Cherry Hill schools’ chief talks about moving on after 20 years in district: ‘It’s been an honor’

Departing Cherry Hill School Superintendent Joseph N. Meloche says he has only one regret about his time in the South Jersey district where he has been a fixture for 20 years — not taking more days off to spend with his wife and four daughters.

A heart valve replacement surgery several years ago helped change his perspective, he said.

“Vacation isn’t something I’ve been great at,” he said with a smile. “I enjoy the work.”

But the work will continue: At the end of the month, Meloche is stepping down to become schools chief of the Rose Tree Media School District in Pennsylvania, ending his eight-year tenure.

His connection to the district, though, goes back to 1977, when his family moved to the area from Detroit and he was enrolled as a kindergartner. He returned in 2003 after teaching stints in Willingboro and Maple Shade, and eventually served in Cherry Hill as assistant superintendent and principal before becoming superintendent in 2015, the first alumnus to do so.

Meloche said the timing seemed right for his departure. His contract was set to expire in 2026.

“I’ve always believed professionally that change is necessary,” Meloche said in an interview last week. “I think it’s time for change.”

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill voters approved a $363 million school bond referendum, N.J.’s largest in at least a decade

Under his leadership, the district — among the largest in the region — became the first in the state in 2021 to mandate an African American history course for graduation. Last year, voters approved a $363 million school bond referendum, New Jersey’s largest in at least a decade.

“He is extremely dedicated to the people of Cherry Hill and the students,” said school board president Miriam Stern. “He is loyal to the bone.”

The board plans to name an interim superintendent to replace Meloche at a special meeting Monday night, Stern said. It will also hire a national search firm to help select a permanent replacement, hopefully for the 2024-25 school year, she said.

His successor will oversee the bulk of the bond referendum work, a major undertaking expected to take about five years to replace roofs and windows and make safety and security improvements. The district also plans to update its strategic plan.

“It weighs heavily on us. It is a big decision,” Stern said.

The Cherry Hill district is among the largest school systems in New Jersey with 19 schools, enrolling more than 11,000 students in the sprawling township of nearly 75,000 residents.

Janet Hung, chairman of the Cherry Hill Zone PTA, said Meloche was served well by his close ties to the community and gave him high praise. He met monthly with parents, she said.

“I don’t always agree with the decisions he makes, but I respect him,” said Hung, the mother of two. “I think he did a great job.”

Rich Short, a frequent critic who often butted heads with Meloche and the board over school security, the bond, and health issues during the pandemic, said he hopes the new superintendent engages more with parents.

“I hope they get to the basics of education, and stop focusing on political ideologies,” said Short, a father of five.

Like the community, the district landscape has changed over the years. The student population is more diverse with a growing Latinx enrollment. There are more bilingual students with 72 native languages spoken at home.

In addition to the bond referendum and African American history requirement, Meloche has a long list of accomplishments. They include implementing full-day kindergarten and an expanded preschool program set to launch in September.

Meloche had some missteps and critics over the years. In 2017, Cherry Hill High School East students were allowed to perform the musical Ragtime without removing several racial slurs, a controversy that brought national attention from Broadway stars, arts enthusiasts, and civic groups weighing in on whether the show should go on.

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill schools grapple with N-word in 'Ragtime': Will the show go on?

Meloche saw it as a teachable moment. He brought Tony-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, who played lead character Coalhouse Walker Jr. on Broadway, to speak with students at the school, one of two high schools in the district.

The district again made national headlines in 2019 with a controversial unpaid meals policy of serving tuna sandwiches to students with delinquent accounts. It later revised that policy to allow students with overdue accounts to get a hot meal, but gave administrators discretion to bar them from attending the prom or participating in extracurricular activities. A spokeswoman said that option has not been used.

Meloche said he wished the discussion had been framed differently. Other districts quietly changed similar policies, he said. The state Legislature eventually changed a mandate requiring schools to withhold meals for delinquent accounts

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill School Board approves changes to lunch policy — tuna sandwiches are out and so is prom for students with unpaid meal fees

Meloche was considered a trailblazer because of his willingness to tackle tough issues, especially around equity and access, said former Executive Camden County Superintendent of Schools Lovell Pugh-Bassett. He was named the 2021 New Jersey Association of School Administrators State Superintendent of the Year.

“Cherry Hill is losing a gem,” said Pugh-Bassett, now president of Camden County College. “He has been an amazing leader.”

Known for his penchant for wearing bow ties, Meloche said he took pride in getting to know the students and employees, as well as their spouses and grandchildren. Asked what kept him up at night, he said he worried about their safety. A sign in his office reads, “Be who you are and be that well.”

Meloche begins a five-year, $245,000-a-year deal with Rose Tree, on July 1, overseeing a K-12 district of about 4,000 students and six schools in Media, Delaware County. He will still reside in Cherry Hill; his commute will go from about 3½ blocks to about 30 miles.

» READ MORE: Cherry Hill School District becomes first in N.J. to mandate African American history course for graduation

“It’s been an honor to serve as the superintendent of Cherry Hill,” he said.