Taylor Morgan. PHOTO COURTESY OF GLADBROOK-REINBECK SCHOOLS

REINBECK – Barely one month following the 2023 city/school election, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck school board has a new vacancy to fill.

During the election on Nov. 7, the G-R district had four at-large openings on the school board. Three candidates filed nomination papers for the seats including newcomer Tyler Morgan, as well as incumbents Donovan Devore and Matt Wyatt.

All three won their uncontested races with Morgan receiving 296 votes, Devore receiving 383 votes, and Wyatt receiving 390 votes.

The fourth seat was ultimately won by write-in candidate Richard Keith with 310 votes.

But in a plot twist last week, Morgan informed Superintendent Caleb Bonjour he had made the difficult decision to not accept the school director seat. That same day he also publicly announced his decision on Facebook.

“When I ran for school board, I was running to help keep GR moving in the right direction for many years to come,” Morgan wrote in a private post made available to the Sun Courier. “I love GR and the communities, and I wanted to build relationships with everyone and give everyone a voice for the school, staff, and students. But, after some long talks with my wife, I have decided not to take an elected position on the school board. It’s not an easy choice and I feel I have let a lot of people down that voted for me and trusted me to continue the growth of GR.”

Morgan further stated his decision involved being an advocate for his own mental health, writing, in part, “Mental health is a battle that I have fought with most of my life, and it’s been overwhelming of late, so I feel currently it’s best to not step into the role on the school board and focus on myself.”

“With that being said, I have had good discussions with GR leaders and hope to step into a different role where I can continue to help the school move forward. Thank you again to everyone who voted for me.”

When contacted via text message by the Sun Courier, Morgan elaborated on his decision a bit more, telling the newspaper, “Since running I have had some things come up that I need to put more focus on at this time in my life. … I will be looking to continue to help and serve our district as much as I can.”

In addition to being a father of four G-R students, Morgan is also the assistant girls’ basketball coach – a role he has held for the last eight years and one in which he plans to continue, he told the Sun Courier.

Since Morgan’s announcement, the school board has elected to appoint an individual to the vacancy which they plan to do during the December regular meeting, according to board secretary Kayla Sabbah.

The meeting is set for Thursday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Junior High/High School library in Reinbeck.

Following the appointment, the seat will be up for election once again in November 2024.