Moorestown School Board Election 2024: Cheryl Makopoulos

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Election season for the Moorestown Board of Education is underway.

Patch sent questions to all candidates in the race and will publish responses as they're received. All candidate profiles will be re-shared closer to Election Day, which is Nov. 5.

• Related: Moorestown 2024 Election: Candidates, Voter Info

Cheryl Makopoulos, a school board candidate, sent Patch the following responses:

Cheryl Makopoulos

• Age: 50
• Education: I graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing with Double Minors in French and International Business
• Occupation: I spent 25 years in the healthcare industry building high-profile brands, leading and developing successful teams and managing multi-million dollar budgets.
• Campaign website: Cheryl Makopoulos for Board of Education
• Elected/appointed office: I am currently the Vice President of the Moorestown Township Public Schools Board of Education (BoE)

What drove you to seek public office?

I’m seeking re-election to a second term because I care about maintaining the reputation and high standards of our District. I want to continue to do my part to help ensure that every student in Moorestown gets the best educational experience we can give them. As the daughter of a retired school Superintendent, I value public education and understand the impact that strong leaders have on a school district. I began attending BoE meetings regularly in 2019 and my interest in advocating for all of our students became even more apparent through the pandemic. I was elected in 2021 because I do believe that we — our teachers, students and community — are better together. I now have a record to support that commitment and would be honored to have your vote to continue to serve.

What sets you apart from the rest of the candidates?

I have Board leadership experience and was unanimously elected by my colleagues to serve as the Vice President of the BoE for two consecutive years. In these two years, the Board has made great progress under the Interim Superintendent, Joe Bollendorf. A few of the accomplishments include increasing the number of special law enforcement officers, preparing and soliciting feedback on a capital bond referendum and appointing a new Superintendent to lead us into the future.

A bond referendum is projected to take place in March. According to district administration, the referendum would put Moorestown in a position to reduce class sizes, upgrade antiquated equipment such as HVACs, and offer free, full-day kindergarten. How should the district address these issues if voters reject the referendum, as they did in 2019?

I hope the capital bond referendum passes so the District can receive state funding to help supplement the cost of these projects. If the referendum doesn’t pass, the Board will work with our newly appointed Superintendent, Dr. Courtney McNeely, to build a strategic plan that will chart the future path for our students and guide discussions about the budget and priorities. If the referendum doesn’t pass, there will be challenges. The District will need to explore other ways to address crowded classrooms, increasing population, aging infrastructure, free, full day Kindergarten and other issues intended to be addressed in the referendum.

What's your favorite thing about the Moorestown school system?

My favorite thing about the Moorestown school system is how we embrace parent and family involvement in school activities, driven in large part by the efforts of Moorestown Home & School. I was new to Moorestown when my children were in elementary school and I appreciated being able to get actively involved in the schools. I got to know the teachers and other families and created bonds that will last a lifetime.