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Morris School District: Putting the 5-Year Strategic Plan into Action
Morris School District: Putting the 5-Year Strategic Plan into Action
Since the Strategic Plan’s approval in March 2025, the Morris School District administration, staff and Board of Education have planned ways to put ideas into action across its 5 Goal Areas.
That ambitious, five-year forecast covers instruction, communication and career readiness. It also lines up with a review of the conditions of MSD buildings where our students and staff work so hard. Our facilities must support that work.
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*Si no dispone de esta funcion en su teléfono, visite Ajustes > General > Idioma y region.
*Si no dispone de esta funcion en su teléfono, visite Ajustes > General > Idioma y region.
En ‘Idioma y región’ añade ‘Español’ como uno de sus idiomas preferidos. Puedes volver a la página web y probar de nuevo las instrucciones para traducir.
En ‘Idioma y región’ añade ‘Español’ como uno de sus idiomas preferidos. Puedes volver a la página web y probar de nuevo las instrucciones para traducir.
Timeline from Community Input to Vote
Fall 2025: Before the Board and administration decide what to place on a referendum ballot, they want to hear from the community.
Summer 2026: Approval to move forward is anticipated from the NJ Department of Education, including a commitment of financial aid. After that aid is known, MSD will be in a position to finalize its proposal and estimate what it would mean for property taxes.
Through September 2026: MSD will continue sharing information as it becomes available. By August 2026, this effort will expand significantly to include an expanded website, public presentations with Q&A, and other means of helping voters understand what’s at stake. MSD is following the steps necessary to hold a referendum in late September 2026.
Goal Area 3 - Building Optimal Environments for Learning from PreK-Grade 12
A first step toward that goal is to assess the needs of all 10 school buildings. Next, those needs will be prioritized based on:
Feasibility (can those needs really be solved?)
Academic impact (how much would they support student learning?)
Projects will address building needs and program support
Important News: A State of New Jersey program offers financial aid when school districts use bond funding to improve facilities. This is the best way for MSD to get more state funding, which is especially important because rising costs increase the limitations of the annual budget.
What Could MSD Look Like 5 Years in the Future?
In addition to improved classrooms, labs and collaborative spaces, MSD might be able to enhance outdoor learning opportunities, athletic facilities and performance areas. The future is very exciting!
These kinds of larger-scale, larger-impact improvements are difficult to fit in with the annual budget. That's why MSD is considering a bond referendum.
A bond referendum is a vote in which the Board of Education seeks permission to sell bonds. This is how school districts borrow for long-term improvements, like a homeowner borrows for major repairs.
'Basics' are high on the to-do list
'Basics' are high on the to-do list
Some projects that could be part of a bond referendum are likely to address basic building needs such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and communications systems upgrades. Those are high on the “must do” list – they will either be done inefficiently in piecemeal fashion at full price without state financial aid, or they will be done more economically at one time and with state aid.
Professional advisors will guide the prioritization of these projects.
Additional projects are being considered because of the impact they would have on educational programming. The advantages of upfront funding and state aid make it attractive to consider big changes such as space renovations to convert underutilized space for modern instructional needs.
Community members will contribute ideas. School principals also will help set these priorities. The Strategic Plan, for which many community members participated, will provide additional insight.
Bookmark this website: Progress will be reported here.
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