Murphy Elementary School Principal Ernest Motley will retire at the end of this school year.
Ernest Motley, 52, of Union said he doesn’t plan to completely retire and will explore other opportunities in education, probably at the elementary level, but not at a Missouri public school.
“(The Northwest R-1 School District) has been just wonderful, and it’s been a tremendous place to finish my Missouri public school education career,” he said. “I really love Murphy, particularly just the sense of community.”
Motley’s last day at Northwest will be June 30. He is being paid a $113,642.20 salary.
The Board of Education has hired Gretchen Gorgal to replace Motley. She is coming to Northwest from the Cicero School District in Illinois. She will be paid $92,904.80 next school year at Northwest, district spokesman Chuck McPherson said.
Motley said the school’s parents have been supportive and have a wonderful parents organization.
He said he will miss his colleagues, staff and students.
“It’s the first school that I’ve worked in that’s been a Leader in Me School,” he said.
The Leader in Me program focuses on promoting leadership skills among staff and students, Motley said.
For example, he said, when administrators were interviewing for his replacement earlier this month, students gave the candidates a tour and asked the candidates some questions.
Motley said his wife, Marilyn, an elementary music teacher for the Union School District, also is retiring this year.
Motley earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in education, both from Truman State University. He earned a specialist in education degree from Northwest Missouri State University and a doctoral degree in education from William Woods University.
He has worked in education for 30 years, the last four at Northwest R-1.
The first five years of his career, Motley was a music teacher at Green City R-1 School District. Then he was a middle school and high school principal for Green City; a high school principal and elementary school principal for the Macon County R-1 School District; and a primary school principal at the Kirksville R-3 School District.
Motley and his wife have three sons: Austin, a professor of music; Landon, an entrepreneur; and Kaden, a freshman at the University of Missouri in Columbia, as well as a 1-year-old granddaughter, Ellie.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, camping, riding bicycles with his wife on the Katy Trail and playing with their 9-month-old puppy. He is also an avid runner and plans to participate in a half marathon next month.