The Cherry Hill Board of Education discussed serious renovations and academic preparations at the July 10 meeting. The meeting covered the 2017-2018 academic year and the programs that will be adapted in the 2018-2019 year.

Due to the condition of the school buildings, Assistant Superintendent of Business Board, Mrs. Lynn Sugars, gave her report on the schools and what was lacking in each environment. An ongoing emergency project from January, Cherry Hill High School East transformer needs to be removed from the isolated room that it has been designated in. Not only does the room needs to be redesigned and a new transformer needs to be set in place, but school shutdowns have to be implemented. Mrs. Sugars and the Board of Education wanted these shutdowns during the summer to prevent a clash with students during the school year.

“We are six months in; it is very difficult to say to the county that this is an emergent project and we don’t have time to go through the pit process because obviously we do,” said Mrs. Sugars regarding the decision of putting the East project to bid.

Other projects for the 2018-2019 school year would be the fixing of the gas leak at Cherry Hill High School West, re-fencing Rosa International Middle School’s field, removing the track from Carusi, and brightening up the hallways at Clara Barton Elementary School. Despite all of these projects, the Board of Education and the Cherry Hill School District is expecting an additional three million dollars to the current budget.

Academically, the Next Generation program for science was introduced this year to the schools and showed significant proficiently. The plans for upcoming academic season would be to continue progress in the science levels and foster a foundation where students will help each other to grow. In addition, the Board wants to adopt an approach to incorporate more student voices especially in elementary and middle schools with regards to high school varsity letters.

“I think it’s an opportunity to really have student voices heard as far as what they believe should earn a varsity letter,” said Dr. Joseph Campisi, Assistant Superintendent of Cherry Hill Public Schools.

Highlights from the previous academic year include the distribution of technology, the management of technology, targeted support on Algebra I, and the feedback from the students through learning goals. In the upcoming year, the Board envisions genius bars and support centers for Next Generation and technology along with utilizing common rubrics and scales with “can I, did I” statements.

“Expansion of flex options, expansion of student voice at the elementary schools, middle schools, the formation of aspiration teams at the elementary schools as well as continuing on with our next generation science standards exemplar training,” said Dr. Campisi about the practices that will continue through the 2018- 2019 school year.

The programs and practices that the Board of Education hopes to fulfill wants to enrich the student’s academic career along with accommodate for the changing core curriculum. They hope to meet before the referendum to discuss certain aspects of the upcoming year’s agenda.