Evesham school leaders present cuts to close multimillion-dollar gap; hundreds of residents, staff push back

Evesham Township School District superintendent Dr. Smith told the board Tuesday evening that the district faces ongoing reductions in state funding and a projected structural shortfall, and presented a package of proposed reductions that would save about $4.3 million if fully implemented.

The proposal includes outsourcing district transportation (estimated savings $800,000), raising middle-school teachers’ daily class load to six periods (estimated middle-school savings tied to 10 core-content position reductions), increasing elementary class sizes, phasing out paraprofessional health benefits (estimated $750,000), eliminating elementary extracurriculars (about $150,000), and using other position and reserve adjustments. Dr. Smith said the state released an unexpected additional $400,000 in aid the day of the meeting and the district plans to claim a state-permitted enrollment adjustment worth about $2,336,000 above the 2% tax-levy cap; even so, he said, the district still faces roughly a $4.5 million gap for 2025–26.

The presentation, which district staff said will be posted online, also reported a year-to-date estimated net surplus of about $618,000 from the recently expanded full-day preschool program, and reminded the board that the district has exhausted many one-time reserves used to smooth previous shortfalls.

Why it matters: Dr. Smith described the choices as "the least horrible path forward" to meet the board’s legal duty to adopt a balanced budget. Dozens of staff, parents and students told the board the proposed changes would reduce student supports, upend middle-school team structures and harm special-education services and literacy outcomes.

Details of the proposal and fiscal context

Dr. Smith summarized a multi-year funding squeeze the district has faced under the state’s School Funding Reform Act (referred to in the meeting as "S2") and…