Sports
Anniversary
Promise
Grise leads Indians from the hill
VFW celebrates 80 years
IR Seniors make promise for prom
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MAY 1, 2026
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 23, Issue 18
FREE
IRSD admin survey shows pride, weighty challenges By Laura Walter Staff Reporter School leaders are proud of their students, and this month, they highlighted challenges that make it harder to teach. In the second of several opinion surveys, Indian River School District administrators were asked to share their honest thoughts and suggestions with the Board of Education.
In these results, “You hear the same exact thing we’ve heard from the staff. … Concerns lie with the climate in our buildings. Concern lies with teacher burnout,” said Mark Steele, board president. On a scale of 1 to 5, the administrators could rate topics regarding their jobs, schools, district leadership, community and more. This month’s surveys were divided
between building administrators (26 responses from IRSD’s approximately 40 principals and assistant principals) and district administrators (10 responses for district-level administrators). (These results do not include the highest halfdozen directors in IRSD administration, who will complete inperson interviews later this month.) Board members received a detailed packet of results, including written
comments. Then, on April 27, they released executive summaries to the public, showing the districtwide score averages; an AI-generated summary of the written comments for each question; and initial proposals for the board and administration to begin addressing staff concerns.
See SURVEY page A3
Fenwick renews chief’s contract for three more years Morrissey’s contract was set to expire in August By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter Fenwick Island Police Chief Michael Morrissey has agreed informally to renew his contract for another three years. Morrissey, who came to Fenwick Island in 2023, began his law enforcement career at the Wilmington Police Department in 1989. He retired from there in 2009 and began a 13-year stint with Amtrak, working in management and supervisory roles in Philadelphia, Wilmington and Washington, D.C. At the Friday, April 24, Fenwick Island Town Council meeting, Mayor Natalie Magdeburger announced that Morrissey had given the council a verbal agreement to stay on as the Town’s police chief for another three years. His current contract expires on Aug. 31.
Special to the Coastal Point • Marian Dowling
Willet or won’t it? This willet was enjoying a sunny day recently at Cape Henlopen State Park See CHIEF page A5
Maly returns to Ocean View government — as new mayor By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Ocean View got a new mayor this week, when former councilman Tom Maly was sworn in, along with incumbent Councilmen John Planchart and Jay Tyminski, who were elected earlier
this month to new terms on the council. “It feels good to be back. I worked with the majority of these people when I was on the council before,” Maly later told the Coastal Point. “A lot of friendships were made, a lot of networking with the town officials.
It’s a great group of people. We all know our jobs, and everybody gets along really well. It’s a pleasure.” During the meeting, Tyminski was named the new mayor pro tem. In the voting on April 11, he was elected to a second term, and Planchart — who had been appointed to fill the remain-
der of former councilman Steve Cobb’s term after he resigned to move to Florida — was elected to his first full term. After being sworn in during the 17-minute reorganizational meeting, See MALY page A6