Say No To BOE Status Quo

Hopefully the state changes it's posture here.

Fixing NJ’s Broken School Funding Formula: A Call for Real Action - NJ Education Report We need leaders to inculcate a cultural shift in the way we think about the state's role in overseeing school districts.

Mrs. Leslie Walker resigns as interim principal for East HS

https://www.facebook.com/share/1UiJuwm9WC/

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Cherry Hill Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton Sr. announced Mrs. Leslie Walker’s resignation from her position as interim principal of Cherry Hill High School East via email. Stepping down effective Friday, Feb. 27, Walker cited serving East as “one of the greatest honors of [her] career,” in her formal letter of resignation. Dr. Neil Burti, the district’s current director of secondary education, will now assume the role of acting principal for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year.

If you want to read more about Mrs. Walker’s resignation, check out Eastside-Online using the link below.

https://eastside-online.org/news/mrs-leslie-walker-resigns-from-her-role-as-easts-interim-principal/

Reporting by Claire Ding // Eastside Editor-in-Chief
Social Media by Jessie Atlas // Eastside Social Media Director

A "direct" threat to Education?

A 'direct' threat to education Samuel Haut/The SunWoodcrest Elementary parents Jim Neary (left to right) Rebeca Sternbach, Jon Daly and Anne Einhorn addressed the board of ed on Feb. 24.More than a dozen parents, teachers and concerned community members addressed a Feb.

Credit: Michael Ari Nusbaum

Update from last night’s Cherry Hill BOE meeting (2/24/2026): Petition + next steps
Thanks to everyone who signed the Special Education petition and/or completed the follow-up survey. During public comment at last night’s Board of Education meeting, the petition was delivered verbally and two speakers addressed it, so the Board is officially aware of it. We also raised the need for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an independent SPED audit, and the district accepted another community member’s RFP request as well.
There wasn’t much discussion at the end of the meeting, so this is a reminder: we need to keep pushing—respectfully, consistently, and with specifics.
NJDOE complaint update:
We used the petition + survey to help support a complaint to NJDOE. I spoke with NJDOE by phone a few days ago and they emphasized that complaints need concrete evidence of noncompliance (documentation, dates, records, written communications, service logs, etc.). If they don’t see enough proof, they may decline/return the complaint. Personally, I think that’s frustrating given the number of petitioners and the depth of the survey—but rather than arguing, we can give them what they’re asking for.
What we’re doing next:
I’m going to put together a parent workshop on how to file an effective NJDOE complaint—what elements matter, how to cite the law, and how to attach the right documentation.
Also, NJDOE shared that it may make sense for individual parents to file individual complaints (they said systemic patterns will show up either way). I agree: individual complaints create ownership and direct communication with NJDOE.
✅ Important: NJDOE also stated there’s a 1-year statute of limitations—anything older than one year from the date NJDOE receives the complaint may not be accepted.
If you’re willing to file and you’ve already completed one of the two forms, please consider CC’ing me (I'll reach out with my email) so I can help track issues, follow up, and identify patterns (optional, but helpful). If you’re not comfortable doing that, no problem—just file it.
More info on the workshop soon. Thank you for staying engaged.

The Panels You’ve Never Heard Of — And How They Decide School Funding

EXPLAINER: The Panels You’ve Never Heard Of — And How They Decide School Funding - NJ Education Report Billions in state education funding flow from a cost structure that began as expert judgment about what schools should have.

Credit: Michael Ari Nusbaum

I wanted to share a community editorial that was just published on Patch regarding special education experiences and concerns within Cherry Hill Public Schools. As both a Cherry Hill parent and longtime resident, I wrote this piece to encourage respectful dialogue, transparency, and constructive improvement — not to attack educators or individuals.

The article discusses patterns some families say they are experiencing, including concerns about evaluation timelines, IEP/504 implementation, inclusion opportunities, literacy supports, and collaboration between schools and families. It also explains why community data collection and voluntary participation in state review processes can help determine whether concerns represent isolated issues or larger systemic patterns.

The goal of the article is simple: encourage families and community members who feel comfortable doing so to share their experiences so that concerns can be examined with real data and documentation. Participation is voluntary, and privacy is important — no student names or identifying details should be shared publicly.

If you are interested in reading the editorial, you can find it here:

👉 [https://patch.com/new-jersey/cherryhill/cherry-hill-can-do-better-students-disabilities-families-need-be-heard-nodx](https://patch.com/new-jersey/cherryhill/cherry-hill-can-do-better-students-disabilities-families-need-be-heard-nodx)

If you have experiences or perspectives you would like to contribute, there is also a voluntary survey and petition mentioned in the article. These are intended to collect aggregate information and help identify possible patterns across schools and grade levels.

Survey: [https://forms.gle/7BkkGqhvWWygCMXo8](https://forms.gle/7BkkGqhvWWygCMXo8)
Petition: [https://forms.gle/no4fk4cMoQye9oZj7](https://forms.gle/no4fk4cMoQye9oZj7)

Again, this is meant to promote thoughtful discussion and constructive solutions. Many families have positive experiences, and many educators work extremely hard. At the same time, community feedback can help systems improve.

If you feel comfortable, I welcome respectful dialogue and additional perspectives.

patch.com

Increasing Quality Instructional Time Requires Addressing Teacher Absenteeism

Increasing Quality Instructional Time Requires Addressing Teacher Absenteeism - NJ Education Report The education establishment has been remiss to not focus on school employee absenteeism due to a lack of political courage and conviction

We are hiring for several positions. Visit our online employment application page for a full list of job postings and to apply:
https://www.applitrack.com/cherryhill/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?internaltransferform.Url=