Somerset Hills Regional School District

The Somerset Hills Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from four communities in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students from the boroughs of Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone, along with students from the township of Bedminster (grades 9–12) who attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[3][4]

Somerset Hills Regional School District
Address
25 Olcott Ave Bernardsville, NJ 07924 United States
Coordinates
District information
Grades	PreK-12
Superintendent	Dr. Gretchen Dempsey
Business administrator	Heather Goguen
Schools	3
Students and staff
Enrollment	1,975 (as of 2017–18)[1]
Faculty	158.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio	12.5:1[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	I
Website	District website
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $20,341 60 $18,891 7.7% 1 Budgetary Cost 15,101 52 14,783 2.2% 2 Classroom Instruction 8,504 43 8,763 −3.0% 6 Support Services 2,800 60 2,392 17.1% 8 Administrative Cost 1,569 42 1,485 5.7% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,624 38 1,783 −8.9% 13 Extracurricular Activities 581 64 268 116.8% 16 Median Teacher Salary 68,944 55 64,043 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 2017–18 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 1,975 students and 158.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.[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.[5]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2017–18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[6]) are:[7][8]

Elementary school

• Marion T. Bedwell Elementary School[9] with 568 students in grades PreK–4
  • Amy G. Phelan, Principal[10]
  • April H. Friedman, Assistant Principal[10]

Middle school

• Bernardsville Middle School[11] with 523 students in grades 5–8
  • Lisa Garafalo, Principal[12]
  • Brian Latzke, Assistant Principal[12]

High school

• Bernards High School[13] with 852 students in grades 9–12
  • Scott Neigel, Principal[14]
  • Michael Corbett, Assistant Principal[14]
  • Michael Hoppe, Assistant Principal / Athletic Director[14]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[15][16]

• Dr. Gretchen Dempsey, Superintendent
• Heather Goguen, Business Administrator / Board Secretary[17]

Board of education

The district's board of education has nine elected members (and one appointed member) 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.[18][19] The seats on the board are allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with six seats assigned to Bernardsville, two to Peapack-Gladstone and one to Far Hills, with an additional representative appointed from the sending district of Bedminster.[20]

References

1. District information for Somerset Hills 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. Somerset County School Districts-Sending/Receiving/Regional, Somerset County Superintendent of Schools. Accessed February 20, 2020.
4. Somerset Hills Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 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 Somerset Hills School District. Composition The Somerset Hills School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Bernardsville, Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone."
5. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2015.
6. School Data for the Somerset Hills School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2019.
7. 2016-2017 Somerset County Public School Directory, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed May 19, 2017.
8. New Jersey School Directory for the Somerset Hills School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
9. Marion T. Bedwell Elementary School, Somerset Hills Regional School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
10. Bedwell Elementary School Administration, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
11. Bernardsville Middle School, Somerset Hills Regional School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
12. Bernardsville Middle School Administration, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed October 27, 2018.
13. Bernards High School, Somerset Hills Regional School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
14. Bernards High School Administration, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
15. Administrative Offices, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.
16. New Jersey School Directory for Somerset County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
17. Business Office, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 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 Somerset Hills School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2018. Accessed February 20, 2020. "The School District is a Type II District located in Somerset County, New Jersey. The School District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Somerset Hills School District is governed by a ten member board, including nine individuals elected to three year terms from the Boroughs of Bernardsville, Peapack & Gladstone and Far Hills, along with one appointed member from the Bedminster Board of Education."
20. Board of Education Members / Committees, Somerset Hills School District. Accessed February 20, 2020.

External links

• Somerset Hills School District
• Somerset Hills School District's 2015–16 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Somerset Hills School District, National Center for Education Statistics