By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE —
Jeffersonville High School Principal Steve Morris will be leaving his post by the end of this school year and his replacement, James Sexton, will start transitioning to the position after spring break, which begins Monday.
The change will officially take place July 1, with Morris assuming a new position in Greater Clark County Schools — principal of development — in which will work with curriculum and professional-development tasks.
The district announced the changes Thursday afternoon.
“I was involved in the decision from the beginning,” said Morris, who has been principal at the school since 2006. “I think it’s an opportunity for me that I’m personally looking forward to. I’m had my superintendent’s license for years now, but I have never pursued school administration.
“I think doing more central-office duties will be a good learning experience and an opportunity for me to figure out if that’s a path I’d like to pursue.”
He said for 29 years, he has worked in schools, from being a teacher to principal and positions in-between.
“I’ve not really pursued central-office administration and now I have an opportunity to do so,” he said. “There will be plenty to do. There’s a lot going on with the corporation that we’d like to get in line and I’ll be a part of that.”
Though this is a new position, a district press release said another vacancy created by a retirement won’t be filled to net the same amount of positions. However, it did not state what that position was.
Sexton had worked for Jefferson County Public Schools for 42 years before becoming principal at Options Alternative School in August.
A recent vote by the school board means that many students at Options will return to their original school for the extra assistance they need and the rest will go to Childplace, a Jeffersonville-based counseling organization.
School board Vice President Christina Gilkey said the change is something the school board did not have to approve.
“It’s an internal reassignment, so the board doesn’t have to approve it or disprove it,” she said. “It’s [Superintendent Stephen] Daeschner’s call.”
In his new role, Morris will development a secondary counseling model, create an evaluation model for professional development, improve transition of eighth graders to ninth grade, help with the Race to the Top proposal and other duties.
“The way Dr. Daeschner explained it to us is that it was a positive move,” she said. “That this was going to use Mr. Morris in a way that best captured his strengths in curriculum.”
Gilkey said Daeschner and Morris have had positive conversations with her about the change.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” she said.
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ABOUT PRINCIPAL OF DEVELOPMENT
Here are the duties listed for the new position of principal of development:
• Assisting with professional-development delivery throughout the district to secondary schools (middle and high schools).
• Development and implementation of an evaluation model for professional development.
• Development of a secondary counseling model; implementation and training of counselors on model.
• Development and implementation of an evaluation tool for secondary-counseling model.
• Improve transition of all district eighth-graders to ninth grade.
• Assist with coordination of alternative education opportunities for secondary students.
• Design and implement end-of-course testing for middle- and high-school core courses.
• Coordinate the implementation of the Race to the Top district-wide proposal.
• Assist in coordination of intervention model for secondary schools.
• Assist assistant superintendent for leadership and superintendent on duties as assigned.
• Any other duties as assigned by the superintendent.
ABOUT STEVE MORRIS
Steve Morris has been principal of Jeffersonville High School since 2006. During his tenure at
JHS, Morris has initiated the following programs:
• Implemented the Freshman Academy to improve student transition from middle school to high school.
• Established a Parent Teacher Organization to improve parent involvement in JHS programs.
• Enrolled JHS in the first Indiana High School Cohort of the National Math and Science Initiative which is focused on enrolling under-represented students in Advanced Placement Courses.
• Supported the ninth-grade ASSIST Mentoring Program.
• Implemented an after-school extra time credit recovery program for students in danger of failing classes during the regular school day.
• Increased the graduation rate by 8 percent.
Prior to his employment at JHS, Morris served as principal of Clarksville High School for six years. During that time, he was a finalist for Indiana Principal of the Year in 2003 and the Indiana Association of School Principals District 12 President from 2004-2006. He serves on the IASP Board of Directors.
— GREATER CLARK COUNTY SCHOOLS
