Cherry Hill preschool program charts rapid expansion
The district says its preschool program will grow from 17 classrooms in 2023–24 to 53 in 2026–27, with about 900 children expected next year.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — preschool program update and expansion (dr, approval of special services items (15, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
District leaders said Cherry Hill is about halfway to its preschool target, after adding seats fast enough to clear the first waitlist and reopen offers.
Preschool is getting much bigger, very quickly. In a presentation to the Cherry Hill Township Board of Education, Dr. Mahan said the district has expanded from 17 preschool classrooms in 2023–24 to 41 in 2025–26, with 53 planned for 2026–27. The district expects to operate across 11 sites next school year. Dr. Mahan said the state awarded preschool expansion aid in 2023, setting off a three-year buildout that now puts Cherry Hill Public Schools about halfway to its long-term enrollment goal.
The numbers show how fast the program has moved. Dr. Mahan said the district was able to offer seats to 559 students who applied, then reopened seats after initial responses and drew interest from 93 more families in a second wave. That led to 34 additional offers. For 2026–27, the district expects 740 general education preschool seats, 55 preschool inclusion seats, and 96 preschool disabled seats, for a total of about 900 preschoolers. Dr. Mahan said the expansion has let the district exhaust the initial waitlist while keeping children moving from three-year-old seats into four-year-old seats.
Dr. Mahan said the next challenge is keeping the experience consistent as the program spreads across district and private-provider locations. The presentation highlighted common curriculum, schedules, policies, and transition supports for kindergarten, along with added staff positions and outreach on chronic absenteeism. Dr. Mahan said the district continues to hear from the state that funding will continue, even as board members asked how long that support will last and how the district will measure the program’s effect over time.
Approval of Special Services Items (15.2–15.6) and Discussion of Policy 5516 (Internet-Enabled Devices)
The Board approved special services agenda items 15.2 through 15.6, then turned to a policy that will shape the school day in a more visible way. During discussion, Mr. Greenbaum said the district’s cell phone rule has been renamed policy 5516, “Student Use of Internet Enabled Devices,” to match a new state requirement.
The policy bars student use of internet-enabled devices bell to bell, including lunch. Mr. Greenbaum said that means more than cell phones: smartwatches, smart glasses, iPads, and tablets are included too. He said students will need to keep devices silenced, turned off, and in their bags during the day.
The discussion focused on exceptions and how families would request them. Mr. Greenbaum said students with IEP, 504, medical, or ADA needs can qualify for accommodations. Dr. Morton said a student who needs an accommodation not already documented should make a written request to the principal, who would route it through the proper process. The Board then voted, with the transcript showing one abstention on item 15.2 and approval of the remaining items.
Residents press board on funding and buses
Public comments centered on preschool aid, transportation for a family displaced by a house fire, HIB reporting, budget transparency, and board goals. In closing remarks, the superintendent said preschool aid is expected to continue, HIB grades usually come in October, and staff would check on the transportation issue the next day.
Families are asking about services, funding, and reporting that affect preschool access, student transportation, and district accountability.
Summer bond work reaches 13 buildings
District leaders said summer construction and bond work touched 13 of 18 school buildings, with parking lots, playgrounds, classroom renovations, security vestibules, auditorium work, and HVAC upgrades underway. Administration said it did not expect delays that would affect the opening of school, though some projects will continue into the fall.
Administration detailed summer bond construction across 13 buildings, including parking, playgrounds, HVAC, and security vestibules.
Dr. Morton shares what families told district
Dr. Morton summarized summer conversations with families, pairing praise for staff, belonging, and academics with concerns about SAC waitlists, transportation, discipline, staffing changes, and technology use. The presentation gave the Board a running list of what families want preserved and what they want fixed during the school year.
Family feedback highlighted SAC waitlists, transportation, discipline, staffing changes, cell phones, and AI concerns.
Board seeks Cherry Hill fair funding hearing
The Board said Cherry Hill remains active in a statewide school funding advocacy group that met with the Department of Education. Members said they want a state listening session held in Cherry Hill and expect more work on formula revisions and white papers tied to 2026–27.
Board discussed state school funding advocacy and possible Cherry Hill DOE listening session.
- Cherry Hill Township Board of Education. The Board opened public comment with a three-minute limit per speaker. No in-room speakers came forward; one online caller spoke about school funding, tax levy increases, and service cuts, and urged the Board to address upcoming enrollment growth and preschool expansion funding issues.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
Cherry Hill Township had 21 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCEBack-to-school updates cover readiness, orientations, and fall activities. The superintendent reported on the start of school, student orientations, summer reading reminders, and new staff orientation, while thanking operations staff for building readiness. Student-style updates from High School East and West added details on SAT dates, schedule release timing, freshman orientations, construction progress, athletics, and arts activities.
- GOVERNANCEBoard retreat shapes 2026-27 goals and governance steps. At a board retreat led by an NJSBA facilitator, members reviewed prior goals, discussed self-evaluation results, received teamwork training, and drafted three 2026-27 governance goals on policy alignment, board certification, and improving self-evaluation ratings. In later new business, members said the goals and related action plans should come back for formal board votes.
- GOVERNANCEBoard unanimously approves personnel, finance, and curriculum items. The board approved the superintendent's recommended personnel, business and finance, and curriculum and instruction items as block actions. No discussion was recorded, and all three sets of items passed unanimously.
- GOVERNANCEFirst Public Comment Period (Agenda Action Items Only): Curriculum Re-Adoption Item 12.5. During the first public comment period limited to agenda action items, one resident attempted to comment on curriculum re-adoption (item 12.5) and broader concerns about what they described as “normalized crazy culture,” referencing specific authors and alleging district issues. The Board redirected the speaker to the later general public comment period for non-agenda topics.
- GOVERNANCEBoard gets ethics training and upcoming meeting updates. The board attorney delivered the annual School Ethics Act training, covering prohibited conduct, disclosure rules, confidentiality, complaint handling, and social media issues. Separately, the board secretary previewed upcoming agenda items, training schedules, certification reminders, and a county school boards association session in November.
- GOVERNANCEBoard Member Activity Reports and Community Event Notes. Board members provided brief activity reports, including positive feedback on Preschool Roundup and back-to-school events. Several members reported no additional updates; one noted upcoming back-to-school nights in September.
- GOVERNANCECorrespondence Report. A brief correspondence segment occurred, introduced by the Board Secretary, with no substantive correspondence details stated in the transcript.
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