The Deptford board of education hosted a meeting on July 15 to offer updates on a number of committees and the state of the school district.
Board member Mark Getsinger – chair of the district’s finance committee – summarized an earlier meeting on July 8.
“We discussed the weight of services, (school) defense results and savings of the district,” he said. “We also discussed the special-education costs to the budget next year. We also discussed the costs of summer projects taking place at Oak Valley (Elementary), Shady Lane (Elementary) and at the high school.”
While exact numbers were not discussed, the school projects tie into the numbers the district provided during its presentation at a May 6 meeting of the 2025-’26 budget, a financial plan that had an increase of close to $2 million due to rising service costs. The budget was approved at the May session.
The projects were addressed in a report on the buildings and grounds committee provided by board member Ed Kalinowski.
“We also discussed the outcome of the zoning meeting of the township on July 1,” he explained. “For the reference to the Blackwood Terrace building, the zoning board, the (board) attorney and (township) engineer all agreed that the original permit applications in both variants and a courtesy review were all not necessary from the beginning.
“The board of education governs the districts and its properties,” Kalinowski added, “and we could put up a fence since we choose to protect our students, staff and taxpayers’ assets.”
The Blackwood Terrace building refers to the board’s former meeting place and offices at Blackwood Terrace School. According to Kalinowski’s report, a change in the location of the high school’s main office is changing to allow more room for staff to park. Parent pickups will take place at the front of the building while buses will go behind the school to minimize traffic on Fox Run Road, directly in front.
Kalinowski noted that projects to renovate the high-school cafeteria and add a security vestibule at Oak Valley are progressing smoothly, based on his own visits before the July 15 meeting.
The next board of education session is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 6:30 p.m.
