The Cherry Hill Public School District plans for many schools in the Cherry Hill Public School District, including East, to undergo potential reconstruction for a three to five-year period.

District officials have been sending out emails to parents and students regarding a reconstruction program. The bond referendum for the future reconstruction of East is currently going through a process in Board of Education meetings.

The decision for the Cherry Hill Public School District to undergo reconstruction stems from the idea that schools, being about 60 years old, need to be updated. The vote for a bond referendum for reconstruction in December 2018 failed and there has been continuous discussion about it since. The school district last had a referendum was in 1999, causing much of the district’s infrastructure to need to be redone.

“To keep the buildings functional, there requires a certain amount of maintenance and upkeep, just like our homes,” says Dr. Joseph Meloche. Meloche says that Board of Education members and officials have been listening to people’s input on the new potential bond referendum.

If the bond referendum passes in the vote that is scheduled to take place next school year, reconstruction will take place when students are out of school.

“Health and safety will always be our focus,” says Meloche.