Early school budget passes
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
4/4/2010

Following a raucous budget meeting two weeks ago, the Cherry Hill Board of Education adjourned its usual March action meeting in only 30 minutes.

The budget was discussed very briefly during the public session portion of the meeting, but beyond that it wasn’t examined.

The Board passed a tentative budget on Wednesday, March 17, in front of hundreds of concerned residents at the Cherry Hill East auditorium, just a day after Gov. Christie announced more than $8 million reduction in state aid to the district.

Because of the last-minute state aid reduction, the Board passed a preliminary budget that will reduce the equivalent of more than 105 full-time employees from the district. It also reduces programs, operations, and capital programs for a grand total of almost $12.5 million.

It also sets the $165 million budget’s tax levy at a 4 percent increase, the highest legally allowed by the state.

Eight elementary Spanish teachers were removed for a savings of $496,000, an assistant principal from the high school level will be removed at $164,484, and the embattled Mt. Misery program at the middle school level will be eliminated after 42 years of service to the district for savings of $175,000.

These were just a few of the positions and reductions approved in the preliminary budget. Residents will get another chance to comment on the budget during the district’s official public hearing, which will be held on Wed., March 31, at the Cherry Hill East Auditorium.

While the budget was not discussed in depth, Board of Education Vice President Seth Klukoff informed the board that he and several factions within the school district met on Sat., March 20, for negotiations in regard to new contracts. Cherry Hill teachers and several other factions have been working in the district without contracts since last June. The bargaining units could not come to an agreement at the end of the session, Public Information Officer Susan Bastnagel said.

Board of Education President Lisa Conn said the board needs to be prudent during these negotiations.

“Negotiations with EACH, CHSSA, CHASP and Campus Police continue. Following the negotiations session with all our bargaining units last Saturday, we’ll be going to fact finding with CHEA, our teachers union,” she said. “The board plans to continue to be prudent and responsible as we negotiate, while keeping in mind the role that our teachers, secretaries and support staff play in making Cherry Hill a great school district.”

Last week Christie crafted a letter and sent it throughout the state, urging state teachers to agree to voluntary salary freezes and contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries to their health insurance costs by April 3, the final date in which all school districts must approve their final 2010-11 budgets.

The governor said this would save taxpayers millions in the coming fiscal year. It would also help limit the number of teachers and staff that districts are planning to cut from their 2010-11 school year budgets.