Cherry Hill OK's Archway Settlement

Cherry Hill’s school board has jumped aboard a settlement plan with Archway Programs that would end a more than decade-long dispute over tuition overcharges.

The board unanimously approved a resolution last week to accept the settlement, without disclosing the terms offered by Archway in the dispute, which involves 86 school districts across South Jersey.

A state Department of Education audit found Archway overcharged districts for its disabled students programs by roughly $6,000 per student—Archway was charging about $25,000 per student in the 1990s, while the audit found it should’ve been down around $19,000.

Archway denied the audit’s findings, and has since offered a proposal that would refund about 37 percent of the tuition overcharges back to the districts—with the caveat that all 86 districts must sign off on the deal.

School board policy chair Steve Robbins questioned whether the settlement proposal factored in interest charges, though he said the deal seemed fair, given a previous Cherry Hill board was OK with an even smaller settlement.

“I want to make sure we’re getting an honest answer from Archway,” Robbins said.

It doesn’t appear the settlement includes anything but the original tuition overcharges, however, according to business administrator James Devereaux.

“It’s based upon what they’re saying they can afford at this point in time,” he said.

Both Devereaux and Superintendent Maureen Reusche supported the settlement, which avoids a potential court battle—or a bankruptcy proceeding that could wipe out any hope of a refund. Even just 37 cents on the dollar is acceptable in that light, Robbins said.

“I think it’s a good resolution, considering the chances we’d get nothing,” he said.