Though COVID dominated much of 2021, Cherry Hill residents saw the return of many events this year. The township and school district made strides on a number of initiatives that will have long-lasting impacts, such as the passing of the $363-million bond referendum to improve all 19 schools.
Municipal events
During the township’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, council renewed the terms of William Carter, Sangeeta Doshi, Carole Roskoph and David Fleisher, in a session moved online because of a COVID spike. Fleisher was reelected council president and Brian Baurle was named vice president in unanimous votes.
Later in January, Robert Kempf was sworn in as police chief, succeeding William “Bud” Monaghan, who retired after 26 years of service in the department.
In February, council discussed “conducting a deep dive” into zoning and planning ordinances regarding tree replacements, since there had been a number of removals in the year prior for different development projects. The tree ordinance was later introduced and implemented in June.
After a four-hour meeting on March 17, the zoning board announced its unanimous decision to approve PSE&G’s application for a new Echelon Substation on 850 Evesham Road, even though residents had protested the removal of 591 trees. PSE&G agreed to increase the number of tree plantings from 44 to 100 and make a contribution of $300 for each tree that couldn’t be related to the township’s approved tree fund.
The Tree Preservation, Removal and Replanting ordinance established a tree fund, authorized the hire of an arborist, and created flexibility for homeowners looking to remove trees from their properties. There were no restrictions on the number of dead trees or trees under imminent threat on a property, and residents could remove up to three healthy trees per year without having to replace them.
Earlier in the year, council members also encouraged residents to prepare for a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags at most grocery stores, with some exceptions.
In March, the Katz Jewish Community Center (JCC) faced two bomb threats that led to evacuations and heightened security. While the threats proved uncredible, there were others at JCC buildings in Philadelphia and Buffalo.
Education
The board of education tackled a number of large-scale projects in 2022, among them redistricting at the middle and elementary schools, a $363-million bond referendum and changing school start times to promote a healthier sleep cycle.
The year began with the board’s annual reorganization meeting in January, where board members Jennifer Fleisher, Benjamin Rood and incumbent Sally Tong were sworn in after their victories in the November election.
Board member Ben Ovadia was nominated and approved as president, with fellow member Miriam Stern as vice president. The board decided to continue for a time Committee of the Whole meetings to help new members adjust to their roles.
In late January, the board interviewed candidates to fill an open seat created by resignee Carol Matlack, who stepped down in December 2021. Joel Mayer won the seat and Gina Winters, who was elected in August, will fill an opening created by board member Kimberly Friddell’s resignation.
The board began discussions in March on elementary-school redistricting and a formal policy to allow virtual class attendance once per quarter. The district also announced its budget for the 2022-’23 school year: The general fund is $23.1 million, $7.4 million more than last year. A 3.3-percent increase – meaning a 1.25-percent tax levy – would cost owners of the average assessed home $65 more a year.
The board also addressed the start times, something that elicited a strong response from elementary-school parents who voiced support for starting their children earlier rather than later. No decisions were made, but the board reviewed a number of considerations for all three levels. They include possible state measures requiring high school to start no earlier than 8 a.m., disruptions to after-school activities, and making daylight savings time permanent.
Discussions on the redistricting fizzled out at the board’s December meeting, where it was recommended not to move forward with the changes to minimize disruptions for students.
After many town halls and much discussion, the middle-school redistricting committee ruled out the idea of having a sixth-grade center at Rosa Middle School and allowed for current students to be grandfathered into redistricting so they can finish eighth grade at their current school.
The most recent recommendation came at the district’s Dec. 6 board meeting, with the following configurations to be implemented in the 2023-’24 school year:
- Beck Middle School receives Cooper, Harte, Sharp and Stockton students.
- Carusi Middle School receives Barton, Kilmer, Kingston and Paine students.
- Rosa Middle School receives Johnson, Mann, Woodcrest and Knight students.
In the months leading to the end of school, residents banded together to protest teacher transfers that moved 46 teachers from one school to another. While some transfers took place at the same level, moving teachers from high school to high school, there were other transfers that were less understood, such as that of Cherry Hill East’s AP history teacher Tom Rosenberg to Carusi.
Because it was a personnel issue, there was little Superintendent Dr. Joseph Meloche could say on the rationale behind some transfers. In spite of protests that also included students and teachers, the transfers were approved in a 6-2 vote in July.
“This is something that the district does every single year,” said Meloche. “Our focus is always as a school district on the students, and what is it we can do to benefit students in the best possible way.”
Around the same time, board member Kimberly Friddell announced her resignation. She was replaced by Gina Winters in August.
After prior discussion, the board officially renamed two buildings on June 3. The Estelle Malberg Administration Building was renamed in honor of the late Arthur Lewis, the first African American to serve on the board of education. To retain her memory, the Barclay Early Childhood Center was renamed for Malberg, a special-education advocate.
In August, grassroot groups No Left Turn in Education and Garden State Families held a rally at the John Adler Memorial Park Pavillion to protest the adoption of the state’s updated health and sex-ed curriculum, approved in September.
Meloche later explained that school staff and experts were involved in the health curriculum and had taken care to ensure its content is developmentally and age appropriate. The new classes will teach students more about relationships, gender stereotypes, mental health and other issues.
“ … If we didn’t include these things in the curriculum, that creates more opportunities for not understanding each other, which can create discrimination,” said Cherry Hill East student representative Aidan Rood.
In November, Adam Greenbaum and incumbents Gina Winters and Joel Mayer won three open board seats.
