Hopewell Valley Regional School District

The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from three communities in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.[3][4] The municipalities that are part of this district are Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township and Pennington Borough.[5][6]

Hopewell Valley Regional School District
Address
425 South Main Street
Pennington, NJ 08534
United States
Coordinates40.319066°N 74.789816°W / 40.319066; -74.789816
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentDr. Thomas A. Smith
Business administratorRobert W. Colavita Jr.
Schools6
Students and staff
Enrollment3,572 (as of 2017-18)[1]
Faculty347.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
WebsiteDistrict website
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$22,46992$18,89118.9%
1Budgetary Cost17,1819314,78316.2%
2Classroom Instruction10,827988,76323.6%
6Support Services2,403592,3920.5%
8Administrative Cost1,455531,485−2.0%
10Operations & Maintenance1,999831,78312.1%
13Extracurricular Activities3348626824.6%
16Median Teacher Salary75,6129164,043
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 HVRSD Logo

As of the 2017-18 school year, the district and its six schools had an enrollment of 3,572 students and 347.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1.[1]

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.[7]

Awards and recognition

In 2011, the district was named to the College Board's AP Honor Roll. The honor roll consists of the 388 U.S. public school districts that simultaneously achieved increases in access to AP courses for a broader number of students and also maintained or improved the rated at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam.[8]

In 2004, the district was named to the American Music Conference's list of the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in New Jersey". The district has been recognized on multiple occasions for its high-caliber music and performing arts programs.

NAMM named the district in its 2009 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 124 school districts nationwide.[9]

The district's high school was the 16th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2018 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 39th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[10] The magazine took into account factors such as class size, teachers with advanced degrees, and socioeconomic factors.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[11]) are:[12]

Elementary schools
  • Bear Tavern Elementary School[13] (439 students; in grades PreK-5)
    • Christopher Turnbull, Principal
  • Hopewell Elementary School[14] (436; PreK-5)
    • David Friedrich, Principal
  • Stony Brook Elementary School[15] (393; K-5)
    • Steven Wilfing, Principal
  • Toll Gate Grammar School[16] (273; K-5)
    • Jane-Ellen Lennon, Principal
Middle school
  • Timberlane Middle School[17] with 841 students in grades 6-8
    • Nicole Gianfredi, Principal
    • Melissa Lauri, Vice Principal
    • Raquel Rivera, Vice Principal
  • Hopewell Valley Central High School[18] with an enrollment of 1,153 students in grades 9 - 12
    • Patricia Riley, Principal
    • Scott Brettell, Vice Principal
    • Courtney Underwood, Vice Principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[19]

  • Dr. Thomas A. Smith, Superintendent[20]
  • Robert W. Colavita Jr., Assistant Superintendent for Business / Board Secretary[21]

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.[22] The board of education, whose members are elected by the Hopewell Valley community, has nine members allocated to each of the three municipalities based on population, with Hopewell Township assigned seven seats and both Hopewell and Pennington each assigned a single seat.[23] Members of the board are:[24]

  • Deb Linthorst, President
  • Adam J. Sawicki Jr., Vice President
  • Bill Herbert, Hopewell Township
  • John Mason, Hopewell Township
  • Jenny Long, Pennington Borough
  • Alyce Murray, Hopewell Township
  • Deb O'Reilly, Hopewell Township
  • Jessica Grillo, Hopewell Borough
  • Sarah Tracy, Hopewell Township

According to Business Practice 9000, the local board of education has full power to operate the local public schools in compliance with state and federal mandates and pertinent to the laws of the municipality. The board functions as a corporate body only when in session.[25]

Controversy and sexual abuse allegations

There have been several allegations made against the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. In 2015, Former Hopewell teacher Matthew Hoffman was found liable for repeated sexual abuse of a student in a classroom.[26] Allegations against a current Hopewell Social Studies teacher were made in a court filing on October 31, 2019.[27] Although initially issuing a press release defending the teacher, further investigation by the school found cause to immediately pull him from the classroom effective November 12, 2019.

References
  1. District information for Hopewell Valley Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2019.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed May 18, 2020. "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 Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Composition: The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Pennington, Hopewell Borough, and Hopewell Township."
  4. 2017-2018 Mercer County Charter and Public Schools Directory, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed November 15, 2019.
  5. Hopewell Valley Regional School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 25, 2017. "Hopewell Valley serves the two boroughs of Pennington and Hopewell and the much larger Hopewell Township, and encompasses a total area of nearly 60 square miles with a population that exceeds 20,000. There are six schools that comprise the district. (Four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.) District enrollment is currently 3,750 students."
  6. About Us, Hopewell Valley Regional High School. Accessed September 25, 2017. "Hopewell Valley Regional School District, as it functions today, has been a regionalized operation since 1965 when voters of Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough approved a plan to consolidate their schools. But the first consolidation of local schools actually occurred in 1894 when the 14 separate districts, operating one-room schoolhouses throughout the valley, agreed to merge and be governed by a single school board."
  7. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 8, 2009.
  8. 2011 AP District of the Year Awards, College Board. Accessed September 1, 2014.
  9. "Nationwide Survey Finds the 'Best Communities for Music Education' in U.S.", NAMM, April 16, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  10. Staff. "2018 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, September 4, 2018.
  11. School Data for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2019.
  12. New Jersey School Directory for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  13. Bear Tavern Elementary School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  14. Hopewell Elementary School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  15. Stony Brook Elementary School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  16. Toll Gate Grammar School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  17. Timberlane Middle School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  18. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  19. New Jersey School Directory for Mercer County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  20. Superintendent's Office, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed December 20, 2020.
  21. Business Office, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed December 30, 2020.
  22. 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.
  23. About the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019. "The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education is a nine-member body elected by the residents of Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough. Seats are apportioned by population. Hopewell Township has seven representatives; each borough is represented by one seat.... The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Pennington, Hopewell Borough, and Hopewell Township."
  24. Board Members, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed November 27, 2019.
  25. Business Practice 9000 Archived 2008-11-16 at the Wayback Machine, Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Accessed September 1, 2014.
  26. Bichao, Sergio. "After 2nd child-rape lawsuit, NJ strips ex-principal of credentials". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  27. Alexander, Dan. "NJ teacher still teaching as district investigates sex assault accusation", WKXW, November 7, 2019. Accessed December 30, 2020.
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