Federal funds for school district
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
10/1/2010

The Cherry Hill School District received more than $500,000 last week through the federal Education Jobs Fund Program. The program is designed to save or create education jobs for the 2010-11 school year.

After administrative expenses, the state will receive a total of $262,742,643 through the program. The funding, though, cannot be inserted in a school district’s general operating budget. According to the state, the federal funding must be used for compensation and benefits to retain existing employees, recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees.

More than $10 billion has been allocated throughout the country through this program. Cherry Hill received $547,383 for education jobs, Public Information Officer Susan Bastnagel said. It’s nice that the district received federal funding, she said, but in reality $543,000 only equals about nine or 10 employees when overall salary and benefits are accounted.

“To give you some perspective though – Cherry Hill will receive $547,383 – that’s salary and benefits for 9 or 10 teachers for one year,” Bastnagel said. “We cut about 50 teaching positions from this budget. “

At this time it is unknown how Cherry Hill will use the funding, Bastnagel said. Rochelle R. Hendricks, acting commissioner of education, has suggested districts bank the federal funding for the next school year, Bastnagel said, which will most likely be as challenging as this current year.

The district will discuss the best way to utilize this funding for the benefit of Cherry Hill employees and students, she said.

“In anticipation of another challenging budget cycle, the Acting Commissioner suggests districts consider reserving the funding for the 2011-2012 school year,” Bastnagel said. “So, while no plans have been made as of yet, decisions regarding the use of these funds will be made in accordance with what is permissible and in the best interests of our students and district.”

The original $166.76 million 2010-2011 budget was defeated by more than 500 votes in the April 20 Board of Education elections. The Cherry Hill Township Council decreed that the board of education had to cut an additional $2.5 million from the original budget after it was defeated in April.

For a complete list of state schools that received funding through this program, please visit state.nj.us/education/news/2010/0920jobslst.pdf.