Superintendent answers questions about upcoming school year
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
9/5/2010

A new school year is several weeks away and several Cherry Hill School District representatives have detailed what is new and different for the 2010-2011 school year.

Superintendent David Campbell answered several questions from The Cherry Hill Sun and gave families and students of Cherry Hill a glimpse of what to expect for the new school year.

Specifically, how have the state’s budget cuts affected your district?

The Cherry Hill School District sustained state funding cuts totaling more than $12.8 million. The 2010-2011 school district budget is $7.7 million below last year’s budget. Impacts of budget cuts include increased class sizes at all levels: changes in delivery of the elementary Talented and Gifted (TAG) and Spanish programs; reduction in administrative support at both the building level and central office; reduction in supports provided by reading, math and language arts teacher/coaches; additional delays in Blueprint work; and some reductions in secondary athletics and extracurricular activities.

What updates has the district made to improve its facilities?

A large number of maintenance and repair projects have taken place this summer in, around and on top of our facilities. As HVAC work concluded at High School East, a similar project got underway at West. At Beck Middle School, roof restoration and HVAC improvements, as well as locker replacements have been partially funded through a grant from New Jersey’s Schools Development Authority.

Roof and HVAC repairs are being done at schools throughout the district. The bathrooms at the Cherry Hill West Stadium were demolished.

Fencing was erected to enclose West’s JV/practice field and improvements were made at the East football field.

Gym floors at East, West, Beck, Carusi and Rosa have been refinished. Phone systems at several facilities were converted, which will save money.

Other summer projects undertaken throughout the district include maintenance of exhaust fans; inlet repairs; paving, sidewalk, and curb repairs; repair and replacement of exterior lighting; carpet installation at various facilities; and power washing of the building exterior at several facilities.

What are some important policy changes the district has made?

On Aug. 24, the Board of Education approved a policy and procedure for implementation of a student activities fee in Grades 6-12.

The purpose of this fee is to help defray the costs for stipends for coaches/advisors, transportation arrangements, officials, rental fees, uniforms, and other costs for select extracurricular and athletic activities which are supported by general education funds. This is a one-time fee per school year and will permit students to participate in multiple activities. The student fee structure for 2010-2011 is $80 per student for high school students and $70 per student for middle school students, with a family cap of $150.

Parents of students in grades 6-12 will soon be receiving a packet of information about the student activities fee. The packet will include a copy of the Board policy and procedure, a list of the activities that are subject to the fee (all athletics at all levels will be subject to this fee), and a form to fill out and return with payment.

Are there any changes in scheduling (students and staff)?

Our elementary schedule is changing from a five-day rotation schedule to a 10-day rotation schedule, primarily to accommodate the reduction in elementary Spanish instruction that was necessitated by budget cuts.

Discuss any changes in academic or extracurricular programs parents should be aware of.

To avoid a situation where we would eliminate entirely one or more sports programs or extracurricular offerings, the Board and administration (with the support of parents and students) opted instead to maintain all programs but make across-the-board reductions. For 2010-2011, middle school interscholastic sports will continue, but only for A teams. (Each middle school will also offer intramural programs.) At the high schools, all athletic programs and extracurricular offerings that were in place last year will continue in 2010-2011. However, the number of coach/advisor positions has been reduced and the number of athletic contests for individual sports will be reduced.

What new revenue sources (parking or athletic fees) have you instituted for this school year? Are you considering any?

As mentioned previously, we will be implementing a Student Activities Fee. In addition, the Cherry Hill Education Foundation has formed a “Naming Rights” subcommittee to explore the possibility of offering naming rights to certain facilities within our school district. The Board of Education supports this initiative and is working closely with the subcommittee.

Is there anything you’d like parents and students to know about the upcoming school year?

As you know, both the Board of Education and the Cherry Hill Education Association recently ratified a three-year contract. The contract will continue through June 30, 2012. This is good news for everyone – taxpayers, parents, teachers and students. We are grateful to the negotiating teams of the Board and CHEA for resolving the negotiations process prior to the start of the new school year.

Earlier this year, in the wake of the unprecedented cut in state aid and other factors, the Board established an Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee.

The role of this Board committee is to plan and evaluate options for the district in the coming year in preparation for the 2011-2012 budget and beyond. Parents and community members will be hearing more about this work in the first few weeks of the new school year.

The Board of Education is also beginning its search for a new superintendent for the Cherry Hill Public Schools as I will be retiring in June 2011.

Community involvement will be critical to this process. The Board will be providing details soon, but in the meantime, you can provide input by visiting our district Web site (www.chclc.org) and clicking on the link on the home page.

And finally, despite the challenges of our drastic cuts in state aid, a shrinking budget, and the staffing reductions that followed, I know that each school year brings new opportunities to do great things for kids.

I also know that every employee of the Cherry Hill School District shares with me and our Board of Education a common objective: to help our young people be successful in our schools, our community, and beyond.

Our parents and other community members share that commitment as well.

Thank you for that – and best wishes for an enriching school year.