Roxbury School District Explained
The Roxbury School District is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in Roxbury Township, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[1]
As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,551 students and 328.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1.[2]
The district's high school also serves students from Mount Arlington, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[3]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-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.[4]
Schools
Schools in the district consists of the following (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[5]) are:[6] [7] [8]
- Elementary schools
- Franklin Elementary School[9] with 332 students in grades K-4
- Jefferson Elementary School[10] with 369 students in grades K-4
- Melissa Cosgrove, principal
- Kennedy Elementary School[11] with 254 students in grades K-4
- Nicole Acevedo, principal
- Nixon Elementary School[12] with 258 students in grades K-4
- Danielle Lynch, principal
- Middle schools
- Lincoln / Roosevelt School[13] with 480 students in grades 5-6
- Christopher Argenziano, principal
- Eisenhower Middle School[14] with 534 students in grades 7-8
- Paul Gallagher, principal
- High school
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[16] [17]
- Frank Santora, superintendent[18]
- Joseph Mondanaro, business administrator and board secretary[19]
Board of education
The district's board of education, composed of nine members, sets policy and oversees 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. 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.[20] [21] The Mount Arlington district appoints a tenth trustee to represent its interests on the Roxbury board.[22] [23]
School policies
The Roxbury School District Board of Education requires that all students stand while the Pledge of Allegiance is being recited with their right hand over their heart.[24]
Controversies
Discipline of board member
In April 2011, an administrative law judge ruled that the Roxbury Board of Education acted outside of its authority when it censured Maureen Castriotta, a school board member. Castriotta had differed with other school board members about spending priorities and had protested against a student protest organized by Superintendent Michael Rossi and High School Principal Jeffrey Swanson against funding cuts proposed by Governor Chris Christie. The ALJ vacated the censure, as the matter should have been decided by the School Ethics Commission, rather than by a school board that denied Castriotta's due process.[25] At a June 2010 town hall meeting, Christie supported Castriotta's right to "speak up," and he asked the audience if school administrators would have allowed a student rally that was against the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union.[26]
Employee theft
In April 2015, the lead mechanic for the Roxbury school district's transportation department was charged with stealing about 1,900 gallons of fuel from the district. The mechanic was ordered to pay back the school district the $8,000 value of the fuel and required to give up his right to public employment in the state.[27]
External links
Notes and References
- https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=0110&id=60018ce02aeb4872b01343257b67f55d Roxbury Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3414340&DistrictID=3414340 District information for Roxbury Township School District
- O'Dea, Colleen. "State orders impact study of school regionalization", Daily Record, November 23, 2008. Accessed January 30, 2011. "Mount Arlington, K-8, sends its high school students to Roxbury, K-12."
- http://www.state.nj.us/education/finance/rda/dfg.shtml NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts
- http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3414340 School Data for Roxbury School District
- http://www.roxbury.org/Page/942 School Directory
- https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/27/4360 School Performance Reports for the Roxbury School District
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/4560 New Jersey School Directory for the Roxbury School District
- https://www.roxbury.org/fes Franklin Elementary School
- https://www.roxbury.org/jes Jefferson Elementary School
- https://www.roxbury.org/kes Kennedy Elementary School
- https://www.roxbury.org/nes Nixon Elementary School
- https://www.roxbury.org/lrs Lincoln / Roosevelt School
- https://www.roxbury.org/ems Eisenhower Middle School
- https://www.roxbury.org/rhs Roxbury High School
- https://www.roxbury.org/domain/82 District Contacts
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/district/county/morris New Jersey School Directory for Morris County
- https://www.roxbury.org/Page/2518 Superintendent
- https://www.roxbury.org/Page/465 Business Office
- 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/cafr/search/19/4560.pdf#page=44 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Roxbury Township School District
- https://www.roxbury.org/domain/45 Board of Education Overview
- https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=0141.2 Roxbury Township Board of Education District Policy 0141.2 - Board Member and Term - Receiving District
- https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=8820&&id=60018ce02aeb4872b01343257b67f55d Roxbury Township Board of Education District Policy 8820 - Opening Exercises / Ceremonies
- Goldberg, Dan. "Judge rules against Roxbury school board in censuring member for criticizing principal, superintendent", The Star-Ledger, April 7, 2011. Accessed December 20, 2015. "An administrative law judge ruled that the Roxbury Board of Education acted outside its authority when it censured board member Maureen Castriotta last May for her criticisms of the high school principal and superintendent.Castriotta, who has often clashed with other board members over spending, had objected to the administration's decision to allow high school students to protest Gov. Chris Christie's cuts to education funding."
- Staff. "Christie criticizes Roxbury school district for censuring board member", The Star-Ledger, June 11, 2010. Accessed December 20, 2015.
- Aun, Fred J. "Roxbury School Mechanic Stole, and Sold, Fuel From District", TAP Into Roxbury, April 1, 2015. Accessed August 3, 2017.
