July 2012
Dear
Parents, Staff, Students, and Community Members:
The 2011-2012
school year - my first year as your Superintendent of Schools - was a year of change,
challenge, and opportunity. I enjoyed the many hours we spent getting to know
each other this year. In our community conversations, PTA and civic group meetings,
faculty meetings, and student focus groups, I spoke with parents, senior
citizens, teachers, staff, and community leaders. I shared information about
our district’s changing demographics and the impact of those changes on how we
serve our students and families. And I listened to your feedback about our
district and schools, what you value and the challenges you see for our
future.
In late
fall, the Board and community heard important annual reports that highlighted district
successes. The auditors’ review of the Cherry Hill School District’s
financial records and activities revealed no material weaknesses over financial
controls and no instances of noncompliance; moreover, there were no findings or
recommendations in the Auditors’ Management Report. The audit was, as
Assistant Superintendent Jim Devereaux said, “as good as it gets.”
The
Annual Testing Report, presented in December, showed that Cherry Hill
students continue to perform well on state assessments, scoring above the
averages of schools in the district’s wealth category—District Factor Group
(DFG) GH—in 100% of the testing areas. In fact, in the majority of grade levels
and subjects on the State assessments, the district’s total student
population’s percentages proficient or advanced proficient are at or above the
DFG I average. Cherry Hill students also perform well on national assessments,
such as the SAT and Advanced Placement exams.
The
testing report included performance data on cohorts of students as they
progress through state assessments. Cohort analysis is particularly useful for
analyzing achievement gap data because it allows us to examine how the same
groups of students fared from one test to the other. The results are clear -
the longer students stay in the Cherry Hill Public Schools, the better they
achieve!
Of
course, there is always more work to do and one of our focus areas is to shorten
the time it takes to close the achievement gaps. To support us in that effort,
we began administering MAPs tests – Measures of Academic Progress -
in Grades K-9. These formative assessments, administered several times
throughout the year, are shorter and use less class time to administer, but
provide detailed and accurate information about each child’s individual growth
and achievement in Language Arts and Mathematics. MAPs data helps teachers
identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses, then establish classroom
instruction to best meet each child’s individual needs.
At our high
schools, administrators and teachers have spent the past year planning for the implementation
of a new high school schedule this September. The new schedule will allow
all students to have lunch during the day; to take eight classes; to receive
extended periods of instructional time in all academic areas; and to be
instructed in a collegiately based environment. Our high school principals and
teachers are excited about the new schedule and the potential for creating
better learning opportunities for all of our students.
Another
positive change for our district – in fact, for most New Jersey’s school
districts - was a new law that allowed New Jersey communities to move the
annual school election date from April to the General Election in November.
The switch eliminates the public vote on proposed school budgets that are
under the state’s tax levy cap. More than 85 percent of the state’s elected
school boards – including Cherry Hill’s - moved to November elections. This change
made our March Public Hearing on the 2012-2013 budget uncharacteristically
anti-climactic. But it’s worth noting that the approved local levy reflects an
increase of just 1.83%, which is $250,000 below the state-mandated 2% levy
cap. The budget provides for a significant capital investment to continue to
address facility needs and ensure that our students, teachers, and staff are in
schools that are equipped for the technological future. Moreover, the budget prioritizes
excellence in the classroom and the provision of a high quality education for
all of our students.
Speaking of
facilities…You might be surprised to learn that the district has invested
more than $23 million in facilities projects in the past three years,
including projects that are currently underway and projected for completion
before the end of the 2012 calendar year. Some of these projects were funded
through the capital budget, while others were made possible through concerted
cost containment efforts to free up funding for facility improvements. The
projects have included improvements to our athletic fields and locker rooms, boiler
repairs, HVAC improvements, door replacements, roof repairs and replacements, Smartboard
installations and electrical upgrades, and maintenance, repair, or replacement
of every exhaust fan in the district. Despite past challenges, we are making
real progress in improving our facilities.
Much of our
current and future facilities improvement work is driven by our Energy
Savings Improvement Program. Projects are undertaken with the goal of
replacing older, inefficient systems near the end of their useful lives with
the most efficient technology that will reduce our utility costs. I look
forward to sharing more information about the development and progress of this
important initiative.
Also in the
area of environmental initiatives, I’m proud to say that Cherry Hill was selected
to participate in the NJ Sustainable Schools Project, a three-year
research project designed to determine how sustainability impacts schools both
financially and academically. The project is a collaboration among K-12
schools, education organizations, green industry experts, and other groups.
This summer, members of the district’s Green Team attended the Green Schools
Leadership Institute. The team developed a green mission statement, green
strategic plan, measurable objectives, action steps, and lesson plans, and also
identified the resources necessary to implement the plan.
I spent
some time in Trenton this year, meeting with legislators and Acting
Commissioner Cerf, to voice our district’s objections to the approval of a
charter school in Cherry Hill. We were gratified in early July when the DOE
announced it was denying the school’s final charter. Our fight continues,
however, as we work to change the charter school law and provide for local
control in the charter approval process.
At the
heart of the charter school issue was the lack of educational need for a public
charter school in a high-performing school district like Cherry Hill.
The Department of Education awarded Cherry Hill with that designation following
its 2009 QSAC visit. QSAC reviewers returned to our district this spring and
provided very positive feedback. They spoke favorably of the climate across
the district and the high level of work that is being undertaken; the eloquence
with which our teachers spoke about the use of data and how the examination of
data is used to guide instruction; and the district’s willingness to examine
issues of equity. They encouraged us to maintain the richness of our district
while preserving the integrity of each individual school. They also praised
the work that has been accomplished since their last visit in addressing facility
needs.
Of course,
our students are the best indicators of our district’s success. Throughout
this school year, student artwork brightened the hallways here at the Malberg
Administration Building, much to the delight of central office staff and
visitors. At Board meetings each month, we recognized students and staff for wide
array of accomplishments. On countless occasions, I was impressed and inspired
by what I saw in our classrooms, at concerts and plays, at sporting events, in
professional development sessions, and in conversations with students, parents,
and staff.
I am
honored to serve as your Superintendent and I look forward to another
successful year of working together on behalf of the children of Cherry Hill.
Sincerely,
Maureen
Reusche, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools