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Morris School District presents midyear progress report and plans for literacy, mental‑health expansion and a 2026 referendum
Summary
Superintendent delivered a midyear update to the Morris School District Board outlining a K–5 CKLA literacy rollout with DIBELS benchmarks, algebra and math interventions, a New Jersey Dreams mental‑health grant to train counselors, expanded experiential partnerships, and a facilities referendum planned for September 2026.
The Morris School District superintendent delivered a midyear update to the Board of Education, saying the district is advancing its five‑year strategic plan with a focus on literacy, math proficiency and student mental‑health supports.
The superintendent told the board the district is moving forward with full CKLA literacy implementation at K–2 and third‑grade pilots, and is shifting assessment practice to teacher‑administered DIBELS for more detailed diagnostic information. "The DIBELS assessment will assess letter sounds, decoding, word reading, reading accuracy, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and phonological processing," Crowley said, describing how the district will use those data to target interventions. Crowley also spelled out achievement targets the district set for state benchmarks: "For third grade, we're looking to increase our NJSLA meets and exceeds by 7 percentage points; grade 7 is 10; grade 9 is 5 percentage points by 2026," he said.
The superintendent and administrators also emphasized continuity of curriculum across K–8 and new progress‑monitoring tools in math. The administration said they have completed more than 50 K–12 curriculum updates and are publishing ADA‑compliant curriculum PDFs on the district website to make materials searchable and accessible.
On student mental health, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Diana Pinto Gomez announced the district won a New Jersey Dreams grant to expand counseling capacity. "We are really excited to be the recipient of the New Jersey Dreams grant," Dr. Pinto Gomez said; the district plans to send three counselors to intensive Nurtured Heart training so they can train colleagues, staff and families and scale therapeutic strategies across buildings. She added the district purchased Zones of Regulation kits for K–5 classrooms and launched social‑skills groups at FMS to reduce in‑class behavioral disruptions.
Superintendent comments also covered extracurricular partnerships and experiential learning: schools are working with higher‑education and industry partners (including CCM, NJIT and Sanofi) to provide off‑campus visits and dual‑enrollment pathways. The board was told the Morristown College Promise identifies about 30 high‑school students for a no‑cost CCM associate‑degree pathway.
Looking ahead, the board was informed that schematic plans for a long‑discussed facilities referendum have been certified and submitted to the state Department of Education; projects under consideration include district‑wide air conditioning, replacement of Morristown High School's Olympic pool, auditorium upgrades at FMS and MHS, and classroom additions at several schools. The superintendent noted the referendum will appear on the September 2026 ballot and that the district is working on targeted communications to stakeholders.
The administration said the next substantive budget presentation will be made in March, when business‑office staff and the superintendent will present midyear budget impacts and additional plans for the referendum timeline.
