Bullying, and the Morton School District's response or lack of an appropriate response to it, was a major issue in the race for four open seats on the School Board.
Superintendent Craig Smock pushed back Tuesday against the criticism about bullying response brought to the district by board candidate Ashley Fischer, who was defeated by a slate of four candidates, and her supporters.
Using results selected from the Illinois State Board of Education's 5Essentials school wellness survey taken by district students during the 2023-24 school year, Smock told School Board members last Tuesday, about three hours before the release of election results, that he was giving a voice to the students.
About 2,000 district students in grades 4-12 took the survey last school year. That was a 93% response rate.
"Are the results perfect? No. But I'd like to see a comparison of our district vs. any other district in Illinois. I think Morton would fare very well," Smock said. "We teach respect and respect is taught in Morton homes. Our principals, teachers and parents deserve credit. We have many wonderful and respectful kids in our district."
Here are the district students' survey statistics cited by Smock:
- 84% agreed they treat one another with respect.
- 77% disagreed with the statement, "Students don't get along together very well."
- 80% disagreed with the statement, "Students like to put others down."
- 86% agreed that students help each other learn.
- 99% felt somewhat safe, mostly safe or very safe in the hallways of the school.
- 96% felt somewhat safe, mostly safe or very safe in the bathrooms of the school.
- 99% felt somewhat safe, mostly safe or very safe in their classes.
- 97% said they agreed or strongly agreed that they feel safe with their teachers at school.
School Board members Jerry Rudd and Diane Krall, Wes Ohnesorge and Krystiana Purdy ran against Fischer. Krall was elected without opposition as the representative from the district's unincorporated area.
The "Final Four," as it called itself, was backed financially by the Citizens for Morton Schools political action committee put together by State Rep. Bill Hauter (R), who lives in Morton. The Tazewell County Republican Central Committee gave a $2,500 donation to the PAC.
Here are the unofficial Morton School Board vote totals:
- Ohnesorge: 4,462.
- Rudd:4,382.
- Purdy: 4,361.
- Fischer: 1,382.
- Krall: 4,423.
Rudd, Krall, Ohnesorge and Purdy will be sworn in May 6.
Tom Neeley, who has served on the board since 1989, did not run for re-election. Neither did Tim Braker, who has been on the board since 2019.
Jefferson Elementary School has a new principal
Jamie Adolphson was hired Tuesday by the board as the new principal at Jefferson Elementary School. Her first day on the job will be Aug. 1.
Adolphson is the associate principal at Morton High School. She's been at the high school for seven years, first as an assistant principal. She previously was a K-3 special education teacher in Pekin District 108.
Aldolphson will replace Kate Wyman at Jefferson.
Wyman has been the Jefferson principal since 2015. She was named in February the district's executive director of curriculum, instruction, technology and safety. She'll begin July 1 in the newly created position.
In another personnel matter Tuesday, the board approved the retirement of renown Morton High School girls basketball coach Bob Becker.
Morton Academy getting its first full-time administrator
The district's Student Support Services Department will be getting an assistant director who will serve as the first full-time administrator at Morton Academy.
The board gave the go-ahead Tuesday to post the position. In addition to duties at Morton Academy, the assistant director will oversee a potential move of the academy's educational spaces to Grundy Elementary School.
Morton Academy is a K-6 school at 260 E. Queenwood Road for students with social and emotional learning needs.
When it opened in 2016, it served youth in the accompanying Guardian Angel Home. It now also includes district students.
Crisis response at an area school will soon be a group effort
The board got a look Tuesday at a draft of an intergovernmental mutual aid agreement developed by the new Central Illinois Valley School Safety Team.
Created by the Tazewell/Mason/Woodford and Peoria regional offices of education, CIV-SST will organize the response of personnel, equipment and staging if there's a catastrophic event at a central Illinois school.
The board is expected to vote on the agreement May 6.
Open house scheduled for 36-year board member Tom Neeley
In other news from Tuesday's board meeting:
- Neeley will be honored at an open house from 5-7 p.m. April 22 in the lobby of the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center on the Morton High School campus. Neeley has been on the board for 36 years.
- Thirty-four Morton High School students -- 19 boys and 15 girls -- will compete in 11 areas at the SkillsUSA state competition April 24-26 at the Peoria Civic Center.
- Asbestos removal will be done outside school hours in the Morton High School East Gym from April 21 through May 9 as part of a multi-million-dollar renovation project at the north end of the building.
- Lisa Kowalski was re-hired by the board as the district's chief financial officer for the 2025-26 school year. Also re-hired for the next school year were non-tenured faculty and administrative team members who were not previously re-hired or were hired for a different position. The administrators re-hired Tuesday will receive a maximum 5% salary increase. The increases have not yet been determined.
- The board approved allowing a Tremont High School student to attend Morton High School as a tuition student for his senior year. The tuition cost, which hasn't been determined, will be between $11,000-$12,000. Smock said the student is interested in Morton's trades offerings.
- The board approved the district joining the Southern Illinois School District Cooperative to cut food service costs.
