The Cherry Hill school board voted 8-0 Tuesday evening in favor of the district's 2025-26 school year $256.1 million budget that will see the district move to a junior high school model, add almost a half-dozen educational and behavioral health positions and cut about 19 support positions.
Superintendent Kwame Morton said the switch from a middle high school model to a junior high school model would save the district about $3.7 million and "allows the children to continue to receive the same academic-driven coursework content."
The district's local property tax collection will increase by 2.8%, or about $5.3 million, to $201.5 million under the 2025-26 budget compared with this year's budget. The property tax burden in the budget increases to 79% from 77% this year. State aid's share will be 12%, down from 14% this year.
Lynn Shugars, assistant superintendent, said the budget cuts about 19 support positions — most of which will come through vacancies, the switch to the junior high school model and an administrative position through sectioning at the high schools.
Shugars did not elaborate on high school-related cuts, but a district spokesperson told a 70and73.com after the meeting that those cuts "won't impact class sizes."
Shugars also said the budget adds an elementary-level math coach and the equivalent of 5.5 elementary and middle school interventionists.
Regarding the math addition, Morton said math became "an area of focus" after a 2020 report that examined the impact of what he called "massive layoffs of mathematics functions" in the 2009-10 academic year.
Capital reserve projects in the budget include setting aside $1.925 million to replace the High School West turf field and resurfacing of its track. The capital costs also include $998,500 to replace fences district-wide and contribute $4 million to the district debt service.
A few parents expressed concern about $25.4 million allocated to special education.
"I am absolutely terrified daily. You can judge a society by how you treat your most vulnerable," said Cherry Hill special education parent Laurie Neary. "We are not doing very well right now."
Shugars said the public hearing on the budget will be April 29.
Board member Kurt Braddock wrote to the board, explaining a professional commitment required his absence from the meeting. He said that, like all of his fellow members, he would have voted in favor of the budget.
The school board also voted 7-1 to approve the $11,632,708 early childhood preschool budget for the upcoming school year. Board Member Kim Gallagher cast the lone no vote.Â
Brandi White was one of several Cherry Hill parents who questioned the need to fund preschool.
"We are cutting middle school student benefits and educational experiences in favor of busing preschoolers all over the district," White said.
"The district at this point has just bitten off more than it can chew, and we really need to trim back and focus on those core academics for our K-12 students," she told board members.
Annual taxes will increase by $179.59 for a home with a districtwide average assessment of $227,000, the district reported. Other 2025-26 budget detail, from the district presentation on March 11:
- The total budget is $256.1 million, down 0.1% from a $256.4 million revised budget this year.
- Total taxes increase to $201.5 million, up $5.3 million, or 2.8%, from this year.
- Total state aid drops to $31.6 million, a 9.9% decrease, or just under $4 million.
The district has previously said between 70% and 75% of the budget is personnel costs and that non-personnel areas can sustain only so much cutting.
According to Shugars, the district is using banked funds. Previously announced adjustments, including increases in elementary class sizes and cuts in high school programming, operational staff and transportation that may have been needed to balance the budget appeared to be off the table.
However, Shugars said the district did have to cut some permanent substitute positions.
