Parents and teachers say DeMacy classrooms are being sacrificed for lease; literacy advocates press district for curriculum changes

At a recent Evesham Township Board of Education meeting, parents, teachers and a student spoke strongly against a proposed lease arrangement that would place out‑of‑district students into classrooms at DeMacy Elementary, a move they said would displace DeMacy fourth‑ and fifth‑grade classes and force teachers to give up dedicated classroom space.

The dispute was one of two major themes in public comment. Amanda Gaunt, representing Parents for Improved Literacy Outcomes, also urged the district to adopt proven, research‑based literacy curriculum and pointed to state law and available grant funds as reasons to act. "These aren't just numbers. They represent real students, real children who deserve better," Gaunt said. "Improve curriculum, improve instruction, and improve outcomes, because our children cannot afford to wait." She said the advocacy group has grown to about 500 members and cited district performance and resource concerns.

Why it matters: parents and staff said the planned classroom reassignments would reduce instructional quality, remove students from the pod environment designed into DeMacy, and force teachers to operate without permanent classroom space. The literacy advocates framed their call as tied to state requirements and available state grant funding.

Parents and staff described the specifics and immediate effects. Emily Gervasi, a DeMacy parent, said the classrooms proposed to be leased "were not empty classrooms," and said two fifth‑grade classes and one fourth‑grade class would be moved into smaller, windowless rooms. "Before the pending legal review is finalized, I would like the board to question why the…