Ocean Township School District (Monmouth County, New Jersey)

The Ocean Township School District (formally known as the Township of Ocean School District) is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.[3]

Township of Ocean School District
Address
163 Monmouth Road
Oakhurst, NJ 07755
United States
Coordinates40.263626°N 74.012729°W / 40.263626; -74.012729
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentDr. James Stefankiewicz
Business administratorKenneth Jannarone
Schools5
Students and staff
Enrollment3,458 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty356.2 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio9.7:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
WebsiteDistrict website
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$19,96373$18,8915.7%
1Budgetary Cost15,8887914,7837.5%
2Classroom Instruction9,668868,76310.3%
6Support Services2,155442,392−9.9%
8Administrative Cost1,521661,4852.4%
10Operations & Maintenance1,923781,7837.9%
13Extracurricular Activities46310326872.8%
16Median Teacher Salary65,3905664,043
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

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising five schools, had an enrollment of 3,458 students and 356.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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

In 1834, land was purchased by the trustees of the Deal School District and a two-room schoolhouse was built. It served the students until 1885 when the school had 156 students and a larger building was needed. (This school is currently located on Monmouth Road, Oakhurst)

The Poplar Road School, since demolished, was located between Deal Road and West Park Avenue in the Poplar section of town, this school was used from 1864 until 1911 when the students were sent to the new Oakhurst School.

The first Wayside School was located on the Tinton Falls side of Hope Road it was used until 1911, when pupils were sent to the new Oakhurst School, at this time however all high school students traveled to Long Branch High School by stagecoach.

The Oakhurst School was built in 1900. It accommodated all students from Wayside and Oakhurst in grades one to eight from 1900 until 1958. From 1959 to 1975, it was used as a K-4 and K-5 facility. Principals included Ralph Busch, Charles J. Strahan, Frank Parker, Jesse Love, Harry Patterson, Estelle Voorhees, Ernest Smith, Richard Randall, John D.W. Rasp, Donald Vineburg, and Glen Morgan. Since 1975, the building has been used as the school district's administrative offices.

The Wanamassa School, opened in 1930 to serve all students in Wanamassa. Before that, students walked to the Bradley School in Asbury Park. The school is stilled used to this day for grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes. Principals included Victoria Green, Edward German, J. Anthony Covino, Joseph Palaia, Douglas Deicke, Camille Tighe, Margaret Grilli, Justine Salvo, and current Victor Milano.

The Ocean Township Elementary School on Dow Avenue opened in 1958 as a middle school, serving grades five to eight. Upper-grade teachers from Wanamassa and Oakhurst Schools moved to the new school with their principal J. Anthony Covino. In 1984, Cavino retired and Mrs. Villapiano, Assistant Principal, took over. At her retirement in 2002, William Galatro took over and served until 2007. Dr. Doreen O. Ryan is currently Principal. The school currently housed Grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes.

The Wayside Elementary School opened on January 5, 1970. It houses grades PK-4. John D.W. Rasp was the first principal until 1988. Other principals have included Douglas Deicke, Thomas Pagano, David Enderly, and currently Denise Palaia.

Before the Ocean Township High School opened in 1965, students from the district were bused to Long Branch High School or Asbury Park High School. The principals were Charles Scott, Douglas Fredricks, Robert Mahon, Gardner Atlee, John Crews, John Connelly, John Tighe, Margaret Morgan, John Lysko, Dr. William Cohee, Julia Davidow, and currently Kelly E. Weldon. Under Miss Weldon serve Gina Hagerman, Grades 10-12 Assistant Principal and Michael Lambusta, Grades 9-11 Assistant Principal.

The Township of Ocean Intermediate School was opened in 1975 to house grades seven, eight, and nine. It now houses grades five, six, seven, and eight.

In April 2017, more than 95% of Loch Arbour voters participating in a referendum chose to leave the Ocean Township district and to begin sending students for elementary school to the West Long Branch Public Schools and then move on to attend Shore Regional High School, under the terms of sending/receiving relationships with the two districts by which Loch Arbour would be charged on a per-pupil basis. The average cost to Loch Arbour taxpayers of educating students in the sending districts would be $16,000 per student, a significant drop from the $126,000 was paying in property taxes per student under its relationship as part of the Ocean Township School District.[5]

Laramie Project controversy

In August, 2007 the high school received international attention when its principal, Julia Davidow, backed by superintendent of schools Thomas Pagano decided to prohibit West Park Players, the school's drama club, from staging the play The Laramie Project. The play, an account of the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, had a pro-LGBT and pro-tolerance message that the two administrators felt would offend conservative community values, Davidow stating "I do not want to draw a line between those who think homosexuality is right and those who think it is wrong. I have a school community to run here and I must protect everyone involved."[6][7][8][9][10] In the wake of widespread outrage at Pagano's and Davidow's act and calls for their disciplining, the play was reinstated.[11]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[12]) are:[13][14]

Elementary schools
  • Ocean Township Elementary School[15] (located in Oakhurst; with 403 students, in grades PreK-4)
    • Melissa Lopusznick, Principal
  • Wanamassa Elementary School[16] (Wanamassa; 304, K-4)
    • Victor R. Milano, Principal
  • Wayside Elementary School[17] (Wayside; 566, PreK-4)
    • Denise T. Palaia - Principal
Middle school
  • Ocean Township Intermediate School[18] (Wayside; 1,067, 5-8)
    • Christopher Amato, Principal
High school

Special education

The district provides a Free Appropriate Public Education for all students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 in the least restrictive environment. All children 3 through 21, who reside in the Township of Ocean School District are provided with access to some kind of special education.

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[20][21]

  • Dr. James Stefankiewicz, Superintendent[22]
  • Kenneth Jannarone, Business Administrator / Board Secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education, with 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.[23] Board members are:[24]

  • Denise Parlamas, President
  • Amy McGovern, Vice President
  • Janice Fuller
  • Irene Gilman
  • Jim Dietrich
  • David Marshall
  • Joseph Haddon
  • Natalie Tortorello
  • Jeffrey Weinstein

References
  1. District information for Township Of Ocean 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. Ocean Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades kindergarten through 12 in the Township of Ocean School District. Composition: The Township of Ocean School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Ocean and the Village of Loch Arbour."
  4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  5. Spahr, Rob. "Shore town votes to leave longtime school district", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 5, 2017. Accessed April 16, 2017. "According to unofficial results posted by the Monmouth County Clerk's Office, Loch Arbour residents voted - by a margin of 93 to 4 - to withdraw from the Ocean Township School District and enter into 'send-receive' relationships with the West Long Branch and Shore Regional school districts.... The commissioners explained that Loch Arbour pays approximately $126,000 to educate a single student in Ocean Township, when it could educate the same student in West Long Branch and Shore Regional for approximately $16,000 per student."
  6. Larsen, Erik. "School officials forbid club to perform play", Asbury Park Press, August 4, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  7. Angelini, Bob. "Wyoming Town Rejected Bigotry: Will Ocean Township High School?", Asbury Park Press, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  8. Larsen, Erik. "No mention of controversial play at board meeting: Principal nixed Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  9. Larsen, Erik. "Jersey Guys offer to pay for staging of The Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  10. Larsen, Erik. Instructor Assails Banning of Play, Asbury Park Press, August 5, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  11. Papaianni, Joanne L (August 9, 2007). "Play Will Go On In Ocean". The Coaster. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  12. School Data for the Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  13. Our Schools, Township of Ocean School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  14. New Jersey School Directory for Township of Ocean School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  15. Ocean Township Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  16. Wanamassa Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  17. Wayside Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  18. Ocean Township Intermediate School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  19. Ocean Township High School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  20. Central Office Administration, Township of Ocean School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  21. New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  22. Superintendent's Message, Township of Ocean School District. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  23. 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.
  24. Board Members, Ocean Township School District. Accessed April 19, 2020. "The Ocean Township Board of Education consists of nine members. Members are elected for three-year terms and serve without pay."
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