Middletown Township Public School District

The Middletown Township Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.[2]

Middletown Township Public School District
Address
834 Leonardville Road
Middletown Township
, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 07748
United States
Coordinates40.412970°N 74.059242°W / 40.412970; -74.059242
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentMary Ellen Walker
Business administratorAmy P. Doherty
Schools16
Students and staff
Enrollment9,150 (as of 2021-22)
Faculty794.31
Student–teacher ratio11.52:1
Other information
District Factor GroupGH
Websitewww.middletownk12.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,15929$18,891−9.2%
1Budgetary Cost13,1152714,783−11.3%
2Classroom Instruction8,611518,763−1.7%
6Support Services1,614102,392−32.5%
8Administrative Cost1,216171,485−18.1%
10Operations & Maintenance1,438281,783−19.3%
13Extracurricular Activities23147268−13.8%
16Median Teacher Salary72,1308564,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[1]
*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 16 schools, had an enrollment of 9,150 students and 794.31 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.52:1.[3]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-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 1948 the schools were racially integrated and all of the teachers were white.[5]

Schools

The district consists of twelve K-5 elementary schools, three middle schools for grades 6–8, and two four-year high schools. Four elementary schools feed into each of the three middle schools. The facilities vary in age, architecture, size, and student population. Schools in the district (with 2021-22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[6]) are:[7][8]

Elementary schools[9]
  • Bayview Elementary School[10] (341 students in grades K-5)
    • Tara Raspanti, principal
  • Fairview Elementary School[11] (304; PreK-5)
    • Michael Melando, principal
  • Harmony Elementary School[12] (471; PreK-5)
    • Erin Paulson, principal
  • Leonardo Elementary School[13] (258; K-5)
    • Peter Smith, principal
  • Lincroft Elementary School[14] (452; K-5)
    • Daniel Imbimbo, principal
  • Middletown Village Elementary School[15] (425; K-5)
    • Maureen McCormack, principal
  • Navesink Elementary School[16] (194; K-5)
    • Jesse Herbert, principal
  • New Monmouth Elementary School[17] (486; PreK-5)
    • Matthew Ferri, principal
  • Nut Swamp Elementary School[18] (519; K-5)
    • Neil Leone, principal
  • Ocean Avenue Elementary School[19] (292; K-5)
    • Cynthia C. Wilson, principal
  • River Plaza Elementary School[20] (260; K-5)
    • David Whitman, principal
Middle schools[21]
  • Bayshore Middle School[22] (616; 6–8)
    • Thomas Baxter, interim principal
  • Thompson Middle School[23] (917; 6–8)
    • Brian Currie, principal
  • Thorne Middle School[24] (625; 6–8)
    • Shannon Smith, principal
High schools[25]

Drug testing

In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown Township Public School District voted to implement a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at either high school to submit their name to a pool for random selection.[28]

Administration

Core district administrators are:[29][30]

  • Mary Ellen Walker, superintendent
  • Amy P. Doherty, 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 2012) 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.[31][32][33]

Teachers' union

The Middletown Township Education Association (MTEA) is the Middletown Township teachers' union. The organization is Middletown's local NEA, NJEA MCEA office.

The Middletown School District received national attention in the fall of 2001 when its teachers and secretaries went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes from November 30 to December 7, 2001, and 228 teachers and secretaries were jailed in alphabetical order for violating a court back-to-work order.[34] After the strike, members of the MTEA successfully lobbied to change the state law to prohibit school boards from imposing a contract on their employees (signed into law July 10, 2003). The union, with over 1,200 members, had elected Diane Swaim president since 1983, and re-elected her in May 2007. Swaim retired on January 1, 2008, and was replaced by the first vice-president, Linda McLaughlin There has not been a strike since 2001. The union and board of education amicably settled the next contract (July 1, 2004 – June 30, 2007) in April 2004, months before the expiration of the old contract. The union and board reached a new contract settlement without acrimony for 2007–2010.

Armed officer in each school

On May 31, 2022, following the mass shooting in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the school board unanimously voted to have a police officer in each school at the hourly rate of $50 until the end of the 2021–2022 school year. For the 2022–2023 school year, a Class III special law enforcement officer would be at every school in the district, at an hourly rate not to exceed $35.[35][36]

References
  1. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  2. Middletown Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 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 twelve in the Middletown Township School District. Composition: The Middletown Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Middletown Township, including the Middletown section of Sandy Hook."
  3. District information for Middletown Township Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  5. Jensen, Noma (Winter 1948). "A Survey of Segregation Practices in the New Jersey School System". The Journal of Negro Education. Journal of Negro Education. 17 (1): 84–88. JSTOR 2966093. - CITED: p. 87.
  6. School Data for the Middletown Township Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  7. Schools Directory, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 2020.
  8. New Jersey School Directory for the Middletown Township Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  9. Elementary Schools, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 2020.
  10. Bayview Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  11. Fairview Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  12. Harmony Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  13. Leonardo Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  14. Lincroft Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  15. Middletown Village Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  16. Navesink Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  17. New Monmouth Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  18. Nut Swamp Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  19. Ocean Avenue Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  20. River Plaza Elementary School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  21. Middle Schools, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 2020.
  22. Bayshore Middle School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  23. Thompson Middle School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  24. Thorne Middle School, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  25. High Schools, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 2020.
  26. Middletown High School North, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  27. Middletown High School South, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed April 28, 2020.
  28. "Middletown school board OKs random drug testing: Some say plan would deter use", Asbury Park Press, October 24, 2006.
  29. Middletown Public Schools District Administrators 2021-2022, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed November 28, 2021.
  30. Central Office Administration, Middletown Township Public School District, Accessed November 28, 2021.
  31. 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.
  32. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Middletown Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2018. Accessed April 28, 2020. "The Middletown Township School District is comprised of twelve elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools. The District student count at October 13, 2017 was 9,572.... The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year."
  33. Board of Education Members, Middletown Township Public School District. Accessed April 28, 2020.
  34. Keller, Bess. "Bad Blood", Education Week, September 29, 2004. Accessed April 7, 2017. "Teachers here walked out on a Friday in late November 2001, and were back in the classroom just over a week later. In between, 228 members of the Middletown Township Education Association were jailed for their action, creating indelible pictures flashed worldwide of suburban teachers in handcuffs, one in a 'God Bless America' baseball cap raising the cuffs overhead to make a visible thumbs-up sign."
  35. Goldman, Jeff (June 2, 2022). "Large N.J school district to put armed officers in school through next year". NJ.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022.
  36. "Letter of Intent" (PDF). Middletown Township Public Schools. May 31, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2022.
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