Lakewood School District (New Jersey)

The Lakewood School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Lakewood Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States.[3]

Lakewood School District
Address
1771 Madison Avenue
Lakewood Township
, Ocean County, New Jersey, 08701
United States
Coordinates40.097308°N 74.208792°W / 40.097308; -74.208792
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentLaura A. Winters
Business administratorVacant
Schools8
Students and staff
Enrollment5,433 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty511.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.6:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupNone
Websitewww.lakewoodpiners.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$25,238101$18,89133.6%
1Budgetary Cost12,5171214,783−15.3%
2Classroom Instruction7,517108,763−14.2%
6Support Services2,520682,3925.4%
8Administrative Cost1,13991,485−23.3%
10Operations & Maintenance1,09841,783−38.4%
13Extracurricular Activities23348268−13.1%
16Median Teacher Salary50,728164,043
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 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 5,433 students and 511.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.[1]

History

The school district provided busing to 18,000 students enrolled at 74 yeshivas as of 2011,[4] which by 2016 had grown to a private school population of 25,000, more than quadruple the number of public school students.[5]

In March 2017, Superintendent Laura Winters stated that due to a proposed $14.7 million decrease of the district budget, the district would be "unable to provide students with a thorough and efficient education required by the New Jersey State Constitution." The proposed cuts may cause 120 teachers to lose their positions.[6]

An appeals court ruled in March 2023 that the district was shortchanged in state funding, a condition that was aggravated by the costs of providing private-school busing and special education services to all eligible students. Based on data from the 2020 United States census, a majority of the township's population of 135,000 were under the age of 18, of which nearly 6,000 attended the district's schools and 30,000 were attending private schools.[7]

Demographics

As of 2017, most of the students are black and Latino/Hispanic, while many of the Orthodox Jewish township residents send their children to private Jewish schools.[8]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[9]) are:[10][11][12][13]

Preschool
  • Lakewood Early Childhood Center[14] with 247 students in PreK
    • Sara Garfunkel, Supervisor of Early Childhood Center
Elementary schools
  • Ella G. Clarke School[15] with 375 students in grades 2-5
    • Ebony Rivera, principal
  • Clifton Avenue School[16] with 387 students in grades 2-5
    • Jessica Ring, principal
  • Oak Street School[17] with 633 students in grades 1-5
    • Joseph Schroepfer, principal
  • Piner Elementary School[18] with 415 students in grades PreK-1
    • Aleida Salguero, principal
  • Spruce Street School[19] with 384 students in grades PreK-1
    • Marcy Marshall, principal
Middle school
  • Lakewood Middle School[20] with 1,126 students in grades 6-8
    • Deb Mazzeo, principal
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[22][23]

  • Laura A. Winters, superintendent of schools
  • Vacant, business administrator and board secretary

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 2013) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[24][25][26]

References
  1. District information for Lakewood Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Lakewood Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Lakewood School District. Accessed August 22, 2023. "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 Lakewood School District. Composition: The Lakewood School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Lakewood."
  4. Ahearn, James. "Opinion: In Central Jersey, a school imbroglio" Archived 2017-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, The Record (Bergen County), June 5, 2012. Accessed April 6, 2017. "The answer was eye-opening. Eighteen thousand kids. That is, to repeat, 18,000. They attended 74 yeshiva schools, served by 14 bus companies, on 400 routes, more than any other district in the state."
  5. Rinde, Meir. "Is Lakewood on the Verge of a Meltdown?", NJ Spotlight, June 21, 2016. Accessed April 6, 2017. "State and local educational funding systems aren’t built to handle a town with 25,000 children in religious institutions and 6,000 in the public schools, says Rev. Glenn Wilson."
  6. Guion, Payton. "Lakewood could fire 100-plus teachers amid $15M shortfall", Asbury Park Press, March 24, 2017. Accessed April 6, 2017.
  7. Strupp, Joe. "Lakewood Schools deserve more state funding for busing students, appeals court rules", Asbury Park Press, March 6. 2023. Accessed August 22, 2023. "Their complaint challenged the state’s funding of the 6,000-student district, claiming the district’s legal obligation to provide transportation and other services to more than 30,000 nonpublic school students required more state aid.... It's population surged by 46%, from 92,843 to 135,158, in the last decade, according to the U.S. Census, and more than 50 percent of the population is now under the age of 18."
  8. Brodie, Leslie. "N.J. School District Strains Under Severe Budget Pressures; The school superintendent in Lakewood is warning that the proposed 2017-18 spending plan would decimate public schools", The Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2017. Accessed April 6, 2017.
  9. School Data for the Lakewood School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  10. School Directory, Lakewood School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  11. Public Schools Directory 2022-2023; Living & Learning in Ocean County, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  12. School Performance Reports for the Lakewood Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  13. New Jersey School Directory for the Lakewood School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  14. Lakewood Early Childhood Center, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  15. Ella G. Clarke School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  16. Clifton Avenue School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  17. Oak Street School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  18. Piner Elementary School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  19. Spruce Street School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  20. Lakewood Middle School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  21. Lakewood High School, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  22. District Administration, Lakewood Public School District. Accessed August 22, 2023.
  23. New Jersey School Directory for Ocean County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  24. 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.
  25. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Lakewood Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed August 22, 2023. "The Lakewood Township School District is a Type II School District located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II School District, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members' terms expire each year."
  26. Board of Education, Lakewood School District. Accessed May 5, 2020.
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