The Medford Township School District will seek voter approval of its Healthy Minds, Safe Schools initiative with a ballot question on Election Day, Nov. 5.
A key component of the proposal is the acquisition of Verkada, a comprehensive safety and security platform designed to protect the district’s students, staff and schools.
“(We are) taking a proactive approach to strengthen our safety and security protocols across our seven district schools,” explained Superintendent Keira Scussa in a video on the district’s website.
Medford’s school system is a pre-K to 8 district.
“In the spring, our community came together to develop a five-year strategic plan,” Scussa explained. “Throughout the three planning sessions, community members prioritized the mental health and safety of our almost 3,000 district students and staff as a focus area.”
Over the past decade, the school community has seen an increased need for mental health and student security.
“These needs coincide with the loss of state funds due to S-2 budget cuts totaling $4,056,153,” Scussa noted. “This reduction has made it increasingly difficult to fund essential programs without additional support from our local taxpayers.
“Last year, the district closed a $5.8-million budget gap in the 2024-’25 school year,” she added. “These cuts and the increase in enrollment and student needs necessitated this ballot question.”
The proposed Healthy Minds, Safe Schools initiative, if passed, will result in a tax levy increase of $6,825,000 this year, with a decrease to $3,625,000 after two-plus years. Proposed are 32 full-time positions:
- Class III Officers, an estimated seven, one at each district school
- Licensed mental-health clinicians, also estimated at seven, one at each school
- Two additional board-certified behavioral analysts
- Registered Behavioral Technicians (RBT) – estimated at 14 – two at each school
- Supervisor of educational support services to oversee the new positions
- Funding for one student resource officer.
The plan also calls for the creation of a comprehensive safety and communications platform that will keep the district schools safe, Scussa said.
Approval of the ballot question would cost taxpayers $716 for an average assessed home of $330,888.84 in the first year. That’s $380 for the new staffing positions, plus a one-time tax of $336 for the security and communication system upgrades.
From the second year forward, taxes would maintain the average $380 increase.
“That’s less than $2 a day to proactively improve the security and mental health of our students,” Scussa pointed out.
An infographic of recent statistics is on the district website.
- Medford schools have seen an enrollment increase of students from 2,652 in the 2019-’20 school year to 2,957 this year.
- There has been an increase in behavioral referrals in the middle school, from 128 in the 2016-’17 school year to 601 in 2022-’23 and 573 in 2023-’24.
- There were 30-plus harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) reported cases in 2023-’24.
- Some 28 students required suicide screening last year. There were 16 in 2019-’20.
For more information about the ballot question, visit www.medford.k12.nj.us.
