As Morton District 709 continues the evaluation of its current educational facilities, there are a number of questions on residents’ minds — are those changes necessary or are they desires?
The village of Morton’s comprehensive plan, which concluded that several schools either need some renovations or a new facility, created a sense of urgency among District 709 officials.
It did not take long for facility considerations to take the helm as one of the more important issues the school board would consider in 2009.
But, nothing is set in stone, particularly at Morton High School, where administrators maintain space and storage are limited.
The question is this — will Morton High School need upgrades or a whole new facility?
“I don’t know that we have an answer to that,” said District 709 superintendent Roger Kilpatrick.
Morton High School was built in 1954. Additions to the current facility were made in 1957, ‘65, ‘71 and ‘76. The three-story building contains 48 classrooms, one library, four computer labs, three music rooms, one weight room, one wrestling room, two gyms and one cafeteria.
It was not long ago that the high school had the necessary space to accommodate students in District 709. But, more recently, changes in state requirements and added activities have created a need for more space, Kilpatrick said.
“We try to have appropriately sized classes based on the facility,” Morton High School principal Dennis Johnson said.
After an hour-long tour through the facility, it seemed as if some classes, with an average of 22 students, were crammed.
Desks and chairs sit close to doors. Students could be observed squeezing between each other to get to their desks.
Changes in federal and state requirements, such as Response to Intervention, have created an extra need in schools throughout District 709.
RtI is a federally mandated general education initiative. Interventions are used in the classroom and during the school day to help students develop skills that have been missed or assist them in overcoming areas of weakness.
“(Response to Intervention) has required a lot in terms of space,” Kilpatrick said.
And, while he recognizes the benefits of the RtI program, he said it has also affected class sizes and personal meeting space.
Throughout the years, the high school has had several improvements. Many of the classrooms have been renovated. However, the renovations have only been able to improve the aesthetics in classrooms. Many classrooms have items and boxes sitting along the outer rims of each room. The need for more storage space has continued to grow, Johnson said.
