BOE introduces Steven Deo as assistant principal of Beck Middle School
Steven Deo was introduced as the new Beck Middle School assistant principal at the Cherry Hill Board of Education work session last week.
Deo is stepping into the position following the retirement of Jeffrey Heller.
He was the assistant principal in Woodbridge at both the middle school and high school levels.
Deo will be responsible for all the eighth graders at Beck and some of the seventh grade, as well. For the past two weeks, he has been transitioning to the middle school, getting his office together and preparing for the approaching school year.
Deo will be moving to Voorhees soon, he said.
“I’m very excited to be here,” Deo said. “When I interviewed the first time, I was told what a great place it is to work at Beck. I found out it’s like a family. The word family resonated with me, and I’m grateful to be a part of that.”
Deo has 15 years of experience under his belt, and is prepared to lend his expertise to the district.
“To make this my home and to be part of this family is a dream come true,” Deo said. “I look forward to serving to the best of my ability.”
The board also announced the employment of Alexander Rosenwald as the kindergarten through 12th-grade supervisor of science curriculum, a newly created position. He was previously the supervisor in West Orange.
In other news:
• The district had a minor setback resolving a mold problem at Cherry Hill East, according to James Devereaux, assistant superintendent, business/board secretary. The setback puts the repairs back a day or so.
The maintenance team has been working diligently to fix the ceiling and clean the area, according to Devereaux.
Devereaux reported a leak over the teacher’s lounge and will be giving the contractors the “go ahead” once there is a “clean bill of health.”
“We’re very optimistic,” Devereaux said. “The contractor will work days, nights and weekends until it’s finished. The effort is going about as good as it can get.”
The worst Devereaux can foresee is asking the teachers not to come back two weeks early to prepare classrooms as they normally do. Rather, teachers would return about a week before classes begin.
According to board member Elliot Roth, many schools in the area are dealing with a similar issue, and he thanked the staff for working hard.
• Parents will be made responsible to contact Rosa International Middle School to make sure enrollment documents were received, according to board member Sherrie Cohen.
The school has no way of tracking documents that have been lost in the mail, which leaves parents responsible to check in with the school.
“Parents need to physically call and get a confirmation number the application was received,” Cohen said.
The administration suggested when the wait list form isn’t submitted, students forfeit their place on the wait list, which will significantly reduce time people are on the list.
The board will review each IEP application.
“The bottom line is we don’t want to place a child in a school that cannot accommodate an IEP student. That’s across the board for all of our schools,” Cohen said.
• The board passed a resolution approving bids for athletic transportation for the upcoming school year.
Hillman’s Bus Service won the bid at $248,987.
• The next board of education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Malberg Board Room.
