Educator Prepared to Use Knowledge on School Board

Paul T. Morris

Background in Education
I graduated from Northeast Missouri State University (Truman State) in 1974with a B.S.E in Industrial Education. I began my career in the when I student taught at in the same room I retired from last year. I taught at Hazelwood for five years before going into business for myself. I returned to education and Ferguson-Florissant to teach at Berkeley High and Berkeley Middle before moving to McCluer North. For the the past 10 years, I have been the department chair for Industrial Tech and help start Project Lead the Way.  In addition to my background, I have taught at Florissant Valley Community College for the past 10 years in the Engineering and Technology Department.

What issues are important to the Ferguson-Florissant School Board? 
Finances and accreditation are the two big issues before the board at this time. With shrinking funding from the federal and state governments along with reduced property values producing lower tax revenues, it is imperative that the board makes the right decisions on how the money is spent. Accreditation is vital to the district, and cutting teaching positions is not the way to keep test scores up. That and making sure that the teachers we have in the classroom are highly qualified.

What makes you a great candidate?   
I have been very active in the Ferguson-Florissant NEA since I came back to teaching 16 years ago.  I have been on several district committees, including, the Financial Tack Force Committee, the Curriculum Advisory Committee, MSB Building Planning and the Green Committee.  I know the district inside and out and can use this knowledge to insure the best education for the children of the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

Why did you decide to run for the school board?     
For years, I have been active in the elections of many of our current and past school board members. This is the next logical step for me, now that I am retired. I love the district and its people. I want to make sure it is the best place for our students to learn and grow and a great place for the employees of the district to work. 

What message do you have for voters? 
I believe that I will be a great asset to the board should I get elected. Please vote on April 5 for the candidate you believe will help the district prosper and provide the best learning environment for the children of the district in the future.