Leslie Walker has resigned from her role as the interim principal of Cherry Hill High School East, effective February 27, 2025. The announcement came via an email from Cherry Hill Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton Sr. on February 24. In her formal resignation letter, Walker described her time at East as “one of the greatest honors of [her] career.”
Dr. Neil Burti, the district’s current director of secondary education, will take over as acting principal for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year. Walker’s decision to step down was particularly difficult for her. She revealed that the choice followed distressing news regarding her son’s health, which she received during the week of the February 6 ICE walkout.
“My son is 40. He has a little girl and a wife,” Walker shared in an interview with Eastside. “I’m going to keep up a real positive attitude because you should never, ever let your children know you’re scared. But it’s stressful… and he needs his mom.”
Walker expressed her deep appreciation for her colleagues at East, particularly the assistant principals and teachers. Nonetheless, she emphasized the necessity for a principal to be consistently present and visible for students. With personal matters requiring her attention, she felt unable to fulfill this essential aspect of her role.
“I love this job. I will go to my grave knowing I do it well, but this [stress] is constantly going through me,” she stated. “My work ethic wanted me here at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. That’s the kind of worker I am, but I just couldn’t do it anymore; I couldn’t come through. So, I thought of all the stressors in my life, and this is the one I can relieve myself of right now, even though it’s actually the one that gave me the most joy.”
Despite her departure, Walker reassured the East community that the students will be in capable hands under the leadership of Dr. Burti and Dr. Cafagna. She expressed her confidence in their abilities to guide the school effectively.
In closing, Walker thanked the East community for their support, stating, “Thank you for being wonderful and treating me very well.” She left her students with a heartfelt message: “To be kind – to be friends with each other.”
As Cherry Hill High School East prepares for this transition, the administration will focus on ensuring a smooth leadership change while continuing to support the students and staff during this time.
