The district will fund additional capital projects, install a camera system and swipe cards at the high schools and make upgrades in instructional technology.
Cherry Hill residents got a quick look at how Cherry Hill Public Schools plans to use the additional state aid money it received following the passage of a school funding reform bill.
The Cherry Hill Board of Education approved a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting to amend its budget for the 2018–19 school year. The board added a little more than $2.5 million of additional revenue in state aid. The school district received the money as part of a new state law reforming state aid funding for public school districts.
The school district has decided to allocate the additional state aid to six categories. The biggest chunk of additional funding will be used for instructional technology. The amended budget includes an additional $1 million in that area. Meloche said part of the money would likely be used to upgrade some of the district’s existing classroom technology, such as smartboards, and also provide more devices for staff and students across the district.
An additional $442,426 has been allocated for a category listed as “other capital projects.” Meloche said district officials have not yet determined what projects it will complete with the money, as it had not received official word on its additional state funding until shortly before the board meeting. He said specifics on the use of instructional technology and other capital projects will be discussed between administrators and the board over the next couple of months.
The district is planning to take another step forward with its school security upgrades with the addition of a new camera system and swipe card access at both high schools. The amended budget allocated $750,000 for the project. The district is planning to put in cameras and swipe cards at all 19 of its schools. A few buildings are receiving the upgrades this summer, while most of the other security upgrades will likely be included in the district’s October bond referendum.
Speaking critically about the school district’s security plans during public comment, resident Rick Short briefly remarked about the addition of a new camera system at the high school, saying the district could have found a way to put it in the budget prior to Tuesday.
“There was (a) major mistake made on that night, (April 24), and you just covered it up today with $750,000 in cameras,” Short said. “I thank you for that. But it could have all been fixed before (the first day of school).”
The district also allocated $75,000 for the purchase of kindergarten supplies and furniture. Meloche noted the money is being allocated as the district hopes to implement full-day kindergarten in the district for the 2019–20 school year.
Rounding out the approved budget amendments, $200,000 is being allocated for athletic field projects and $100,000 will be spent on technology for infrastructure.
Cherry Hill Public Schools was originally slated to receive about $596,000 more in state aid when the state released initial figures last winter. In late June, Gov. Phil Murphy made a deal with Democratic legislative leaders to reform the state’s school funding formula. This resulted in Cherry Hill Public Schools receiving about $2.5 million in additional funds. Murphy signed the school funding reform bill into law on Tuesday.
In all, the school district received about $3.1 million more in state aid than during the 2017–18 school year. The additional funds approved on Tuesday bumped up the district’s general fund budget for 2018–19 to $202,876,380.
