FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHERRY HILL DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY BY ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE FIGHT FOR FAIR FUNDING
The Cherry Hill School District is undergoing financial turmoil due to years of inadequate funding from the State of New Jersey that our elected officials have ignored. The Cherry Hill Democratic Committee calls upon our elected officials Senator James Beach, Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, and Assemblywoman Melinda Kane to act now to protect Cherry Hill students and taxpayers in ongoing budget negotiations by securing fair funding for Cherry Hill Public Schools. The Cherry Hill School District’s (the “District”) own leadership describes its financial condition as “broken." Meanwhile, local taxes fund 90% of the district’s budget. Cherry Hill residents have been forced to repeatedly foot the cost of an inequitable funding formula that has landed our District in a financial crisis. More than ever, Cherry Hill cannot afford to endure the ongoing neglect by our elected officials. We are calling on our elected officials to:
● reject the inequitable public school funding formula that has landed the District in a financial crisis;
● reject any budget proposal or appropriations bill for the New Jersey State Budget that does not ensure adequate funding for the District for FY 2026-2027 onwards; and
● ensure that future funding is adequately appropriated to enable the District to provide students with the public education that is guaranteed by the New Jersey Constitution.
The flawed school funding formula has resulted in a $29,000,000 structural deficit in the District’s budget. Despite increasing costs, this is the third school year in a row during which the District has received a lower funding allocation than the year prior. Indeed, Cherry Hill sits at the “top of the list” of Districts that have lost funding across Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester County. The impact has been devastating.
The District has taken extreme measures to bridge the gap in funding. These measures include cutting nearly 100 positions district-wide and increasing the property tax rate to 7.4% - the maximum of the Cherry Hill Board of Education’s taxing authority. The District has also cut $8,000,000 of non-personnel costs, including instructional supplies, professional development and training, technology purchases, building maintenance services, curriculum writing, equipment and furniture replacements, and subscription services. The District has also organized an increase in classroom size. And, in the words of the Board of Education’s leadership, “It is still not enough.” These changes will, without fail, impact the quality of education that students receive. In short, despite paying more, Cherry Hill taxpayers are getting less.

These changes will place increased financial strain on everyday residents who are already struggling to keep pace with the cost of living. This shifting of costs to residents is not only unfair, it is unsustainable. It is a misconception that Cherry Hill is a hotbed of wealth and privilege. Students enrolled in Cherry Hill Public Schools represent the Township’s wide range of social and economic diversity. As of 2026, 25% of students in Cherry Hill Public Schools qualify for free or reduced lunch; 50% of students are ethnic minorities; and nearly 20% of students are eligible for special education services. These students and their families are relying on their elected representatives to fight for our fair share.
The failure to secure adequate funding year-after-year is a systemic failure of our political process. Instead of addressing this issue head-on, our elected officials and their affiliates have invested time, effort, and resources into legislation and initiatives that have eroded the public trust and that do not serve constituents. These efforts have included filing a questionable and time-consuming lawsuit to challenge the results of a democratic election, enacting legislation that reduces government transparency by eviscerating the Open Public Records Act, and sponsoring legislation that strips key government officials of their oversight authority. Notably, the District has seen a $10,000,000 increase in costs for healthcare premiums, which has raised concerns regarding prior legislation relaxing restrictions on the State’s primary insurer.
There is no more pressing issue for Cherry Hill taxpayers than fighting for our fair share of school funding in this year's Budget. If our elected officials do not act now, hardworking Cherry Hill residents will continue to suffer the impact of under-resourced and underfunded schools, while bearing the ever-increasing tax burden of a flawed funding formula. On behalf of the residents of Cherry Hill, we call on our elected officials to meet the moment as we eagerly await their response.
Sincerely,
The Members of the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee

Sources
● https://www.chclc.org/departments/business-finance/budget-clarity-hub-2026-2027
● https://patch.com/new-jersey/cherryhill/board-approves-school-budget-tax-hike-job-loss-cherry-hill
● https://www.inquirer.com/education/cherry-hill-budget-new-jersey-school-funding-20260320.html
● https://www.chclc.org/post-details/~board/district-news-homepage-content-6894/post/board-of-ed
ucation-testimony-at-assembly-budget-committee
● https://www.chclc.org/our-district/about-chps
● https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/norcross-machine-democrats-file-suit-against-cherry-hill-progressive
s-over-their-election-loss/
● https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/05/radical-revision-nj-opra-public-records-law-would-make-
much-harder-access-public-records/
● https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/09/a-serious-risk-to-public-trust-and-public-dollars-new-jer
sey-comptroller-investigates-norcross-insurance-empire-00552078)
● https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/07/28/like-d-c-new-jersey-has-its-own-unjust-budget/
● https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2020/A5119