Preschool expansion, construction, and future plans: Four main takeaways from Cherry Hill’s ‘State of the District’ address

Cherry Hill Public Schools Superintendent Kwame Morton delivered a “State of the District” presentation last week — an update on the school year and a peek at what’s to come in the South Jersey district. During his address, Morton highlighted major initiatives in Cherry Hill, including its expanded preschool program, construction at all 19 of its schools, and plans to implement policies around artificial intelligence and elementary enrollment rebalancing.

Here are four main takeaways from Morton’s Oct. 28 presentation to the school board.

Morton opened his address by highlighting policy and curricular achievements in the district, from passing a cell phone policy to exposing more students to advanced courses.

In 2025, Cherry Hill graduated 100% of its seniors (compared to 94.6% in 2024). Those graduates enrolled in more than 100 different colleges and universities, and many joined the military. Around one-quarter of 12th-grade students earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

Cherry Hill Public Schools was one of the first districts in New Jersey to adopt a cell phone policy (months before Gov. Phil Murphy called for a statewide ban on phones in schools). Cellphones are now banned during instructional time in Cherry Hill, a policy that took effect last academic year, Morton said.

» READ MORE: All 19 public schools in Cherry Hill are getting upgrades. Here’s how the bond-funded projects are going.

In July, the district adopted a five-year strategic plan, which Morton described as “a community-wide effort that allowed us to hear the voices of thousands of stakeholders.” The plan centers around five key priorities — academic achievement, responsible fiscal stewardship, student support, safety, and staff recruitment and retention — and will guide the district through 2030.

In addition to the many Advanced Placement (AP) courses available to students, Cherry Hill has launched a pre-AP program. The program allows the district to embed AP-style frameworks into the classroom before students are ready to jump into advanced courses.

“The idea behind that is that we expose children to AP-based framework, and the thinking is that that, later, will lead to a greater understanding of the expectations for AP-level coursework,” Morton said.

Cherry Hill is in the process of expanding its preschool program after receiving $3.4 million in funding from the state in 2023.

Five preschool locations are currently up and running: Estelle V. Malberg Early Childhood Center, Mosaic Early Learning, Discovery Corner, Cadence Academy, and KinderCare. An expansion to Malberg and a preschool program at Joyce Kilmer Elementary are set to open in January, adding 240 spots.

Though there have been some challenges in maintaining consistency across the five locations, Morton said the program and its play-based curriculum have “truly been amazing.”

New Jersey has prioritized state-funded preschool and full-day kindergarten, offering funding to districts to expand learning options for their youngest students. Under the program, the state pays for a large portion of preschool, while the district covers transportation and some instructional costs.

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill is expanding its preschool classrooms, hundreds on the waiting list

Voters in 2022 passed a $363 million bond, kicking off Cherry Hill Tomorrow, a major infrastructure project bringing improvements to all 19 of Cherry Hill’s schools.

So far, Morton said, construction has been “vast” and “expansive.” Six of Cherry Hill’s elementary schools recently received new all-purpose rooms. Beck Middle School is getting an updated security vestibule, and Cherry Hill High School West is getting improvements to its stadium. On tap are additional security vestibules, playground enhancements at Richard Stockton and Horace Mann elementary schools, and auditorium renovations for both high schools.

Morton laid out a handful of topics that continue to be “hot and pressing” in the district, including crafting an artificial intelligence policy and addressing chronic student absenteeism.

The district is also undertaking a major effort to balance its elementary school enrollment and address potential overcrowding in its schools. Morton said the district will move forward after gathering community feedback during its three public meetings on Nov. 13, 18, and 20. The steering committee is looking to have a recommendation for the board in January.

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