Clark Public School District

The Clark Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Clark, in Union County, New Jersey, United States.[3] Students from Garwood, attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Garwood Public Schools.[4][5]

Clark Public School District
Address
365 Westfield Avenue
Clark
, Union County, New Jersey, 07066
United States
Coordinates40.623114°N 74.311967°W / 40.623114; -74.311967
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentEdward Grande
Business administratorR. Paul Vizzuso
Schools5
Students and staff
Enrollment2,299 (as of 2019–20)[1]
Faculty184.7 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
Websitewww.clarkschools.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$16,05011$18,891−15.0%
1Budgetary Cost12,8011814,783−13.4%
2Classroom Instruction7,529178,763−14.1%
6Support Services2,022312,392−15.5%
8Administrative Cost1,433211,485−3.5%
10Operations & Maintenance1,368141,783−23.3%
13Extracurricular Activities4304626860.4%
16Median Teacher Salary54,743364,043
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 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,299 students and 184.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.[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.[6]

History

The district's high school, originally named Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School, was constructed at a cost of $2 million by the Union County Regional High School District and included 94,000 square feet (8,700 m2) of space for classes and other facilities, The school, which was named for a longtime county superintendent who was a leading advocate for regionalization, opened in December 1956.[7]

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 Arthur L. Johnson High School was turned over to the Clark Public School District, which became a K-12 district. Garwood, one of the two municipalities without a high school, established a sending/receiving relationship to send its high school students to Arthur L. Johnson.[8][9]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[10]) are:[11][12]

Preschool
  • Clark Preschool[13] with 20 students in PreK
Elementary schools
  • Frank K. Hehnly Elementary School[14] with 551 students in grades K-5
    • Shirley Bergin, principal[15]
  • Valley Road Elementary School[16] with 435 students in grades K-5
    • Joseph Beltramba, principal[15]
Middle school
  • Carl H. Kumpf Middle School[17] with 518 students in grades 6-8
    • Richard Delmonaco, principal[15]
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[15][19]

  • Edward Grande, superintendent
  • R. Paul Vizzuso, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of nine members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration; an additional board member represents the sending district of Garwood. 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.[20][21][22]

References
  1. District information for Clark Township Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Clark Board of Education District Policy 0110 -Identification, Clark Public School District. Accessed February 16, 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 Clark School District. Composition: The Clark School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Clark."
  4. Clark Township Public Schools 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 5, 2016. "The school district educates more than 2,350 students in five buildings and enjoys a very positive and collaborative send/receive relationship with the Garwood Public Schools. Students from Garwood are educated in their local K-8 district. They subsequently attend grades 9-12 at our Arthur L. Johnson High School here in Clark."
  5. About Us, Garwood Public Schools. Accessed June 5, 2016. "High school students attend ALJ High School in Clark, NJ"
  6. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  7. "1,000 Attend Dedication Of Johnson High School Clark", Courier News, December 8, 1956. Accessed March 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "More than 1,000 persons turned out last night for the dedication ceremonies of the newly-completed Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School here. Notables in the field of education from state, county and local levels appeared to pay tribute to the late Dr. Arthur L. Johnson, who as county superintendent of schools for 40 years, first conceived the idea of a regional school district.... The building contains 94,000 square feet of floor space with 22 classrooms, and 12 laboratory and arts and crafts rooms which surround the auditorium. The rear wing contains a cafeteria, gymnasium and two shops. Costing $2,000,000, the school building is located on the east corner of the 25-acre tract."
  8. 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."
  9. 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.'"
  10. School Data for the Clark Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
  11. School Performance Reports for the Clark Township Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  12. New Jersey School Directory for the Clark Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  13. Clark Preschool, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  14. Frank K. Hehnly Elementary School, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  15. Meet Our Administration Team, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  16. Valley Road Elementary School, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  17. Carl H. Kumpf Middle School, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  18. Arthur L. Johnson High School, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
  19. New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  20. 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.
  21. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Clark Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for the year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed February 20, 2021. "The Clark Public School District (the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine elected officials from Clark Township and one representative from Garwood Borough (sending district) and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District."
  22. Board of Education Members, Clark Public School District. Accessed January 20, 2022.
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