School systems nationwide have struggled in recent years to find and hire foreign language teachers, with the Cherry Hill district no exception.
At its Aug. 27 meeting, the board of education unanimously approved a contract with the Language Learning Network (LLN) to hire Spanish teachers for in-person instruction during the full school year.
That’s a change from earlier discussions about having virtual teachers for world language, according to board member Gina Winters.
“This contracted position with Language Learning Network will allow us to have certified New Jersey teachers in classrooms with kids to fill all the positions that were vacant, so now we’re going to have certificated Spanish teachers,” Winters explained.
“It will be grades six through eight and also at one of the high schools, so they will all have equity in the foreign language instruction they receive.”
Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton addressed the move further during his remarks.
“LLN is not a special education resource,” he noted. “LLN is designed to provide the district with world language teachers, particularly Spanish teachers, to fulfill vacancies that we have been unable to fill,” he said. “You may have heard that there is a teacher shortage, and the availability of world language teachers has been scarce.
“So LLN is a company we’re working with to provide full-time, in-person teachers, not substitute, not virtual but full-time, in person.”
The language company is being contracted at an annual rate of $450,000, to be paid for with funds the district had already set aside to fill the vacancies.
“So, this isn’t in addition to, this is, ‘We didn’t fill those vacancies?” Winters noted. “That money was there, so now we’re going to be using it with this contracted group so they can provide the instructions for our students.
” … I really think this is the best possible solution we could have for this academic year, and then moving forward, continuing to explore how we fill world language positions.”
In other human resources news, the board acknowledged longtime assistant superintendent LaCoyya Weathington, who is retiring this month. The Aug. 27 meeting was her last, and to replace her, the district has shifted from having an assistant superintendent position to a director’s position.
The job description will be updated to acknowledge that directors these individuals are to support the directors.
“The assistant superintendent position that I previously held in years past, and Mrs. Weathington’s position are not being filled,” Morton emphasized. “Instead, we have director of elementary and secondary and those positions.”
Vice President Joel Mayer and the other board members thanked Weathington for her service.
“She must have been here at least two decades …” he marveled. “She has been nothing but professional, nothing but caring, and has unfortunately been the target of some anger because she does her job so well … But I have to say LaCoyya has always handled that with the greatest amount of dignity and professionalism.
“She elevated her game year after year and handled more responsibilities than many, and has been a mentor to many.”
The board also approved the preschool expansion additions for Joyce Kilmer Elementary School, as well as new classroom toilets and preschool expansion at Estelle V. Malberg Early Childhood Center, with one no vote from Renee Cherfane.
The estimated construction time is 18 months once ground is broken, and 40% of the cost will be covered by preschool ROD (Regular Operating District) funds of about $6.2 million. The district will cover the remaining 60%, about $9.2 million.
The projects are estimated to be finished around the 2026-’27 school year. The toilets will be added after the additions at Kilmer and Malberg are complete, with funds budgeted in the 2023 financial plan.
The next board of education meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 10.
