The preliminary numbers from the Cherry Hill Public School District indicate that voters have approved the $363 million bond referendum to improve all 19 school buildings in the District. Out of a total of 12,842 votes, 8,831 were “yes” and 4,011 were “no.” The referendum, the largest one to pass in the State of New Jersey in at least the last 10 years, received endorsements from multiple community groups prior to the vote, including the Cherry Hill Education Association (CHEA), the Cherry Hill Association of School Administrators (CHASA), the Cherry Hill Zone PTA Executive Board, the Executive Boards of all 18 school PTAs, and members of the Cherry Hill Town Council.
“We are pleased that with many months of input from the community and staff, the hard work of Garrison Architects, the Board of Education, and our administrators, we were able to present a solid plan for improvement that the community resoundingly supports,” said Dr. Joseph Meloche, superintendent of the Cherry Hill Public Schools. “This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity that our community has come together to support. The benefit to the next generations of students will be immeasurable.”
Work on the buildings will begin in the summer of 2023 and will continue for approximately five years as roofs and HVAC systems are replaced, multiple infrastructure, security and ADA issues are addressed, and select new learning spaces are built.