Joseph, who is 28 and two daughters Jannie 22, and Keila 20. In 2005, Boykin remarried. His wife, Ada, has two daughters, Kalah and Monikah, from a previous marriage.

What's Next?

This is the second of a series of articles on all three Hazelwood School District Board of Education candidates. Check back Friday, March 30 for a profile on Desiree Whitlock.