Upper Deerfield Township Schools Explained
The Upper Deerfield Township Schools are a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Upper Deerfield Township, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 820 students and 83.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second-lowest 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.[2]
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Cumberland Regional High School, which also serves students from Deerfield Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Shiloh Borough and Stow Creek Township.[3] [4] [5] As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,124 students and 82.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1.[6] The high school district has a nine-member board of education, with board seats allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population; Upper Deerfield Township has two seats on the board.[7] [8] [9]
Schools
Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[10]) are:[11] [12]
- Elementary schools
- Charles F. Seabrook School[13] with 325 students in grades PreK-3
- Peter Koza, principal[14]
- Elizabeth E. Moore School[15] with 228 students in grades 4-5
- Stephen Wilchensky, principal[16]
- Middle school
- Woodruff School[17] with 260 students in grades 6-8
- Harold Hill, principal[18]
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[19] [20]
- Peter L. Koza, superintendent[21]
- Frank Badessa, interim business administrator and board secretary[22]
Board of education
The district's board of education is comprised of nine 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. 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.[23] [24] [25]
Controversies
In 2023, parents started a petition calling for the resignation of superintendent Peter Koza, criticizing school leadership’s “slow and inadequate” response to a series of videos which showed a janitor at Elizabeth F. Moore School tampering with cafeteria food. One video showed the janitor rubbing bread meant to be served to students on his intimate parts, while another showed him putting bleach on cucumbers.[26]
External links
Notes and References
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3416530&DistrictID=3416530 District information for Upper Deerfield Township School District
- http://www.state.nj.us/education/finance/rda/dfg.shtml NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts
- https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/1516/11/0997/000.html Cumberland Regional School District 2016 Report Card Narrative
- Shott, Meghan. "Cumberland Regional High School", South Jersey magazine. Accessed June 5, 2016. "Cumberland Regional High School, located in the northwest part of Cumberland County, serves students from Deerfield Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Shiloh Borough, Stow Creek Township and Upper Deerfield Township."
- https://www.crhsd.org/about-us/constituent-districts Cumberland Regional High School Constituent Districts
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3403620&ID=340362001820 School data for Cumberland Regional High School
- 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/23/0997.pdf#page=45 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Cumberland Regional High School District
- https://www.crhsd.org/district/board-of-education Board of Education
- https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3416530 School Data for the Upper Deerfield Township Schools
- https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/11/5300 School Performance Reports for the Upper Deerfield Township School District
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/5300 New Jersey School Directory for the Upper Deerfield Township Schools
- https://www.udts.org/o/css Charles F. Seabrook School
- https://www.udts.org/o/css/page/staff-list Staff List
- https://www.udts.org/o/ems Elizabeth E. Moore School
- https://www.udts.org/o/ems/page/staff-list Staff List
- https://www.udts.org/o/ws Woodruff School
- https://www.udts.org/o/ws/page/staff-list Staff List
- https://www.udts.org/page/administration Administration
- https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/district/county/cumberland New Jersey School Directory for Cumberland County
- https://www.udts.org/page/superintendent-of-schools Superintendent of Schools
- https://www.udts.org/page/business-office 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/18/5300.pdf#page=42 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Upper Deerfield Township School District
- https://www.udts.org/page/board-of-education Board of Education
- Web site: Janitor accused of wiping himself on bread meant for kids in 3rd-5th grade.
