Failure of bond referendum, efforts to recover confidence of the community main topics of concern at final Cherry Hill Township Board of Education meeting of 2018
Discussion on alterations to bond referendum tabled until January session
One week after residents of Cherry Hill Township rejected all three questions posed within a bond referendum aimed at improvements to district schools that would have cost an estimated $210 million, the board of education convened for the final time in 2018 with the fallout from the voting still fresh in mind.
Carol Matlack, chair of strategic planning for the last two years, led discussion regarding the board’s next step to re-introduce another bond referendum in the future and presented three options for consideration: to leave the three questions as-is and submit them for another vote on Mar. 12; to modify each of the proposals by removing whole schools from each question, because removing individual projects from the three questions cannot be done without removing schools; engage the public on a greater scale and encourage debate among the community, its parents whose children attend township schools and the board itself to fashion a new bond referendum at a later date.
Matlack revealed she was not personally in favor of the first two options presented, as she believed removing entire buildings from a future bond referendum was not acceptable. She, along with Ruth Schultz, spoke in favor of tabling any discussion until the board meets in January to put forth a formal way in which to engage the community on the parameters of any future referendum. Board Vice President Eric Goodwin echoed those sentiments, but advised that any discussion of a future referendum should include a concrete timeline for another vote.
Outgoing board member Kathy Judge agreed with Matlack and Goodwin, while impressing upon her colleagues the need to engage the community on the why of their “no” votes, and was firmly against a March vote on the bond referendum as-is. Ken Tomlinson, Jr., who will also depart the board effective the end of the calendar year, agreed with prior consensus, but worried about the tax increase burden on residents contained in a future referendum when compared with the one that just failed. Dr. Edward Wang was in favor of tabling discussions until the new year, but also estimated another vote would not arise for at least six months due to the scope of community engagements and discussion necessary, while Lisa Saidel impressed upon the public that all the work to formulate the failed bond referendum was not in vain, and that a framework to improve each question remains.
Student representative to the Board of Education Sonia Kanjagu, from Cherry Hill High School West, added an impassioned plea to the board regarding its planned security upgrades. Provisions within the referendum called for security vestibules to be constructed at five township schools, however, Kanjagu cited statistics that revealed nine out of 10 instances of mass shootings that occurred on school grounds are committed by those within the school community rather than any external threat; she also urged student voices be heard alongside those in the community at large.
Public comment regarding the failed bond referendum — during which approximately 20 residents shared their concerns — encompassed the final hour of the meeting, and centered around the following topics: the need for facilities upgrades to include considerations for special-needs students as well as disabled adults; the need for greater communication and transparency from the board to the public via social media; redistricting plans that may eliminate some schools that, in turn, could defray the costs of any future referenda; re-thinking safety and security measures, and balking at the price tag of repairing aging buildings that may benefit from a total rebuild.
After months of discussion and debate on the bond referendum, voters opted to reject all three questions at the polls on Dec. 11, according to preliminary results from Cherry Hill Public Schools. The three-question referendum asked voters if they wished to allow the district to issue bonds for dozens of proposed upgrades across the district.
For question one, 5,940 voters chose to vote “no,” while 4,785 voters voted “yes.” Question one, if approved, would have permitted the issuance of almost $50 million in bonds to pay for projects including security upgrades and improvements and infrastructure improvements. Question one would have resulted in $71 in annual taxes for the average assessed home of $223,500, a decrease of about $4 from the average assessed home’s current school debt taxes of $75.
Because question one failed to pass, questions two and three could not pass. In either case, the majority of voters also voted “no” on the final two questions. For question two, the margin of “no” votes as opposed to “yes” was more than 2,000. It would have permitted the issuance of more than $113 million in bonds to pay for ceiling and lighting replacements, electrical and water upgrades, toilet room upgrades, new small group instruction rooms, HVAC upgrades, among other projects district-wide. If approved, question two would have resulted in $237 in annual taxes for the average assessed home, an increase of about $162 from current tax levels.
For question three, again the margin of “no” votes to “yes” was more than 2,000. If passed, it would have allowed the district to issue nearly $48 million in bonds to pay for renovated science labs and gymnasium at Carusi, renovated locker rooms at Beck and Carusi middle schools and Cherry Hill East and West high schools, auditorium upgrades at Cherry Hill East, renovated science labs at Cherry Hill West, athletic facility improvements at both high schools and various other site improvements throughout the district.
If all three questions were approved, the average assessed home would have paid $307 annually in school debt service tax, an increase of $232 per year from current levels.
In other news:
- Superintendent Joseph Meloche, along with Assistant Superintendent Justin Smith, recognized the township’s National Merit Scholarship commended students.
- A video presentation followed that documented a collaboration between students at Cherry Hill High School West and those at the University of the Arts on a recent art show.
- Departing board members Tomlinson, Jr. and Judge were praised by Meloche as well as their colleagues for their service to Cherry Hill Township Schools. Tomlinson completed his three-year term that began in 2015, while Judge had served on the board since May 2008. Judge made extensive closing remarks that recognized fellow board members, her family and the community at large.
- Board President Dr. J. Barry Dickinson did not attend the meeting due to illness.
