Ocean Township School District (Monmouth County, New Jersey)

Township of Ocean Schools
Type and location
Grades K-12
Address 163 Monmouth Road
Oakhurst, NJ 07755
District information
Superintendent Dr. James Stefankiewicz
Business administrator Kenneth Jannarone
Schools 5
Students and staff
Enrollment 3,936 (as of 2011-12)[1]
Faculty 338.9 FTEs
Student-teacher ratio 11.61:1
Other information
District Factor Group FG
Website http://www.oceanschools.org
Ind. Per Pupil District
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

The Township of Ocean School District is a comprehensive consolidated public school district serving students from two communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean Township and from the tiny village of Loch Arbour.[3]

As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's five schools had an enrollment of 3,936 students and 338.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.61:1.[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]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[5]) are:[6]

Elementary schools (K - 4)
Middle school (5 - 8)
High school (9 - 12)

Board of education

The Ocean Township School District is led by a nine-member Board of Education.

The members are:

History

Laramie Project controversy

In August, 2007 the 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."[12][13][14][15][16] In the wake of widespread outrage at Pagano's and Davidow's act and calls for their disciplining, the play was reinstated.[17]

Special education

The district provides a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). All children 3 through 21, who reside in the Ocean Township School District are provided with some kind of Special Education.

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[18][19]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 District information for Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ DeNicola, Linda. "Ocean Township voters approve school budget: Taxes will rise 3.3 percent in Ocean, decrease in Loch Arbour", Atlanticville, April 28, 2005. Accessed April 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ School Data for the Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Ocean Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ Ocean Township Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ Wanamassa Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  9. ↑ Wayside Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  10. ↑ Ocean Township Intermediate School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  11. ↑ Ocean Township High School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  12. ↑ Larsen, Erik. "School officials forbid club to perform play", Asbury Park Press, August 4, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  13. ↑ Angelini, Bob. "Wyoming Town Rejected Bigotry: Will Ocean Township High School?", Asbury Park Press, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  14. ↑ Larsen, Erik. "No mention of controversial play at board meeting: Principal nixed Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  15. ↑ Larsen, Erik. "Jersey Guys offer to pay for staging of The Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  16. ↑ Larsen, Erik. Instructor Assails Banning of Play, Asbury Park Press, August 5, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  17. ↑ Papaianni, Joanne L. "Play Will Go On In Ocean", The Coaster, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  18. ↑ Central Office Administration, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  19. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 23, 2014.
  20. ↑ Superintendent's Message, Township of Ocean Schools. Accessed July 23, 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 40°15′49″N 74°00′46″W / 40.263626°N 74.012729°W