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Bernards Township School District

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Coordinates: 40°41′29″N 74°32′39″W / 40.691518°N 74.544191°W / 40.691518; -74.544191
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Bernards Township School District
Address
101 Peachtree Road
Basking Ridge
, Somerset County, New Jersey, 07920
Coordinates40°41′29″N 74°32′39″W / 40.691518°N 74.544191°W / 40.691518; -74.544191
District information
GradesPreK to 12
SuperintendentNick Markarian
Business administratorJames Rollo
Schools6
Students and staff
Enrollment4,874 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty456.1 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.7:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupJ
Websitewww.bernardsboe.com
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,35734$18,891−8.1%
1Budgetary Cost13,8973914,783−6.0%
2Classroom Instruction8,331348,763−4.9%
6Support Services2,279502,392−4.7%
8Administrative Cost1,196131,485−19.5%
10Operations & Maintenance1,776651,783−0.4%
13Extracurricular Activities3177726818.3%
16Median Teacher Salary62,3803664,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with more than 3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=103

The Bernards Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Bernards Township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,874 students and 456.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1.[1]

The district offers its Integrated Preschool Program for children on the autism spectrum, utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis.[4]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "J", the 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.[5]

History

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Paula Grossman was a music teacher who was dismissed from a teaching position at one of the district's elementary schools after her sex reassignment surgery in 1971. She rejected an offer from the district under which she would give up her tenure and transfer to the high school, where the courses she would be allowed to teach would be limited. After she was fired, she sued the school district on the basis of sex discrimination. Her lawsuit, Grossman v. Bernards Township Board of Education received media attention nationwide, but was ultimately unsuccessful.[6]

Awards, recognition and rankings

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During the 2009-10 school year, Ridge High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.[7] The school had also won the award for the 1986-87 school year.[8] Mount Prospect Elementary School was one of 11 in the state to be recognized in 2014 by the United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.[9][10] In 2015, Liberty Corner School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of nine public schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category by the U.S. Department of Education.[11][12] In 2023, Oak Street School was one of nine schools in New Jersey that was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.[13][14]

Ridge High School was ranked 37th-best in America and second-best non-magnet high school by Newsweek in 2015,[15] and ranked 71st overall in America (and third-highest ranked non-magnet school in New Jersey) by the magazine in 2016.[16]

William Annin Middle School was chosen as a "School To Watch" in 2016, one of three middle schools in the state selected by the Schools To Watch Program.[17]

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[18]) are:[19][20][21][22]

Elementary schools
  • Cedar Hill Elementary School[23] with 483 students in grades K-5
    • Krissy Uhler, principal
  • Liberty Corner Elementary School[24] with 466 students in grades K-5
    • James Oliver, principal
  • Mount Prospect Elementary School[25] with 507 students in grades PreK-5
    • Joanne Hozeny, principal
  • Oak Street Elementary School[26] with 406 students in grades K-5
    • Holly Foley, principal
Middle school
High school

Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[32][33]

  • Nick Markarian, superintendent
  • James Rollo, business administrator and board secretary[34]

Board of education

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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.[35][36][37]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Bernards Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Bernards Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Bernards Township School District. Accessed March 6, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Bernards Township School District. Composition The Bernards Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Bernards Township."
  4. ^ Preschool, Bernards Township School District. Accessed February 6, 2020.
  5. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 31, 2014.
  6. ^ Percy, W. Jacob. "Fifty years ago teacher sex change shocked Bernards Township", New Jersey Hills, October 12, 2021. Accessed September 29, 2024. "No disclosure may have ever rocked the Bernards Township school community more than the one that occurred 50 years ago, when news broke that an elementary school teacher had undergone a sex change. The saga of Paula Miriam Grossman, previously known as Paul Monroe Grossman, would include failed talks for continued employment, termination by the school board, a series of lawsuits that sought reinstatement and equal rights for transsexuals, and national notoriety.... Under the terms, she was to relinquish her tenure and obtain a teaching certificate under her new name. She was to be rehired for the 1971-72 school year at her current salary and transferred from Cedar Hill to Ridge High School to teach vocal music or other assigned topics 'on a strictly elective basis.'"
  7. ^ 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public and Private Schools, United States Department of Education. Accessed October 29, 2009.
  8. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002, United States Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2013.
  9. ^ Goldman, Jeff. "Which N.J. schools were named to national 'Blue Ribbon' list?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 2, 2014. Accessed December 31, 2014. "Eleven New Jersey schools have been named to the annual National Blue Ribbon list, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday."
  10. ^ 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private, United States Department of Education. Accessed December 31, 2014.
  11. ^ 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed November 14, 2016.
  12. ^ Mueller, Mark. "Which N.J. schools were named National Blue Ribbon schools?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 29, 2015. Accessed November 14, 2016. "Fifteen New Jersey schools have been recognized by the federal government as National Blue Ribbon Schools, a designation that celebrates excellence in academics or progress in closing the achievement gap among groups of students.... Each of the 15 New Jersey schools was chosen for the 'exemplary high performing' category, which weighs state or national tests, high school graduation rates and the performance of subgroups of students, such as those who are economically disadvantaged."
  13. ^ "These 9 NJ schools were named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools", Courier News, September 19, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2024. "The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday recognized 353 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023, including nine schools in New Jersey."
  14. ^ 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public and Non-Public Schools, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed March 6, 2024.
  15. ^ Staff. "America's Top High Schools 2015", Newsweek. Accessed November 9, 2016.
  16. ^ Staff. "America's Top High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 9, 2016.
  17. ^ Tarrazi, Alexis. " William Annin Named NJ School to WatchOnly two other schools in New Jersey share this recognition.", Basking Ridge Patch, March 18, 2016. Accessed November 9, 2016. "Only 200 schools nationwide share this recognition. WAMS is among only two other schools in New Jersey with this award including: Carl H. Kumpf Middle School in Clark and Leonia Middle School in Leonia."
  18. ^ School Data for the Bernards Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Schools, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  20. ^ Public Schools Directory 2023–2024, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 12, 2024.
  21. ^ School Performance Reports for the Bernards Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  22. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Bernards Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  23. ^ Cedar Hill Elementary School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Liberty Corner Elementary School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  25. ^ Mount Prospect Elementary School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  26. ^ Oak Street Elementary School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  27. ^ William Annin Middle School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  28. ^ About LCSN, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory Cooperative Seismographic Network. Accessed December 31, 2014.
  29. ^ Hayes, Edward. "School in Bernards tracks earthquakes", Courier News, January 21, 2001. Accessed December 31, 2014. "There are several colleges and universities that maintain seismology equipment for studying, tracking and monitoring earthquakes. And along with them is William Annin Middle School, which maintains its own seismograph for Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York."
  30. ^ Ridge High School, Bernards Township School District. Accessed July 3, 2022.
  31. ^ [1], Bernards High School. Accessed February 6, 2020.
  32. ^ Administration, Bernards Township School District. Accessed March 6, 2024.
  33. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Somerset County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  34. ^ Business Office, Bernards Township School District. Accessed March 6, 2024.
  35. ^ New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
  36. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Berlin Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2024. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Camden, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member's terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to educate students in grades K through 8 at its two schools. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, on a tuition basis, the Pine Hill School District."
  37. ^ Board of Education, Bernards Township School District. Accessed March 6, 2024.
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