Springfield Public Schools (New Jersey)

The Springfield Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Springfield Township, in Union County, New Jersey, United States.[3]

For other uses, see Springfield School District.

Springfield Public Schools
Address
Springfield Public Schools
Springfield, NJ 07081
United States
Coordinates40.700772°N 74.322952°W / 40.700772; -74.322952
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentRachel Goldberg
Business administratorMatthew Clarke
Schools5
Students and staff
Enrollment2,273 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty167.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio13.6:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupGH
Websitewww.springfieldschools.com
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,60429$18,891−6.8%
1Budgetary Cost13,4632814,783−8.9%
2Classroom Instruction7,864258,763−10.3%
6Support Services2,053342,392−14.2%
8Administrative Cost1,272101,485−14.3%
10Operations & Maintenance1,753471,783−1.7%
13Extracurricular Activities4034026850.4%
16Median Teacher Salary68,1575064,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with 1,800-3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=68

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising five schools, had an enrollment of 2,273 students and 167.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1.[1]

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]

History

Springfield Township became one of the six constituent municipalities of the Union County Regional High School District when it was established, joining Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth and Mountainside. The district opened for students in September 1937, with the district's first facility being Jonathan Dayton Regional High School in Springfield, which was named for founding father Jonathan Dayton.[5] Amid conflict between the constituent municipalities about financing a district described as "the highest-spending regional high school in the state" and anger from residents impacted by the closure of David Brearley High School, a referendum was held in May 1996 in which voters approved a proposal to breakup the regional district. With the district's dissolution at the end of the 1996-97 school year Jonathan Dayton High School was turned over to the Springfield Public Schools, which became a K-12 district.[6][7]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[8]) are:[9]

Elementary schools
  • Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center[10] with 627 students in grades PreK-2
    • Dr. Adriana B. Coppola, principal
  • James Caldwell Elementary School[11] with 255 students in grades 3-5
    • David Rennie, principal
  • Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School[12] with 261 students in grades 3-5
    • Michael C. Plias, principal
Middle school
  • Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School[13] with 512 students in grades 6-8
    • Timothy P. Kielty, principal
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[15]

  • Michael A. Davino, superintendent[16]
  • Matthew Clarke, school business administrator and board secretary[17]

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised 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 day-to-day operation of the district.[18][19][20]

References
  1. District information for Springfield Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Springfield Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020. "Purpose: The Board exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Township of Springfield School District. Composition: The Township of Springfield School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Springfield in the County of Union, New Jersey."
  4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 15, 2014.
  5. "A Biography: Jonathan Dayton, form whom new regional school is named, figured in Revolution, Congress and civic life", Courier News, June 30, 1937. Accessed April 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Since the Regional Board of Education recently named the new Union County Regional High School, Flemer Avenue, Springfield, the 'Jonathan Dayton Regional High School,' after a Revolutionary hero, prospective students of the school from six county places, and their parents, have sought to know the biography of Jonathan Dayton.... The Jonathan Dayton School will open for occupancy caring for the high school students of Clark Township, Kenilworth, New Providence Township, Garwood, Mountainside and Springfield."
  6. Hanley, Robert. "Schools Weigh Impact Of District Breakup", The New York Times, May 16, 1996. Accessed April 28, 2021. "They are Springfield, with Dayton High; Berkeley Heights, with Governor Livingston High; Clark, with Arthur Johnson High, and Kenilworth, with Brearley High, which closed three years ago but will reopen after Commissioner Klagholz sets a date for the formal dissolution. Many expect it will be June 30, 1997. The district's two towns without high school buildings -- Garwood and Mountainside -- will remain kindergarten-to-eighth-grade districts and ship out their high school students. Mountainside's will go to Livingston High in Berkeley Heights."
  7. Paglia, Bernice. "Stakes high in vote on deregionalization", Courier News, May 13, 1996. Accessed April 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In 1992 the Union County Regional High School District 1 board voted to close one of its four high schools, a move aimed at saving $4 million. That move may come full circle on Tuesday, when voters from six municipalities will decide whether to dissolve the district itself, which state Education Commissioner Leo Klagholz has called 'the highest-spending regional high school in the state.'"
  8. School Data for the Springfield Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  9. New Jersey School Directory for the Springfield Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  10. Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  11. James Caldwell Elementary School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  12. Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  13. Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  14. Jonathan Dayton High School , Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  15. New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  16. Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  17. Business Administrator /Board Secretary, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
  18. 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.
  19. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Springfield Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2020. "The Township of Springfield School District is a Type II district located in the County of Union, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the District functions independently through a Board of Education (Board). The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District."
  20. Board of Education Members, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020.
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