A congressional committee is investigating allegations of antisemitism in the Philadelphia School District.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) said this week that the House Education and Workforce Committee — which he chairs — would probe “disturbing reports of Jewish students being harassed and subjected to open antisemitism in their classrooms and hallways” in three school systems: Berkeley Unified in California, Fairfax County in Virginia, and Philadelphia.
Walberg and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a freshman Republican who represents the Lehigh Valley, informed Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. of the investigation in a letter sent Monday.
The committee, the lawmakers said, “is deeply concerned” that since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, it has “received allegations that SDP is rife with antisemitic incidents, including allegations of teachers spreading antisemitism in the classroom and SDP approving antisemitic walkouts that isolate Jewish students.”
Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for the district, said she cannot comment on ongoing investigations.
The Office of Civil Rights found in December 2024 that despite “repeated, extensive notice” of acts of antisemitism and other harassment in its schools, the district did not adequately investigate the claims, take appropriate steps to respond to them, or maintain all necessary records.
Walberg and Mackenzie’s letter said that even after the Office of Civil Rights settlement, antisemitic incidents have continued unanswered.
Allegations of antisemitism against certain educators
The representatives also referred to the district’s director of social studies curriculum, who they said “has been widely condemned by Jewish advocacy groups in light of his ‘pattern of denying the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, refusing to speak about peace or coexistence, and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish people in the face of violence.’”
Philadelphia, the letter said, failed “to exercise oversight of antisemitic materials in the classroom.” Officials also took issue with what they said was a partnership between the district and the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Philadelphia. (The organization this summer announced it was available to partner with local schools and administrations to provide religious accommodations and build inclusivity.)
Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director at CAIR-Philadelphia, said it “takes pride in offering these resources” but had no special partnership with Philadelphia’s school district. Instead, it was broadly offering its educational materials and training to any school, educator, or district, he said.
Tekelioglu dismissed the investigation as the machinations of “wild, right-wing” congresspeople.
“It’s a continuation of McCarthyism, what they are trying to do against colleges,” Tekelioglu said. “They are trying to quell and suppress academic freedom in school districts.”
What are the representatives calling for?
The committee requested documents “to assess SDP’s compliance with Title VI and determine whether legislation to specifically address antisemitism discrimination is needed.”
The district was given a deadline of Dec. 8 to produce documents including an anonymized chart of all allegations of antisemitism against students, faculty, or staff since Oct. 7, 2023; all documents and communications since that date “referring or relating to walkouts, toolkits, workshops, curricula, course materials, educational material, guest speakers, lecture series, partnerships, teacher training, or professional development, referring or relating to Jews, Judaism, Israel, Palestine, Zionism, or antisemitism, in the possession of SDP schools or offices”; and more.
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has moved to cancel tax incentives and spending for clean-energy technology and prioritized expanded production of oil and natural gas.
But the federal government apparently is not 100% out of the green fuels business.
Last week, SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered 30-foot buses with an equal number of cleaner diesel-electric hybrid buses that are 32 feet long.
When the new buses are delivered, expected to be in 2028, SEPTA no longer will have diesel-only buses in its fleet.
Most SEPTA buses are 40 feet long or 60-foot articulated models (the ones with the accordion in the middle). The shorter hybrids will be used on the LUCY Loop in University City and Routes 310, 311, 312, and Route 204, which runs from Eagleville to Paoli Station.
“These new hybrid buses will increase operational efficiency and help ensure that SEPTA can continue to provide reliable service for customers,” general manager Scott Sauer said.
SEPTA applied for the grant in July, a spokesperson said.
“This is a major win for Philadelphia,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia said. “These new hybrid buses will mean more reliable service, a stronger transit system, and cleaner air for the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on SEPTA every day.”
Boyle, a Democrat, said the money came from President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, which Boyle helped champion. The grants were given from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget.
“Delivering new-and-improved bus infrastructure is yet another example of how America is building again under President Trump,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. “More people travel by bus than any other form of public transportation.”
SEPTA’s grant was part of $1.1 billion distributed from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget. The U.S. Department of Transportation said in the announcement that $518 million would be added to the low- and no-emission bus grant program from the fiscal 2026 budget.
Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Education want the state’s highest court to overturn a recent lower court ruling that sided with Spotlight PA and stop the release of internal Board of Trustees documents.
The case could have major implications in the state for public access to documents stored in cloud-based services.
Last week, the university and state agency each filed a “petition for allowance of appeal,” asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear the public records case. There is no timeline for the court to decide whether it will hear the arguments, and the court denied 87% of requests to review a lower court decision in 2024, according to the court’s annual report.
Spotlight PA is represented pro bono by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic. Paula Knudsen Burke, the Pennsylvania attorney for RCFP, said in a statement: “The Commonwealth Court rightly made clear that Penn State trustees cannot shield certain records from the public simply by storing them in a file-sharing system or alleging they contain proprietary information. We will continue to push for access to these records on behalf of Spotlight PA so that all Pennsylvanians can better understand how a prominent state-related institution — supported with millions of dollars of public money — is operating.”
A Penn State spokesperson told Spotlight PA in an email that the university does not comment on “pending litigation.” The state education department did not respond to a request for comment.
In May 2023, Spotlight PA filed public records requests with Pennsylvania’s agriculture and education departments for documents the agencies’ secretaries used while serving on Penn State’s governing board. While the university is largely exempt from the state’s Right-to-Know Law due to a legal carveout, a 2013 court ruling said records that the agencies’ secretaries used as trustees could be accessed by the public.
The Office of Open Records ruled in 2023 that some of the records the newsroom requested should be made public. Penn State and the education department appealed the decision to Commonwealth Court.
Penn State, in legal filings and in court in September, argued the state agencies did not possess or control the records Spotlight PA sought because Penn State housed the files on Diligent, a cloud-based file-sharing service. The online system allows the university to control who can access which files and whether the records can be downloaded.
The court sided with Spotlight PA in its decision last month, ruling that Penn State’s argument was “without merit.” Taking the university’s position, the court said, would contradict the intent of the state’s open records law for transparency and would “perversely incentivize Commonwealth agencies, local agencies, and affected third parties like Penn State to utilize remote servers and/or cloud-based services, in order to ensure that they would no longer need to disclose what would otherwise constitute public records.”
Penn State was also ordered to unredact portions of a 2022 document given to trustees about the university’s “fiscal challenges” and altering the budget to better align with Penn State’s “priorities and values.”
In its petition to the state Supreme Court, Penn State said the lower court wrongly determined that the agency secretaries received the records and therefore could provide them to the newsroom. By providing documents to trustees through Diligent, the university controls who can “download, print, forward, or otherwise obtain the document.”
The file-sharing service, the university wrote, “is the electronic equivalent of a Penn State official holding a physical document in their hand and inviting the Secretaries to look at the document. Importantly, in this analogy, the Penn State official never lets go of the document, and the Secretaries never possess the document.”
The education department, in its filing, said the lower court’s decision ignores the intent of, and improperly expands, Pennsylvania’s open records law.
Spotlight PA, through its legal team, will file its response to the petition in the coming days.
Earlier this year, the Penn State board settled a separate lawsuit that Spotlight PA brought against it over alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act, the state law mandating transparency from governing bodies.
As part of the settlement, the board agreed to release more information about its private meetings, including who is leading the gatherings and the topic discussed. The board also participated in a legal training in September on the open meetings law and what governing bodies must do to comply with it. The terms of the settlement will last for five years. Read the full agreement here.
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania.
SUPPORT THIS JOURNALISM and help us reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability and public-service journalism that gets results.
On a gray November morning last Saturday, in a converted Cherry Hill Dunkin’ Donuts, bridal magic was in the air.
At around 9:30 a.m., members of the staff at Dress 2 Impress, a new bridal boutique on Route 38, were furiously preparing for the arrival of one of bridal fashion’s biggest celebrities: designer and Say Yes to the Dress star Randy Fenoli.
Floors were swept, lipstick was applied, and dainty chocolate pastries were laid out on a towering display.
Fenoli, 61, is a marquee name in the bridal world. He served as the fashion director for New York City’s Kleinfeld Bridal from 2007 to 2012 and starred in the TLC reality show Say Yes to the Dress, set at Kleinfeld, and later his own, shorter-lived show, Randy to the Rescue.
Fenoli is currently on a cross-country tour promoting his Keepsake Kollection, a new line of bridal gowns set to hit stores in early 2026. Dress 2 Impress, an authorized dealer of Fenoli’s dresses, was part of a select group of stores debuting the line early, an honor that came with a guest appearance from Fenoli himself.
He’s “a real celebrity,” especially in South Jersey, said Beni Deliivanova, managing partner of Dress 2 Impress.
Randy Fenoli is looking for dresses for a bride to try on at the new Dress 2 Impress location.
Saturday marked the grand opening of Dress 2 Impress’ second store. Their first boutique, located in Linwood, has been open for 13 years.
It’s a bit of “an American dream story,” said Ivaylo Deliivanov, Beni Deliivanova‘s husband, who managed the front desk and topped off mimosas as Fenoli and the bridal staff tended to customers on Saturday morning.
Deliivanov‘s mother, Violeta Deliivanova, ran a dressmaking factory back in Bulgaria. When she immigrated to the U.S. around two decades ago, she got into the alteration and dry cleaning business. She opened Dress 2 Impress in Linwood in 2013. In 2022, Beni, Violeta’s daughter-in-law, left the corporate world to become a Dress 2 Impress managing partner.
Though Dress 2 Impress’ Linwood location has long been a destination for Jersey Shore brides, Deliivanov said they were losing out to boutiques in Cherry Hill, where there are more bridal shops, and a giant mall, to meet brides’ needs. The grand opening of their second location marks an entrance into Cherry Hill’s formidable retail economy.
The boutique is curated with keepsakes and designed for photo-ops. Sequin-covered purses and statement earrings sit in triptych glass cases. White champagne flutes and feathered fans embroidered with “BRIDE” rest next to a large bell that’s rung when a bride meets her perfect dress. A walk-in closet opens into changing rooms and a sitting area where brides perform mini fashion shows for adoring groups of female family members and bridesmaids.
Maria Leonetti, of San Carlos, Calif., is trying on dresses with the help from Randy Fenoli.
Before the marathon of brides arrived, Fenoli and Dress 2 Impress’ staff huddled in a back room, as the celebrity stylist imparted his time-tested wisdom onto the group. How do you match a bride to the right silhouette for her body type? How do you manage an overbearing family member with too many opinions?
Chewy, Fenoli’s Shih Tzu, meandered around the boutique, at times chasing a stuffed macaroni noodle (Chewy has been on at least 80 flights with Fenoli this year).
The morning’s first bride was Olivia Hafner, a 23-year-old Cherry Hill teacher engaged to her middle school sweetheart. The couple has been together for 10 years. Maria Hafner, Olivia’s mom, called it “a fairytale.”
Both Hafner women are Say Yes to the Dress fans. They booked an appointment at Dress 2 Impress after seeing an ad online.
“I’m open to trying different things, but I want a ball gown,” Olivia Hafner said, waiting in the foyer for Fenoli and Susanna Kavee, her enthusiastic bridal stylist.
Over the next hour, Hafner emerged from the dressing room in dress after dress, first in a strapless gown with a structured corset top, then another with sequins, one with lace, and another with elegant detachable sleeves.
Olivia Hafner, 23, of Cherry Hill, N.J., is trying on some dresses with the help from bridal stylist Susanna Kavee.
The curated selection and hands-on assistance makes for a “boutique” experience, Fenoli said, one that sets the store apart from a trip to Macy’s or the mall.
What do brides want these days? Fenoli says “everything”: glitter, ball gowns, princess-style skirts, traditional silhouettes. “Clean and simple” is having a moment, Fenoli added (perhaps linked to the omnipresence of the laid-back-but-still-stylish “clean girl aesthetic,” which has dominated TikTok in recent months, with ample criticism).
Fenoli said the world of bridal fashion has changed “completely” from his mid-2000s Say Yes to the Dress days.
Brides show up to appointments with screenshots from Instagram and TikTok videos, asking to try on dresses from unknown designers, located oceans away. Others come with AI-generated images that are impossible to match. More and more, original designs are being ripped off and sold for cheap on the internet.
“I think technology and the internet has really hurt us,” he said.
He quickly added: “Don’t ever, ever, ever, ever order a wedding dress online.”
Dress 2 Impress’ Cherry Hill boutique is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays; 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Philadelphia School District principals have a contract — and raises.
The tentative, four-year deal was struck Monday night, nearly three months after an August contract deadline for the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, Teamsters Local 502.
It also came days after CASA members publicly called out district officials, accusing them of negotiating in bad faith.
Robin Cooper, president of the nearly 1,000-member union — which represents principals, assistant principals, climate managers, and other administrators — said in a statement that the contract “will provide continued stability for our administrative leaders.
The pact, Cooper said, “affirms the dedication and innovative leadership of CASA administrators, recognizing them as pivotal change agents, who drive both student and teacher success. It also represents a meaningful step toward honoring and uplifting our exceptional leaders by addressing wage compression, providing across-the-board salary increases, and including collaborative language that acknowledges administrators as vital partners in the educational process.”
Details of the contract were not immediately available; neither was the date CASA members will meet to consider ratifying the contract.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative four-year agreement that both honors the dedication of our CASA members and upholds our commitment to strong financial stewardship,” Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said in the statement. “This agreement provides the stability, clarity, and momentum we need to continue our strong partnership with CASA and to advance our five-year strategic plan, Accelerate Philly.”
Last week, Cooper rallied her members publicly, appearing at a hearing on district matters before City Council and at a school board meeting to draw attention to CASA’s lack of a contract.
Cooper had said that the main sticking points in the negotiations were related to finances.
“First-year people are making what senior people make,” Cooper said.
Late on a stormy September night, Katie and Anthony Young were watching a horror show. In this instance, it wasalso a reality show.
A surveillance camera showed 8-footfloodwaters drowning the generator in the rear of their restaurant, Hank’s Place. The water crashed into the dining and kitchen areas, tossing around furniture and emptying the contents of refrigerators.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021 had overwhelmed the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, one of the region’s most picturesque locales, made famous by a frequent Hank’s customer, artist Andrew Wyeth.
“I don’t think either one of us was anticipating it being that catastrophic,” Katie Young said.
In a region where flooding is a perennial threat, an Inquirer analysis of the area’s most flood-prone waterways found the Brandywine ranks among the elite, based on available U.S. Geological Survey data.
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A total of 61 major and moderate floods have occurred since 2005 at Chadds Ford and three other gages on the main stem of the Brandywine and its branches. The Brandywine East Branch near Downingtown has registered more major and moderatefloods, with 33 combined, than any gage point in the region.
No. 2 on the list was the Delaware River at Burlington, with seven major and 19 moderate floods, although that is not quite the same as stream flooding. Technically, flooding measured on the five Delaware River gages south of Trenton, including the one at Washington Avenue in South Philly, is “tidal,” since it is influenced by the behavior of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay.
The chaotic behavior of the atmosphere may forever be elusive; however, more flooding along the Brandywine, the Delaware, and the rest of the region’s waterways is an absolute certainty.
Various studies have documented increases in extreme precipitation events with the warming of the planet. But humans are affecting the flood calculus immeasurably by hard-topping rain-absorbent vegetation.
Schuylkill River floods onto Kelly Drive at Midvale in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
A comprehensive analysis of the Brandywine watershedpublished in April reported that impervious surfaces increased by 15% along the Great Valley’s Route 30 corridor from 2001 to 2020.
Those increases are “significant,” said Gerald Kauffman, director of the University of Delaware’s Water Resources Center, which coauthored the study along with the Brandywine Conservancy and the Chester County Water Resources Authority.
Municipalities welcome tax-generating development. Conversely, Kauffman said: “You get more value if you build next to a greenway. It’s the eternal debate.”
From 2001 to 2020, the population in the Brandywine watershed grew nearly 25%, to 265,000 people, with 150,000 more expected by the end of the century. That’s a lot of rooftops and driveways feeding water into the stream, which empties into the Delaware River.
Along the Delaware, the rising water levels of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay are forecast to generate more flooding. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that sea levels have been rising about an inch every five years.
While the oceanic salt line— the boundary between ocean and freshwater — usually stays well south of Philly, the tidal pulses contribute to flooding in the city and areas to the north, where the channel narrows, said Amy Shallcross, water resources operations manager at the Delaware River Basin Commission.
The five tidal gages along the Delaware from Newbold Island to Marcus Hook have registered more than 90 significant floods since 2005, according to the Inquirer analysis.
The study was limited to the 33 USGS gages that had a period of record of at least 20 yearsand list designated flood stages.
Along with the Delaware River sites, other stream gages that appeared in the top 10 list for major and moderate flooding were those on the Perkiomen, Chester, Neshaminy, and Frankford Creeks.
Motorists brave the heavy rain and deep puddles along Creek Road in Chadds Ford during a nasty flood event in January 2024.
The gage network cannot capture all the episodic flooding from the likes of thunderstorm downpours.
Flood frequency is not the only consideration for siting a gage, said Tyler Madsen, a hydrologist with NOAA’s Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, in State College. For example, the gages have to be located in areas free of unnatural barriers, such as bridge abutments.
Plus, a major consideration is funding. They are costly to monitor and operate, serving multiple purposes such as measuring water quality and streamflow.
They rely on a variety of funding sources, including state and local governments, that are not available everywhere.
The Brandywine study’s suggested remedies included adding flood-control structures and beefing up warning systems all along the watershed, but warned: “Even with unlimited financial and technological resources, it would be impossible to eliminate all flood risks.”
Hank’s Place, on Routes 1 and 100 in Chadds Ford, was swamped by water from the rains of Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972. The area has a long history of flooding, and the restaurant was reconstructed after it was flooded and damaged by Ida in 2021.
The Youngs are prepared to live with those risks, come storms or high water.
It’s been almost two months since the Philadelphia Art Museum unveiled its new name and logo to, let’s be kind and say, a mixed response. To the bane of all graphic designers, rebrands are lightning rods where everyone suddenly becomes a branding expert.
So we wanted to put your knowledge to the test. We’re going to ask you to identify the real logo among those that we’ve subtly modified.
Good luck!
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Question 1 of 6
Before the change, one of these was the real logo for The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Can you pick the right one?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
For those concerned about the changing logo, fear not. Legally the museum’s name isn’t changing, just its “consumer-facing” one.
Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
The questions will get a little harder from here.
Question 2 of 6
Which logo replaced the one above?
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The museum said in a statement, “The new brand identity captures Philadelphia’s vibrant culture, reflecting how art influences everyday life and resonates across the city’s diverse communities.” The change surprised many, with lots of critics upset with the new look.
Question 3 of 6
Let’s move to another art gallery. Which is the real logo for the Barnes Foundation?
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Pentagram, the company responsible for the logo, said about the design: “The identity is based on the forms found within a specific ‘ensemble.’ The letters play with positive and negative space, gaining coherence through the act of reading across the ensemble.”
Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
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Question 4 of 6
Which is the real Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts logo?
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The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is the nation’s first institution that is both an art museum and school. The Heads of State, the brand agency that designed the logo, said: “We felt a classic wordmark would be an opportunity for visual simplicity and increased name recognition.”
Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Question 5 of 6
Eastern State Penitentiary also recently rebranded. Can you pick out their new logo?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Not only does Eastern State have a new look, but they also recently released their 2025-2029 strategic plan, with a focus on criminal justice education and a reimagined visitor experience.
Question 6 of 6
The Museum of the American Revolution has part of its logo displayed on its building. Can you spot the right design?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The thirteen stars in the museum’s logo are displayed on the building outside. The stars are based off the Commander in Chief’s Standard flag, which is on display in the museum.
Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Your Results
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Get out there and see some museums!
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Design, development, and reporting: Garland Fordice
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Copy Editing: Brian Leighton
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If you’re trying to pass some time while you wait for your delayed flight home, these stories can help.
Joy Velasco / For The Inquirer
The Inquirer published some fantastic reads this year — stories you may have meant to read but couldn’t find the time for. The holidays are the ideal time for catching up: Maybe you’re stuck on a delayed flight, waiting for the turkey or ham to thaw, or just looking for an excuse to avoid that one annoying relative who’s a despicable Cowboys fan.
We’ve rounded up some of our best and top-read journalism from 2025. Take this quiz to find the perfect match for your holiday downtime.
There’s always some anxiety that comes with heading to the airport. This week, maybe more so.
AAA predicts nearly 82 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, a U.S. record if it stands. Even with concerns about the reliability of air travel, AAA reports about 6 million people will fly to their destination this week, a glut of humanity that could jam airports nationwide.
Air traffic at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has been running relatively smoothly since the government shutdown ended, Inquirer analysis shows.
But an onslaught of holiday passengers could quickly change that.
Are you headed to PHL? Use our charts below to get a glimpse of how the airport is functioning today. The charts will update every hour through Jan. 1 and reset every morning at 4 a.m.
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Nearly half of the flights at PHL were delayed or canceled at PHL during the climax of the federal government shutdown, which lasted until Nov. 12. Analysis shows delays and cancellations have returned to normal levels since, with disruptions generally affecting less than 20% of flights a day.
Fewer than five flights a day have been canceled for the last week at PHL.
In the lead up to the holiday weekend, Frontier Airlines was experiencing the most disruptions. More than 40% of the company’s flights in and out of PHL were delayed or canceled last weekend, analysis of PHL flight board data shows.
PHL offers flights from 15 airlines. The chart below shows what percentage of the most active airlines’ flights are delayed or canceled.
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What about my flight?
PHL offers up-to-date information for each flight arriving or departing from its gates on its website. However, airport officials recommend checking with your airline for more specific information.
A traveler enters the TSA PreCheck security line at Terminals E-F at Philadelphia International Airport in October.
Security wait times
As of Monday morning, all six security checkpoints at PHL were open. TSA PreCheck is available at Terminals A-East, C and D/E.
Current security wait times are available on PHL’s website.
Weather outlook
Leaving Philly: Rain could slow things down Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Some wind may linger into the weekend, but otherwise flying out of Philadelphia looks fairly unhindered. What’s happening at your destination could, of course, change this.
Coming to Philly: Elsewhere in the country, NWS forecasts show a broad area of low pressure affecting the eastern half of the country with rain Tuesday into Wednesday. Later in the weekend, weather systems could affect the Midwest, Northwest and Rocky Mountains, potentially complicating travel from those locations.
Faced with a forthcoming increase in elementary school enrollment, the Cherry Hill School District may redraw boundaries for its 12 neighborhood schools.
The South Jersey school district has been studying expected demographics for the coming years and came up short; there are not enough available seats to accommodate an anticipated burst in elementary student population.
To meet the demand, the district has undertaken an “Elementary Enrollment Balancing,” which means possibly adjusting where students go to school. Cherry Hill is the 12th-largest district in the state, with nearly 11,000 students.
“We want to make sure there is not a negative impact on children and families,” Superintendent Kwame Morton told parents at a recent community meeting.
Why is Cherry Hill rebalancing its elementary schools?
The demographic study conducted in 2024 showed that five of Cherry Hill’s 12elementary schools are expected to have a shortage of seats in the 2028-29 school year, said George Guy, director of elementary education.
Based on census data and housing construction projections, the district will be short about 337 seats, according to Guy. The demographic survey examined possible growth over a five-year period, from 2024-25 through 2028-29.
“Those kids are coming. We have to do something,” Guy said in a recent interview. “We can’t wait to do it.”
The five schools in question and the expected growth in their enrollment are: Clara Barton,126 students; Joyce Kilmer,81 students; Horace Mann, 50 students; Richard Stockton, 56 students; and Woodcrest Elementary, 50 students, Guy said.
What will the process involve?
It is not yet clear how many students could be affected by the rebalancing, district officials said. Some elementary schools are nearing capacity, and a few have surplus seats.
At a school board presentation this month about the enrollment balancing project, several parents expressed concerns about their children possibly being moved. Parents like the convenience and proximity of a neighborhood school.
“What’s the game plan here?” asked Nicole Marley, who hasthree sons. “I don’t want my kids to leave their school. It’s stressful.”
Guy said possible options include grouping schools by proximity, with nearby schools to share students and programs, and reassigning students to less-crowded schools. Also under consideration is converting the Arthur Lewis administration building to an elementary school, which could accommodate about 200 students, he said.
District officials currently are not considering a bond referendum to raise funds to build a new school, Guy said. In October 2022, Cherry Hill voters overwhelmingly approved a $363 million school bond referendum, one of the largest in New Jersey history.
“We want to be open to anything,” Guy said. “We don’t want to take anything off the table.”
A board committee has been charged with developing a plan to address the overcrowding. Parents peppered the committee with questions at an information session held at Cherry Hill East.
“We’re still very early in the process,” said board president Gina Winters.
Currently, the sprawling 24.5-mile community of nearly 75,000 is divided into elementary school zones. Most students are assigned to a neighborhood school within two miles of where they live.
Morton said the board has set parameters for the rebalancing committee. Besides minimizing potential disruptions, transportation must be taken into consideration, he said.
The district doesn’t want students riding a bus for long periods of time, especially special needs students, Guy said. Two of the affected schools— Barton and Kilmer — are located on the west side of Cherry Hill, while the other three— Mann, Stockton, and Woodcrest — are on the east side.
Kwame Morton, superintendent of Cherry Hill schools.
What is the timeline for the plan?
The committee plans to present a preliminary rebalancing plan to the school board in January or February. A final plan is expected by June or July.
The district held three community meetings in November to get feedback from residents and answer questions. More community meetings are planned for March.
Parent Dan Levin, an urban planner, questioned how the committee gathered its data. He suggested the committee consider more long-term planning for 15 years down the road.
“You’re shooting in the dark,” said Levin, whose son attends James Johnson Elementary. “You’re throwing good money after bad.”
Morton said the district wants to implement the rebalancing plan for the 2027-28 school year, beforeenrollment is expected to swell in the 2028-29 school year.
Will middle schools and high schools be impacted?
Guy said the district’s most pressing need for more seats is at the elementary schools. He said officials are not yet examining future enrollment needs at the middle and high schools.
