Evesham board approves operations package after cost questions

Big-ticket details got a public airing before the vote. The Evesham Township Board of Education approved finance and operations items 10.1 through 10.27 by roll call after board members walked through several of the largest and most visible items on the list. Questions centered on whether costs were new, whether grants covered them, and how much flexibility the district still had before committing to larger projects.

The sharpest back-and-forth came on phones, the preschool playground, and the district’s alert system. On item 10.15, administrators said the district already spends about $52,000 a year on phones and had planned for replacement as the current system nears end-of-life. They said the new arrangement with Axtel would be largely cost-neutral at first and save money over time because replacement phones would be included every five years. On item 10.10, administrators said a preschool grant covers the full playground fee and defended the mulch cost by saying certified playground mulch is required to meet New Jersey standards. On item 10.22, they described Ever Alert as a way to modernize announcements and emergency notifications without rewiring classrooms.

The board also heard that the district is only at the front end of its energy and solar planning. Administrators said authorizing bids for a solar power purchase evaluation does not lock the district into final projects, and any next step would come back to the board. They described a separate community solar concept that could generate district revenue and offer nearby residents a 25–30 reduction in electric utility rates. Another item reopened Evans for preschool classroom space through a standalone resolution the county required.

A staffing cut landed in class-size terms. During the second public comment period, one speaker identified themselves as a Marlton Elementary teacher and the ETEA vice president and urged the board to consider what the reduction of seven elementary positions would mean inside classrooms.

The speaker said the cuts affect employees, but they also change the school day for students. Using Marlton Elementary as an example, the speaker said next year’s plan would leave the school with four second-grade classes and three third-grade classes. That, they said, would mean about 20–21 students in each second-grade class and about 27–28 students in each third-grade class.

The comment did not prompt a board discussion at that point in the meeting. After thanking the speaker, the presiding officer closed public comment. The issue resurfaced later in board remarks, when Ms. Iannelli said class size remains an ongoing conversation and the board will keep working with administration on student experience.