Berkeley Heights Public Schools Explained
The Berkeley Heights Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Berkeley Heights in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[1]
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising six schools, had an enrollment of 2,499 students and 230.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.[2]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[3]
The district's high school serves public school students of Berkeley Heights, along with approximately 300 students from neighboring Borough of Mountainside who are educated at the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Mountainside School District that is covered by an agreement that runs through the end of 2021-22 school year.[4] [5] Governor Livingston provides programs for deaf, hard of hearing and cognitively-impaired students in the district and those who are enrolled from all over north-central New Jersey who attend on a tuition basis.[6]
Schools
Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[7]) are:[8] [9] [10]
- Early childhood
- Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center[11] with 304 students in PreK-2 grade
- Anne Corley-Hand, principal[12]
- William Woodruff Elementary School[13] with 180 students in grades K-2
- Brenda Marley, principal[14]
- Elementary school
- Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School[15] with 264 students in grades 3-5
- Jessica Nardi, principal[16]
- Mountain Park Elementary School[17] with 243 students in grades 3-5
- Jon Morisseau, principal[18]
- Middle school
- Columbia Middle School[19] with 544 students in grades 6-8
- Paul Kobliska, principal[20]
- High school
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[23] [24]
- Melissa Varley, superintendent
- H. Ron Smith, interim business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election; a representative appointed by Mountainside also sits on the board. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[25] [26] [27]
The board of education and administrative offices for the district are located in the original Columbia School building on Plainfield Avenue, adjacent to the middle school building.
External links
Notes and References
- https://boardpolicyonline.com/?b=berkeley_nj&s=112556 Board of Education Bylaws 0110 - Identification
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3401530&DistrictID=3401530 District information for Berkeley Heights School District
- http://www.state.nj.us/education/finance/rda/dfg.shtml NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts
- http://www.nj.gov/education/pr/1415/narrative/39/0310/000.html Berkeley Heights Public School District 2015 Report Card Narrative
- Mustac, Frank. "Contract Signed to Continue Sending Mountainside Students to Governor Livingston High School", TAP into Mountainside, October 12, 2016. Accessed February 5, 2020. "With the Berkeley Heights Board of Education's recent approval of a renegotiated send/receive agreement, new terms are now in place by which the Mountainside School District will be sending its students in grades nine through 12 to Governor Livingston High School.... The new contract runs for five years from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022, with a renewal option for an additional five years... The business administrator explained that 30 percent of the Mountainside School District annual budget goes to paying the Berkeley Heights district for sending about 300 students who live in Mountainside to Governor Livingston High School."
- Baum, Victoria. "Governor Livingston High School’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Celebrates 42 Years of Innovation and Excellence", TAP into Mountainside, October 29, 2019. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Since 1976, Governor Livingston High School’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program has been offering unique opportunities for high school students throughout the state of New Jersey. This award-winning program is a part of the fabric of Governor Livingston High School and offers a comprehensive curriculum, extensive electives and a variety of extracurricular activities to ensure an outstanding high school experience for all enrolled students. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at GLHS offers exceptional opportunities to qualifying deaf and hearing-impaired students within the Berkeley Heights School District, as well as other students who attend from neighboring districts through a tuition-based program."
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3401530 School Data for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Page/50 District Map
- https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/39/0310 School Performance Reports for the Berkeley Heights School District
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/0310 New Jersey School Directory for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/13 Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Page/736 Administration
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/12 William Woodruff Elementary School
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/210 Meet the Principal
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/10 Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/209 Administration
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/11 Mountain Park Elementary School
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/229 Administration
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/9 Columbia Middle School
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/226 Administration
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/Domain/8 Governor Livingston High School
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/277 Administration
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/162 Central Office
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/district/county/union New Jersey School Directory for Union County
- https://www.nj.gov/education/finance/fp/dwb/DistrictByTypeList2018.pdf New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election
- https://www.nj.gov/education/finance/fp/acfr/search/23/0310.pdf#page=50 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Township of Berkeley Heights School District
- https://www.bhpsnj.org/domain/136 Board of Education Members
