Morrison Retiring After 27 Years with KSD

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Student Services Jeff Morrison, Ed.D., has announced that he is retiring after nearly three decades as a public educator and leader in Kearney School District.

I want to help guide the next generation of public education leaders - Jeff Morrison

Dr. Morrison will continue to serve in his current capacity through the end of June. He’s still solidifying his retirement plans but knows that it will include spending a lot more time with his loved ones.

“It was not an easy decision. This district and our team are very important to me, and I really thought hard about this for a long time,” he said. “It was the best move at this time. I really want to focus on my family.”

Morrison is a product of KSD and graduated from Kearney High School with the class of 1989. He attended Missouri Western University and returned to Kearney as a fifth-grade teacher at Southview Elementary School, which he helped open in 1995. In the years since then, he has had a positive impact on virtually every facet of the district.

In 2001, Morrison started a two-year stint as principal at Holt Elementary School. He was back in a classroom in 2003 as a social studies teacher at Kearney Junior High School, where he coached football and basketball. One of his favorite memories from this time is being part of Kearney High School’s coaching staff when the Bulldogs won the 2003 state football title.

After serving as an assistant principal at Kearney Middle School and Kearney Junior High School and as principal for five years at Kearney Elementary School, Morrison was chosen by then-Superintendent Bill Nicely in 2011 to fill the assistant superintendent post. He earned his Ed.D. last year from William Woods University.

In his current capacity, Dr. Morrison helped recruit and retain a team of public educators that have consistently produced some of the best results in the region, state and nation. That’s in addition to his oversight of student services including transportation, child nutrition, school nurses, and leading construction from the April 2017 Bond issue. Morrison’s leadership in coordinating KSD’s ongoing response to the unprecedented COVID-19 global pandemic helped ensure that teaching and learning continued uninterrupted.

“It’s our people that really set our schools apart from the pack,” Morrison said. “You don’t get those scores and those results without good people. They work tirelessly and they don’t get a lot of credit.”

Morrison’s education, experience, skills and leadership style are going to be tough to replace, according to Interim Superintendent Todd White. He and incoming Superintendent Emily Miller are already developing plans for the position.

“Dr. Morrison is going to be missed by everyone in the Kearney School District,” Dr. White said. “He is an invaluable member of the leadership team and a tireless advocate for our staff and students. On behalf of everyone in KSD, I want to express how deeply grateful we are for his service and wish him and his family well as they move into this next stage of their lives.”

Morrison promised that he will continue to be a champion of Kearney’s schools and public education in general. His wife, Andrea Morrison, is a special education teacher in the district. They’ve had two children graduate from KHS and have one son currently at the high school.

“We are going to remain very active members of the Kearney community,” Dr. Morrison said. “It’s been amazing getting to hand diplomas to two of my children and I’m looking forward to seeing my youngest graduate.”

The best part about serving in KSD has been developing relationships with world-class teachers and administrators, Morrison said. He wants to help ensure that public education thrives in the future. That may include exploring opportunities to teach at the collegiate level.

“I still want to be part of education, but it will just look a little bit different,” he said. “These last couple of years have been very challenging for teachers and administrators. I want to help guide the next generation of public education leaders.”

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story