Board Names Heath Morrison Next Superintendent
On a unanimous vote earlier this morning, the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees named Dr. Heath Morrison as the district's next Superintendent of Schools. Morrison, talking to the board by phone, verbally accepted the offer pending successful contract negotiations. His salary, benefits and starting date will be announced later.
Morrison was selected from a field of twenty-two applicants. Six of those individuals were in Reno earlier in the week for a full day of interviews and community forums.
"My colleagues on the Board and I believe we have the absolute best person to help take this district to the next level. This is a great school district right now, but with Dr. Morrison's leadership we can become one of the best urban districts in the country. He has the vision, the skills and the experience to get us there and his track-record proves he has done it before," commented Board President Barbara Clark.
"He was also the clear favorite of those citizens and employees who participated in our public meetings and who completed the online survey we made available," Clark said. "We are very appreciative of the interest that this community showed in helping the Trustees make this important decision," she added.
Dr. Morrison is currently a Community Superintendent in the Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland, the nation's 16th largest school district, where he provided leadership to 34 schools serving 23,000 students. He has also served as a middle and high school teacher and principal and was the Director of School Performance in Montgomery County before assuming his current position. In 2004, he was named the Maryland State Principal of the Year.
Morrison earned his M.Ed. in 1994 and his Ph.D. in 2005, both from the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland. He also holds a B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary.
Morrison will replace Paul Dugan who earlier this year announced his retirement effective August 1. Dugan has served in a variety of leadership positions in the district in a career that spanned 26 years.
