School Board Kicks Off Budget Season Tuesday Night

Cherry Hill school board members will get their first crack at the 2013-14 school district budget Tuesday night, at the first official budget workshop meeting of the season.

Last year, the board approved a $171.25 million budget for the district, but board members haven't talked about the size of the budget ahead of this year's planning, which involves as many as four sessions over the next four consecutive Tuesdays, including discussions as part of the board's work session and monthly action meeting. The Feb. 5 meeting starts at 7:30 p.m., while the other three sessions are scheduled for 7 p.m.

One added wrinkle this year comes in school security, where the district may have the ability to add additional money for security without it affecting the annual 2-percent cap, school board President Kathy Judge said. Neither school board members nor administrators have thus far advocated for added security beyond an increased police presence announced in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in December.

The public hearing and final adoption are still to be announced.

All meetings will take place at the Malberg Administration building on Ranoldo Terrace.