Tom Neeley's 36-year career on the Morton School Board came to an end Tuesday.
First elected in 1989, Neeley didn't run for re-election April 1.
His final board meeting was Tuesday. Neeley and Tim Braker, who was on the board for six years and also didn't run for re-election, were praised by board members and Superintendent Craig Smock.
Because Neeley and Braker each served as the board president, each received a crystal gavel as a gift from the Morton School District.
"I'll miss not asking you questions like what happened 18 years ago," board President David Cross said to Neeley. "We'll all miss you, but you've done your duty."
Board member Diane Krall said Neeley helped her in her early days as a board member.
"If something came up which caused me to say, 'Oh, no,' Tom would tell me not to worry because it happened before," she said. "Then I'd breath a sign of relief."
Neeley said he knows the district is in good hands because, "every board member I've worked with through the years has been focused on what's good for our students."
In addition to serving as the Morton School Board president on several occasions, Neeley was president of the Illinois Association of School Boards for two years.
The Vietnam War veteran was employed by Caterpillar Inc. for 42 years before retiring.
Braker said his time on the board was "sometimes fun, sometimes stressful, but always worthwhile."
New board members Wes Ohnesorge and Krystiana Purdy were sworn in Tuesday and took their seats at the board table, replacing Neeley and Braker.
Ohnesorge and Purdy were elected April 1. Jerry Rudd and Krall were each re-elected for a second four-year term.
Ohnesorge, Purdy, Rudd and Krall ran as a coalition against candidate Ashley Fischer, who has spoken to the board frequently for four years during audience comments, often saying that the district isn't adequately addressing bullying and student safety.
Fischer addressed the new board Tuesday at the end of the 3 1/2-hour meeting.
"Trust me when I say I would rather be doing anything other than standing here again tonight speaking to you all -- a sentiment I'm sure many of you share," Fischer said.
"But the truth is, this movement was never just about winning an election. It has always been about fighting for the safety and well-being of the children in our community. And unfortunately, there is still a great deal of work to be done in that regard.
"As long as this board continues to actively work against that goal, good people will continue to show up to these meetings and hold you accountable."
Cross (president), Rudd (vice president) and Amanda Leman (secretary) were re-elected by the board Tuesday to those positions.
School district will pick up the tab for school resource officer
It appears the school district will pay for a school resource officer at Morton High School for the first time.
Assistant Superintendent Joe Sander told the board Tuesday that the district and village of Morton are hammering out an SRO agreement that requires the district to pay the village $115,000 for the 2024-25 school year and $115,000 for the 2025-26 school year.
That would cover the salary and benefits for the time the Morton Police Department officer spends at the high school.
"That's fair," Sander said. "Morton High School has had an SRO for many years and the SRO's duties have increased substantially during that time.
"I checked around and couldn't find any other school district in the area that doesn't pay for its SRO."
Committee to explore the naming of the Potterdome gym court
Also at Tuesday's meeting, the board:
- Approved the formation of a board committee to discuss a request to name a district facility. While the subject of the request wasn't named at the meeting, the well-publicized request is to name the court at the Potterdome gym after retiring Morton High School girls basketball coach Bob Becker, who amassed a 629-183 record in 26 seasons and won four Class 3A state championships. The committee will make a recommendation to the board about the naming. The full board must approve it.
- Approved the hiring of Todd Hermann as the associate principal at Morton High School, Shannon McClure and Mason Tennell as assistant principals at the high school, and Courtney Erickson as a Student Support Services assistant director assigned to Morton Academy.
- Approved pay increases of no less than 5% for the 2025-26 school year for 12-month, 10-month and school-year support personnel.
- Approved student fees for the 2025-26 school year. Textbook rentals, technology fees, co-curricular activities fees, driver's education, library fines, sports event tickets, I.D. replacements and the marching band fee will not increase. Lunch and breakfast meal prices will increase between 10 and 20 cents, as will a la carte items.
- Honored Morton High School wrestlers Karen Canchola and Harrison Dea for placing at the IHSA girls and boys state meets. Canchola finished third at 140 pounds and Dea was fifth at 126 pounds in Class 2A.
- Honored the Morton Junior High School boys bowling team for tying for second place at the IESA state competition. Morton and Freeport each knocked down 7,361 pins in 10 games. Morton's Andrew Zupanic finished in fifth place among individuals with 2,012 pins, including a 253 game.
- Approved moving forward with design and bid documents for the next phase of a multi-million-dollar renovation project at Morton High School. This phase includes a new weight training facility, new school office, and a possible expansion of the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center lobby.
- Approved an intergovernmental agreement to join the Central Illinois Valley School Safety Team created by the Tazewell/Mason/Woodford and Peoria regional offices of education. The CIV-SST will organize a response of personnel, equipment and staging in the case of a catastrophic event at a central Illinois school.
- Accepted several donations of $500 or more to the district including an anonymous $10,000 donation to the Morton High School volleyball program and a $1,500 donation from Polar Block Holdings of Peoria to the Morton High School girls basketball program.
- Approved paying $350 to the Peoria County Cooperative Purchasing Program so the district can purchase food items from the program from July 1 through June 30, 2026.
- Approved increases in building rental fees.
