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Date: 11/16/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — When Chicopee didn’t hire Alvin W. Morton I as school superintendent, the district’s former assistant superintendent and interim superintendent decided it was time for a change and a new challenge.
That new challenge is serving as executive director for the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative in West Springfield. It provides education programs and services to seven area school districts: Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Easthampton, Hampden-Wilbraham, Ludlow, South Hadley, Southwick-Tolland-Granville and West Springfield.
A native of West Virgina, Morton started his educational career counseling and teaching for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services at the old York Street Program in Springfield, the Westfield Detention Center, and the Terri Thomas Girls’ Program. He then became a public school administrator in Amherst, spending three years there before going to Chicopee be an administrator for 16 years.
As Chicopee’s interim superintendent, Morton saw things from a higher level — a “50,000- or 100,000-foot view.” He interacted with School Committee members and the mayor to build a budget and make sure priorities were budgeted correctly — tasks similar to his role at LPVEC, but on a smaller scale.
“The experiences and opportunities in Chicopee, and even previously, prepared me for things that will transpire here and my duties as executive director,” said Morton, who started at LPVEC in July.
Instead of trying to come in and change things, Morton launched a listening tour to get input from stakeholders. Among them: LPVEC staff, parents, guardians and caregivers, superintendents and other administrators in member districts and, eventually, students.
Morton also implemented a needs assessment for different “job alike” groups in member districts, such as superintendents, business and finance directors, and curriculum directors. Starting with superintendents, it will help LPVEC determine what innovative and creative programs and services can be introduced to bring more quality services and programs to districts.
As LPVEC’s chief administrative officer, one of Morton’s goals is to look at strengths, challenges and changes, or improvements, needed to take LPVEC — which serves nearly 700 students with a staff of more than 400 — to the next level.
“I’m collecting data to create an entry plan of what needs to be addressed. I’m still in the data-gathering phase of figuring out what improvements are necessary — or as a parent who I met with put it, try to make sure we have communication, community and consistency,” he said.
One thing Morton has gleaned so far is that most people don’t know what the collaborative is and don’t understand what it does.
“People seeing LPVEC buses in their school districts may think we’re just a bus company for students, like Five Star. They don’t know that the buses are an extension of their actual district.”
Morton said this indicates LPVEC needs to increase its presence, as well as its voice, partnership and participation within its communities.
In addition to transportation services, one of LPVEC’s largest roles is serving as a vocational school for its member districts. High schoolers can attend their “home” high school for half the day and spend the rest of the day in classes at the Career and Technical Education Center, or CTEC, on LPVEC’s Brush Hill Road campus in West Springfield.
“People don’t realize LPVEC is part of the collaborative or, at the other end of the spectrum, think the only thing we offer is Career TEC,” Morton said. “We do a variety of things and are an extension of our member districts, providing them shared quality services and programs in a cost-efficient manner.”
LPVEC also runs special education programs. It also offers professional development programs, energy management for municipalities and for its member districts and other districts, and Medicaid reimbursements.
“People need to understand what we are, who we are and what we do,” said Morton. “We need to establish a social media presence. We have no social media presence.”
Morton is also involved with negotiating a contract for LPVEC teachers, who became unionized last year by voting join the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
“We’re still in the early stages of bargaining the contract,” he said. “Every district I’ve worked in has had a union. You try to support teachers the best you can. The contract outlines a lot of the things: the dos, the don’ts and different things like that. It puts things in place to protect teachers.”
Morton said he wants to provide staff with tools they need to be successful.
“I firmly believe if we have successful staff, we will have successful students,” he said. “So, I’m proud to give them all the tools necessary in an educational tool belt so they can be successful and provide quality services and quality programs to our students.”
He said LPVEC adopted a theme, “connected and empowered,” for this year.
“We want to make sure we’re connected to all students and their families as well as to the districts. We want to make sure we can provide students with opportunities and experiences to empower them to be successful.”
LPVEC’s seventh executive director since it was formed in 1975, he said as long as there are still things for him to do and challenges to move the collaborative forward. then that is what he will continue to do.
“Stability is what I like. Stability is what I look for,” said Morton. “I want to make sure we have some consistency and stability within the collaborative. Stability and consistency are very important for staff members and for students.”
Morton, whose annual salary is about $160,000, said if at any point he feels like he’s taken the collaborative as far as he can take it, he will talk to the board of directors to let them know it may be time for him to “hand the baton off” to somebody else.
“But until then, as long as I’m objectively evaluated, and they feel I’m doing the job at a high level and they want me to be here, I will continue to be here.”