D. Mark Morris seeks re-election to Downey school board

DOWNEY — D. Mark Morris, incumbent school board member and lifetime Downey resident, has announced his candidacy for re-election to the Downey Board of Education.

He is looking to continue serving the residents of Trustee Area 6 during this difficult time in education.

“Mark Morris is extremely well prepared to continue to serve on the school board because of his years of experience and knowledge of the educational issues facing our students and community” said Donald LaPlante, president of the DUSD Board of Education.

Morris is committed to ensuring that Downey Unified students receive the best quality education possible by providing them with a “21st Century education that ensures they are college and career ready, globally competitive and citizens of strong character.” 

“It goes without saying that our students, teachers and staff must be safe,” he said. 

Ensuring student safety is why he supported establishing security presence in the schools, a hotline at the high schools for students to report problems, mental health counseling and the Human Relations Council to discuss problems students are having.

“I believe that our children deserve the best and that means the best teachers, administrators, principals, support staff, facilities, technology and instruction that our budget will support,” Morris said. “As a result of our being able to employ the best teachers, when the coronavirus hit, iPads were issued to all students, and our teachers and staff were able to transition to a distance learning model for the rest of the school year. 

“Additionally, Downey was one of only a few districts that provided its students with two meals (breakfast and lunch) throughout the school year, and into the summer, courtesy of our great food service staff.”

Morris said he supports “maintaining a strong fiscal position, balanced budget, completing all the modernization projects at our schools and working collaboratively with our union partners.” 

Morris said he has never supported lay-offs or furlough days in salary negotiations. He will continue to advocate for strong academics including expanding the Advance Placement Program (AP Program), career/Technical Education (CTE), STEAM classes, and Global Language Academics of Downey (GLAD) at Carpenter Elementary.  

He is also a strong supporter of Community Based English Tutoring, Parent Advisory Groups, and the PTA.

Morris is married to his wife, Pam, who is a teacher at Gauldin Elementary. They are the parents of six children, all of them attended Downey schools and graduated. Their eldest daughter, Evelyn, was a teacher at Sussman Middle School before her passing in 2008.

Morris has served four terms as president of the Downey School Board and as a member of the Budget Committee and the Enrollment Committee. He was the founding president of the Cerritos College Alumni Association, and a member of both the CSBA Delegate Assembly and the Los Angeles County School Board Advisory Committee. He has also been a member of the Downey Water Board and the Downey Redevelopment and Rehabilitation Committee.  

Morris was inducted into Downey High School’s Hall of Fame, and has a building named in his honor on the Downey campus.

Morris is endorsed by all members of the existing members of the Downey School Board, Downey Mayor Blanca Pacheco, Council member Alex Saab, Eric Pierce, Elvin Galindo, Classified Commissioner Angie Rademaker, Downey Foundation for Education President Linda Saldana, Abraham Lopez, Dean and Martha Michael, and Jim and Lois Buchanan.

Morris attended Downey schools, and graduated from Downey High.  He has an AA degree from Cerritos College, a BA degree from California State University Fullerton, and a JD degree from Western State University College of Law.  

He worked in municipal government for 34 years, retiring as a housing planner for the City of Downey. He also speaks fluent Spanish. He can be reached via email at vote.dmarkmorrisdusd2020@gmail.com