Heights School Board Presses Trenton On Soaring Costs

With the school year's end days away, the Haddon Heights Board of Education used its June 9 meeting to widen a public campaign on two issues it says are driving up local school taxes and squeezing classroomsescalating employee health insurance premiums and New Jersey's school funding formula.

The board adopted a resolution urging Governor Mikie Sherrill and legislative leaders to address rising costs in the School Employees' Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) and what local officials call an inequitable distribution of state aid. The move follows a budget season shaped by tax hikes fueled by health care spikes and diminished aid for the 2026-27 school year.

In March, the board advanced a $30.4 million budget that added $1.2 million in health care expenses and boosted the levy nearly 7 percent, even as it preserved staff and set aside $1.15 million for an esports and robotics lab, as previously reported. To read more, please visit TheRetrospect.com.

Resolution Ties Premiums to Tax Pressures

The new resolution says premiums in both the SEHBP and the private market are seeing "year-over-year double-digit increases" that are "placing tremendous strain on district budgets and local taxpayers alike."

Superintendent Carla Bittner described the measure as "a call to action," and said, "Something has to change, and one of the many changes that needs to take place is the change in how healthcare costs are impacting districts, not to mention, obviously, the state funding formula to begin with."

Bittner said school systems across Camden County and throughout New Jersey are preparing to pass the same resolution. After approval, Haddon Heights plans to send copies to Sherrill, State Treasurer Aaron Binder, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, State Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Assemblyman William Spearman, Assemblyman William Moen, and the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The vote continues a line of public advocacy that intensified this year as the district braced for sharp premium hikes and late details on state aid, as previously reported at TheRetrospect.com.

Union Calls Crisis Structural

When the resolution came up for discussion, Merchantville representative Melanie Gaskins asked whether district administrators had consulted the local teachers' union about its language.

Bittner said she had not received feedback. Gaskins, an educator, said she was not personally offended by the wording but wanted to be sure the framing supports educators as well as taxpayers.

During public comment, paraprofessional and New Jersey Education Association member Sharita Stinson urged the board to cast the issue as bigger than a single budget year. She asked members to see health care as a structural problem that "demands collective action rather than a narrow budget problem," and said she was encouraged to see the district move into formal advocacy after previously calling for a stronger stance.

Stinson described specific pressures on families, saying "childbirth is very expensive, not only carrying a child, but it's very expensive to birth a child," and noting that "within our state, you notice that there's urgent cares versus hospitals, that is also driving the cost."

She called the resolution a great start in advocacy but repeatedly returned to the need for a "unified front." Stinson invited board members and community residents to join upcoming union lobby days in Trenton later in June, reminding officials that "even though you're not part of the labor union, you can still come and be a part and really lobby."

She framed the resolution as the first step in longerterm cooperation, asking, "How can we, as our board and as our exec committee, come together to mitigate the situation?" and warning that "we don't have time for division. United we stand, divided we fall."

Cellphone Rules in Limbo as State Guidance Stalls

The board also spent part of its June meeting on another state-level policy with classroom implications: New Jersey's new cellphone restrictions in schools.

District leaders said they have not yet received clear guidance on what the law will require locally. They told the board that recent state-level discussions have shifted between a ban "from bell to bell" and a narrower rule limited to instructional time.

With the details still unsettled, Bittner outlined several policy options for the 2026-27 school year but said no decisions have been made. Board finance chair Lisa Long argued for a fullday prohibition.

"Six hours a day without a cell phone, without depression, and going on social media or anything," Long said. "I think it's a gift to the kids."

Board members took no formal action on cellphone rules, but indicated they will need to adopt a policy before students return in the fall, particularly if state guidance remains unclear.

Grants Support Advanced Courses, Labs

School administrators reported a series of state grants that will support academic programs and student services next year.

Haddon Heights received an Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate Course Expansion Competitive

Grant from the New Jersey Department of Education for $48,096. The money is intended to expand access to advanced coursework, which district leaders have previously described as key to keeping the small district competitive.

The board also accepted an Innovation Labs Grant providing a 25 percent discount on eligible products and services, a K-12 Curriculum Grant for $5,000, and $2,500 in professional development funding. Administrators said the mix of discounts and cash will help upgrade equipment and training in lab spaces.

In addition, the board approved acceptance of a Funding for Optimal Comprehensive Universal Screeners (FOCUS) Continuation Grant for $2,424 from the state education department. The funds will go toward screening tools intended to identify student needs early.

Contracts and Activity Fees

On the operations side, the board awarded requests for proposals for board solicitor and special counsel to Gorman, D'Anella, and Morlok Law Group. The firm will serve in both roles for a one-year term at an hourly rate of $185.

The board set student activity fees for the juniorsenior high school and the elementary schools.

At the secondary level, the fee for one student will be $175, with a maximum family contribution of $375 for two or more students. For families in the reduced-price lunch program, one student will pay $35, with a $70 maximum for two or more students. Students who qualify for free lunch will not be charged activity fees.

For elementary students, one student will pay $100, with a $200 maximum family contribution for two or more students. For families in the reduced-price lunch program, one student will pay $25, with a $50 maximum for two or more students. Students who qualify for free lunch will participate at no cost.

Leadership Shifts, Retirements, and Honors

Personnel changes and recognitions rounded out the agenda.

The board appointed Rebecca Wrentzel as principal of Atlantic Avenue and Seventh Avenue Schools, filling a key elementary leadership role ahead of the new school year.

Members accepted several retirements and resignations, including history teacher Keith Chambers, third-grade teacher Staci Schoettler, high school nurse Peg Iuvara, and administrative assistant to the athletic director Carol Pelouze.

Long offered personal remarks about Chambers, saying he was "such a bright light" during remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers of the Year honored by the school included Atlantic Avenue School's Brittany Johnson, Seventh Avenue School's April Bleaken, Glenview Avenue School's Staci Schoettler, and junior-senior high school teacher Keith Chambers. Educational Service Professionals of the Year were Atlantic Avenue School's Cheryl Clark, Seventh Avenue School's John Egger, Glenview Avenue School's Kiely McAnulty, and junior-senior high school staff member Caleigh Greer.

The district also recognized a group of student representatives who spent the year attending board meetings and offering feedback on student life and district issues. Honorees included Nibal Al Khatib El Baayni Abou, Kevin Clark, Brielle Connor, Jake Dillon, Kani Golden, Abigail Lovelidge, Kayla Palmer, and Mo Schroeder.

Bittner said, "We're really proud to have these leaders amongst us and to be able to give them opportunities to shine also outside of the classroom."