Township, schools to share
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
4/25/2010

During one of the more difficult economic periods the state has ever seen, the township and the Cherry Hill School District have agreed to a new shared service that, officials say, should benefit both entities. The Township Council unanimously approved an agreement that would see the school district use its Department of Public Works for minor services and tasks throughout the school year.

Cherry Hill School Public Information Officer Susan Bastnagel said this agreement should help the school district keep its costs down.

“It’s another good example of cost-sharing and shared services between the township and school district,” she said. “We’ve had other inter-local agreements with the township before for recycling, trash pickup, and salt and sand purchases.”

Chief of Staff Dan Keashen said this measure could save the school district upward of $100,000 a year and will create a new stream of revenue for the township. It’s tough to quantify exactly how much the township could expect in funding from this new shared service, he said, because it’s not contractually based.

Some of the services the township could provide for the school district are repaving of school roads, patching potholes in parking lots, or clearing downed trees and debris from school grounds, Keashen said.

Mayor Bernie Platt welcomed the shared service opportunity. Shared services are the most effective strategy available to the township in its mission to continue providing the core services the community has come to expect, he said, while using township resources to bring down costs, assist other public entities, and create new streams of revenue.

“When you consider the repair services needed throughout the year by all 19 of our schools, the huge disparities in wages and materials between outside contractors and our own DPW, it’s obvious there is the potential here to save a great deal of money for taxpayers,” Platt said. “And though it may require the occasional overtime for a few of our employees, even that rate is less than that of outsourced labor. It’s what we’re calling a ‘win-win’ – without adding much in the way of cost or effort on our end, we can save the schools and, in turn, residents tens of thousands of dollars every year.”

The district usually has to bid for services that will take the Cherry Hill DPW substantially less time to complete, Keashen said.

This agreement will help eliminate the time component and also save the district money in labor costs.

He estimated this measure would save the school district a third of what it typically pays outside sources to complete.

“There’s a lot of common sense wrapped up into this plan. We have an effective DPW crew and it makes sense that they can take advantage of it and we can gain another stream of revenue,” Keashen said.

The township and the school district have a mutual history of sharing services and helping to eliminate costs for both governing bodies. The township extended the acclaimed RecyleBank program to the school district and the two entities partner for various purchases throughout the year.