Cherry Hill BOE To Discuss Next Steps After Referendum Fails

CHERRY HILL, NJ - The Cherry Hill Public School District will head back to the drawing board after its proposed $210 million in district upgrades failed to pass a public vote Tuesday night.

Cherry Hill Superintendent of Schools Joseph Meloche said it's important for the district to undersrand why voters rejected three questions during Tuesday night’s referendum. The questions were progressive, meaning each question had to be approved before the next one could even be considered.

The second question could never be considered because the first was defeated by a vote of 5,940 to 4,785, despite a proposed decrease of $3.93 for residents who live in the average Cherry Hill home worth $223,500.

The other two questions carried tax increases. For the record, all three proposals failed. Read more here: $210 Million Cherry Hill Bond Referendum Fails

Officials held meetings of all sizes to inform the public about the vote, Meloche said. He said they held meetings with as few as 1-2 people and as many as over 100.

Meetings were held in schools, at civic associations and at people’s homes, Meloche said. There was even a table set up at the Cherry Bowl. However, the district is still in a position where it needs to get the message out.

“The work still needs to be done, but it doesn’t fit into our budget,” Meloche said.

Work covered by the three proposals included:

• a district-wide upgrade, renovation and expansion of schools including security upgrades and improvements;
• roof replacement and HVAC improvements and the addition of security vestibule entrances to Harte, Kingston, and Stockton elementary schools, and the Carusi and Rosa middle schools;
• a conversion of the all-purpose room to a cafeteria and the construction of a new multi-purpose room at Johnson Elementary School;
• a district-wide upgrade, renovation and expansion of schools including ceiling and lighting replacement, electrical upgrades, HVAC upgrades;
• conversion of cafeteria to music rooms and construction of a new cafetorium at Rosa Middle School;
• school-wide renovation and upgrades at Carusi Middle School including conversion of an all-purpose room to a cafeteria;
• construction of new multi-purpose rooms at Barton, Kingston, Knight, Mann and Sharp elementary schools;
• renovated science labs and gymnasium at Carusi Middle School;
• renovated locker rooms at Carusi and Beck middle schools, and High School East and High School West; and
• auditorium upgrades at High School East, renovated science labs at High School West, athletic facilities improvements at High School East and High School West.

The Board of Education will discuss the next steps in public when it meets on Tuesday night, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. in the boardroom at the Malberg Administration Building, 45 Ranoldo Terrace. At that time, it will decide whether it wants to set a referendum for March 12, 2019, the next date the state makes available for referendums to be held. If not then, the board must decide when it would hold another referendum.

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