Despite ongoing construction, Haddonfield schools will open on Monday, Sept. 11 as anticipated.
The Haddonfield Board of Education’s Thursday, Aug. 24 meeting confirmed that despite ongoing construction, schools will open, as expected, on Monday, Sept. 11.
The district’s architect, Steve Becica, provided an update regarding the district’s ongoing construction and assured all of those in attendance in the Haddonfield Middle School Library that schools are projected to open on time. By the end of August, approximately 23 percent of the district’s overall construction will have been completed, Becica said.
“A lot of the work you really can’t see from the street when you drive around,” Becica said.
All of the underground utility work is complete, and the final weeks before the start of school will be about getting the sidewalks back in place and taking construction fences down so students have “safe access to the buildings,” he said.
While all of the classrooms will be ready for use, some construction will continue into the school year. Ongoing work on Haddonfield Memorial High School’s roofs will continue in a sequence manner so as to not to disrupt the school’s functioning, Becica said. Additionally, Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School’s windows will continue to be installed once school starts, but the work will take place outside school hours.
Work on high school’s stadium will continue into the fall. Repairs to the stadium’s upper side of the deck are almost complete, with work on the stadium’s concrete next up on the agenda, Becica said.
“It’s been a challenge with all the work taking place at one time at all four schools, but everything is going as planned,” Becica said.
Superintendent Richard Perry thanked teachers and administrators for taking the construction in stride.
“Many of them have been packing, unpacking, moving things around,” Perry said. “[It’s] difficult circumstances, so I really appreciate all of the work of the teachers as well as the administrators during this time of challenging construction.”
In other news:
• Assistant Superintendent Michael Wilson said the district will be receiving a federal grant of approximately $147,000. He said the Title 1 funds will go toward funding academic support services for students in kindergarten through second grade who require targeted support in English, language arts and mathematics. The entirety of the funding will go to Central Elementary School, as the funding is based on the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Wilson said Central is the only district elementary school with a significant enough number of students to qualify for the funding. Wilson estimated that in total, around 1 percent of the student population in Haddonfield’s schools are receiving free or reduced lunch, and he said the district should do more to promote enrollment.
“We need to do a better job of getting people to apply for free and reduced lunch,” Wilson said.
• The board recognized Charles Bergdoll for his “exemplary service” as the energy director for the Haddonfield school district. Perry said Bergdoll helped find the district the best cost for electricity and was an “energy czar.”
“He found outlets that we didn’t even know existed,” Perry said. “Over the years, he’s literally saved us thousands if not hundreds of thousands for the district, which translates into staffing and programs, all the things that benefit our district. “
• The board also recognized one of its own, board member David Siedell, for donating 155 computers to the Haddonfield school district.
“He is an asset to the community and the district,” Perry said of Siedell.
• The next Board of Education meeting will take place on Thursday, Sept. 28 in the high school library.
