The Cherry Hill school board swore in new board member Quadsia Niaz at its Feb. 27 meeting to fill the vacancy created when Jennifer Fleisher’s retired in December.
“In my new role, I will focus on upholding and enhancing the quality of education for every student in our district,” said Niaz. “I am dedicated to promoting academic achievement, ensuring that the needs of our special-education students are met with compassion, effectiveness, and fostering strong connections with our community through meaningful outreach initiatives.”
Student representatives noted the upcoming musicals at both East and West and their respective show dates:
- Cherry Hill East will be perform “Mean Girls” on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.
- Cherry Hill West will be perform “The Sound of Music” on Friday, March 15; Saturday, March 16; Thursday, March 21; Friday, March 22; and Saturday, March 23 at 7 p.m. The Sunday, March 17 show is at 2 p.m.
Upcoming is a special basketball game hosted by the township’s Education Foundation. The Harlem Wizards will face off against a team of Cherry Hill teachers and principals as a fundraiser at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 15, at East.
During his meeting remarks, Acting Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton shared that district staff recently got training on antisemitism through the Israeli American Council, and that the following week, they will also receive training on Islamophobia.
The board will hold a special budget meeting on Tuesday, March 19. Following the Feb. 27 session, the district released a statement explaining that state aid had decreased from the previous year by $6.9 million.
“I have already begun the process of working with local and state leaders to obtain reasons for these cuts and to plan next steps,” Morton wrote in a statement. “As a result of these cuts, we are facing difficult financial decisions in the weeks ahead. While our successful bond referendum, passed in October 2022, allows us to continue the planned improvements of our facilities district wide, we must now examine our costs beyond those addressed by the bond funds.”
The full statement can be viewed on the district website.
The board also approved an application to the Department of Community Affairs for a Local Recreation Improvement Grant of $100,000 to improve West High’s stadium accessibility.
“We applied for the same grant last year and were awarded funds to supplement lighting at the East stadium, which is one of our bond referendum projects, so the things that the community department of affairs looks at from this grant are locations that have community usage,” explained Business Administrator Lynn Shugars.
The next board of education meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12.
