Who is Kwame Morton, Cherry Hill’s new schools chief?

Growing up on Coney Island as the child of an educator, Kwame Morton unknowingly began laying the foundation for what would become his passion in life: working with children.

His mother, Sandra, was a teacher in Brooklyn. The second of three sons, Morton graded papers for her and saw how she became a prominent community figure, respected for her nurturing touch with students. As a high schooler, Morton worked in a summer camp, and his future began to take shape.

“Education was a part of my life as long as I can remember,” Morton recalled.

Morton began his career in New York City, where he spent about 10 years as a teacher and school administrator. He also was the principal of the Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter Elementary School and an assistant principal at the now-closed Thomas FitzSimons High School, both in North Philadelphia.

Morton, 51, made history in Cherry Hill this year when he was selected as the first Black superintendent for the 11th-largest school system in the state. He was the district’s first African American high school principal at Cherry Hill High School West.

He succeeded Joseph Meloche, who stepped down in July 2023 after leading the district for eight years. Morton has spent 16 years in Cherry Hill and worked closely with Meloche as a principal and assistant superintendent.

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill voters approved a $363 million school bond referendum, N.J.’s largest in at least a decade

Morton inherited a district at a crossroads as it makes sweeping changes funded by a $363 million bond referendum in 2022 that could change the landscape in Cherry Hill. He also faced his first major challenge when the state proposed a $6.9 million cut in state funding for the upcoming school year.

Cherry Hill avoided a fiscal crisis when the state restored most of the funding, resolving the issue — for now. Residents have expressed concern about their tax burden in the community of about 70,000, and there has been pushback against a plan that Morton supports to expand free, full-day preschool. Opponents say the preschool funding should be earmarked for other academic programs.

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill schools asks N.J. Legislature to restore funding: ‘The repercussions are staggering’

We talked to Morton about landing in Cherry Hill in 2008, his leadership style, and his large family of 10 children (”none of them twins,” he likes to quip).

My mother was a teacher for 25 years in my old neighborhood. … From spending time in her classroom, helping her to put up decorations and bulletin boards, to taking trips with her class, I’d always been connected and a part of what she was doing. She was one of the first community members where we lived … who had worked within the schools and opened up a door for other community members, including me, to become teachers.

When I left New York City in 2005-06, my wife and I did so because we were seeking a beautiful place to raise our kids. It was a very difficult and emotional decision to leave. We had seven children at that time. Attempting to raise a large family in New York was difficult. When we came to New Jersey, I didn’t know what I would find. Being here in Cherry Hill, I found home. I found a connection with the community, families, and individuals.

The natural thing that people do is automatically compare. They would say, ‘When Joe was here, he did this, and now you’re doing that.’ I resolved back in 2013 [when he became principal at Cherry Hill West], I would say, ‘Joe Meloche is Joe Meloche. Kwame Morton is Kwame Morton.’ I’m comfortable in terms of who I am and what I’m all about. Given time, you will see that my decisions are rooted in the same things that his decisions were rooted in: kids and what’s best for kids.

There are a couple of critical things that must take place in Cherry Hill. First and foremost is a strategic planning process. We’re going to spend time over the next several months identifying the portrait of a graduate. We’re going to develop a strategic plan around what we hear from our community. Then there are three other aspects: communications, a demographic study, the massive bond work that has taken place in this district. We want to see these projects through.

While it wasn’t 100% restoration, I’m appreciative and happy that we did have 45% of what was lost restored through state aid. We received back slightly over $3.1 million — absolutely huge for us. It allows us to apply those funds to meet the needs of students. With the restored funds, the tax impact doesn’t change. We have already submitted and have a budget approved.

All the research points to the effectiveness of preschool in terms of providing early intervention. At full scale, we’re going to have an opportunity to service 1,700 children, 3- and 4-year-olds from this community in a universal preschool and provide it free of charge to families. The state provides funding for us through preschool expansion aid. Next year, we’re scheduled to receive about $6.1 million. What better way to give back to the community than to provide opportunities such as that?

I have 10 children. My oldest is now 29 years old, a daughter. The youngest is 14. My wife, April, works at Temple. She’s a physician recruiter. She had all of them. No twins. People always ask that question. We got married very young. She was 20, I was 22. We’ve gone through life together, which is absolutely beautiful. My children have created a why for me and defined my existence in terms of who I am. You go to work so you can support and take care of your family. They’ve also given me tremendous perspective in terms of working with kids.

I definitely want our kids to be physically safe and protected from any kind of harm. I also want to make sure our kids are emotionally safe. That becomes a challenging thing at times with the availability of communication, the ability of individuals to have access to our kids 24/7. It never shuts off with the distribution of images and negative vitriol that we see through social media and online. Our kids are consuming all of that. That worries me. What is that doing to our kids emotionally and what does that translate into as they go out and attempt to be productive citizens?