Superintendent To Leave Cherry Hill School District If Appointed To PA Job

Update: This article now contains information on the Cherry Hill Township School District's timeline for appointing a new superintendent.

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The superintendent of Cherry Hill schools has his eye on another job. Dr. Joseph N. Meloche will take the same position with a Pennsylvania school district as soon as July, pending a vote this week from its board of education.

Meloche is vying for the superintendent job in the Rose Tree Media School District, which is headquartered in Media — about 13 miles west of Philadelphia. The Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors will vote Thursday on his appointment.

If appointed, Meloche would begin the job July 1. The Cherry Hill Township School District would need to appoint a new superintendent for the first time in eight years.

The Cherry Hill Board of Education plans to vote March 28 on Meloche's "submission of retirement," according to Barbara Wilson, the school district's public information officer. The board will begin to determine the timeline and next steps for replacing the superintendent at April 11's Committee of the Whole meeting.

In New Jersey, replacing a superintendent often requires a months-long process with community input. But appointing a candidate to the position requires a vote from the local school board.

"There are, and will be, more words and thoughts to share as we move forward together during the next three months," Meloche said Monday in a brief note to the Cherry Hill school community. "I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as we finish the 2022-2023 academic year."

Although Meloche's appointment to the new position still requires a vote, the president of the Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors expressed confidence in the Cherry Hill administrator.

"The Board of School Directors was impressed with Dr. Meloche’s wealth of knowledge in all areas of school district leadership," Board President Theresa Napson-Williams said in a news release. "He has a proven track record as a thoughtful and innovative leader who will seek continual improvement for our district while being mindful of children first, always."

Meloche also said the following in the news release: "I am thrilled to join the dedicated faculty and staff of the Rose Tree Media School District. There has been such a discernible sense of pride throughout this process, reflecting the heart of the educational community. I am excited to begin meeting students, families, staff members, and community members as we embark on this journey together."

Meloche became Cherry Hill's superintendent in August 2015, becoming the first district alumnus to take the role. Before returning to Cherry Hill schools as a teacher in September 2003, Meloche taught middle-school humanities and English in Willingboro and Maple Shade.

Before becoming superintendent, Meloche served as principal at the three Cherry Hill schools he attended — Kingston Elementary School, Carusi Middle School and Cherry Hill High School West. He left his position as principal at the latter in July 2013 to become Cherry Hill's director of curriculum. One year later, he became the district's assistant superintendent for PreK-12.

The New Jersey Association of School Administrators named Meloche as the state's 2021 Superintendent of the Year. Read more: Cherry Hill's Meloche Named Top Superintendent In New Jersey

Meloche made $204,324 last school year — the 203rd-highest among public-school administrators in New Jersey, according to state data. In 2021, the Cherry Hill Board of Education approved a new contract for Meloche, which was set to expire June 30, 2026.