Beginning of a long process
By LINDSAY HICKS
Cherry Hill Sun
7/17/2007

Board of Education considering options for facility improvements

Public discussion regarding the future of Cherry Hill public school facilities began at the Board of Education meeting two weeks ago, after the district’s director of capital outlay introduced concepts that could be incorporated into a Facility Master Plan.

Yvette Kline, district director of capital outlay, gave an overview of the desires, constraints and possibilities involved with much-needed district facility improvements, according to Public Information Officer Susan Bastnagel.

Kline presented the board with three directions the district could go in making the improvements: renovating and modernizing facilities; renovating, modernizing and adding on to existing facilities; or consolidating existing schools into new, multistory facilities.

She noted the many important capital projects implemented by the district in the past eight years stopped short of the full-scale replacements of various facilities requiring more invasive work.

Many systems have far exceeded their life expectancies, according to Kline.

Bastnagel described the discussion as the very beginning of a long process.

An initial planning team of educators and administrators, led by Kline and the engineers and architects of Becica Associates, analyzed a variety of facility issues and is considering opinions expressed in conversations with the township planning office, PTAs and senior citizen community.

Board member Sharon Giaccio, the buildings and facilities committee chairwoman, said the board would provide direction in August to create a steering committee for the next phase of planning.

The group would provide guidance as the team of educators, architects, engineers and other specialists conduct logistical analyses of various concepts, develop cost information and explore grant opportunities to offset costs, Bastnagel said.

It would take approximately six months to flesh out concepts and develop recommendations, which she said would be based on the best professional judgment and feasibility based on community support.

In other action at the school board’s first summer meeting:

- The board appointed John Cafagna as principal of Bret Harte Elementary School and Eloisa Craig as principal of Stockton Elementary School.

Cafagna replaced Mary Beth Currie July 1, after serving as a Rosa International Middle School teacher and assistant principal, Cherry Hill High School West administrative intern and leading the district’s alternative high school for the last two years as its acting principal. He also served as the district Web site “webmaster” and the Curriculum Compass liaison.

Craig is a member of the Collaborative Assessment for Planning and Achievement Unit of the New Jersey Department of Education. She served as vice principal in the Bridgeton School District and began her career in education as a Spanish teacher in the Bridgeton and Vineland school districts.

Craig begins at Stockton in August, replacing Steve Levine, who is retiring after 19 years in the Cherry Hill School District.

- The board ratified a three-year contract with the Cherry Hill Administrators and Supervisors Association, the 43-member bargaining unit of principals, assistant principals and supervisors.

The contract will be retroactive to the previous contract’s expiration date of July 1, 2006, and continues through June 30, 2009.

It specifies an average 4-percent increase in each of the contract’s years, according to officials.

- The board also ratified a three-year contract with the Cherry Hill Supportive Staff Association, which represents approximately 40 grounds keeping, maintenance, custodial and warehouse staff members.

According to officials, the settlement provides for an average salary increase of 4.87 percent in each year of the contract, but CHSSA members will pay slightly higher co-pays for doctor’s visits and prescription drugs.