Eight candidates vying for three Cherry Hill Board of Education seats agreed on one thing at a Tuesday, Sept. 15, forum: the district's shrinking state aid is its most urgent problem.

The two-hour event at Cherry Hill High School West, first reported by 70and73.com, was the first in-person candidates forum since before the pandemic. The League of Women Voters moderated and the Cherry Hill Zone PTA hosted. Seven candidates appeared; Joseph Lynch's written statement was read aloud after a work emergency kept him away.

The in-person audience was small. The event was also livestreamed.

"Every year we're trying to figure out how to maintain excellence with less and less and less," incumbent Renee Cherfane said.

The numbers behind that frustration are stark. Cherry Hill's state aid dropped $857,788 this year to $27,735,140, according to 70and73.com reporting on the fiscal year 2026-27 figures. That was the third straight annual cut. Board President Gina Winters and Superintendent Kwame R. Morton said in a March 2026 letter to the community that the district has lost more than $8.6 million in state aid over three years.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in March that the district faced a projected $14.5 million deficit for 2026-27, driven by the aid cut plus rising healthcare, transportation and special education costs. To close the gap, the district proposed $8 million in expense cuts, $6.5 million in staff reductions and a 7.4% tax levy increase, which would mean about $420 more per year for the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $227,000.

None of the candidates offered specific solutions at the forum. Some pointed to Gov. Mikie Sherrill's August directive ordering the state Department of Education to convene stakeholders and overhaul New Jersey's school funding system, according to the Inquirer's forum recap.

Candidate Steven Redfearn said he does not expect quick fixes. Fellow candidate Darby Malvey called the funding challenge one that will "require a lot of creativity, coalition building, perseverance …"

Incumbent Melissa Manzano described the budget uncertainty as stressful for teachers, community members and students.

Beyond funding, candidates flagged three other concerns. Anne Einhorn said special education is the district's second-most-pressing issue, citing parents who have spoken at board meetings to say services are not being delivered. Harold "Hal" Melleby Jr. raised declining enrollment at Cherry Hill High School West and falling standardized test scores. Ineda "Corrien" Elmore-Stratton listed the achievement gap as one of her top three priorities.

Lynch, in his written statement, called for clearer budgets, earlier disclosure of financial challenges and said special education demands particular accountability.

Cherry Hill Public Schools enrolls about 10,700 students across 19 schools. Three board seats are on the ballot Nov. 3. Incumbents Cherfane and Manzano are seeking reelection alongside six challengers: Einhorn, Elmore-Stratton, Lynch, Malvey, Melleby and Redfearn. Voters can cast ballots early or at the polls on Election Day.