Oaklyn Public School District

Oaklyn Public School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade from Oaklyn, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States.[3][4] Prior to the 2018–19 school year Oaklyn Public School served students through ninth grade.[5] Oaklyn was the last district in New Jersey that used a Kindergarten through ninth grade format.[6]

Oaklyn Public School District
Address
136 Kendall Boulevard
Oaklyn
, Camden County, New Jersey, 08107
United States
Coordinates39.903111°N 75.088645°W / 39.903111; -75.088645
District information
GradesPreK-5
SuperintendentDr. Fredrick McDowell
Business administratorBeth Ann Coleman
Schools1
Students and staff
Enrollment278 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty28.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio9.9:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupCD
Websiteoaklynschool.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$14,9943$18,891−20.6%
1Budgetary Cost11,495514,783−22.2%
2Classroom Instruction7,373128,763−15.9%
6Support Services1,73092,392−27.7%
8Administrative Cost1,22511,485−17.5%
10Operations & Maintenance1,06921,783−40.0%
13Extracurricular Activities951268−64.6%
16Median Teacher Salary53,310764,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with up to 1,800 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=49

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 278 students and 28.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth-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.[7]

Students in sixth through twelfth grades from Oaklyn attend Collingswood Middle School and Collingswood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[8][9] As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 747 students and 67.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1.[10]

History

In 1997, there was a proposal for the students to wear school uniforms, opposed by students, but plans were canceled.[11]

Oaklyn Public School had also served students in K-8 from Hi-Nella, a non-operating school district.[12][13] With Hi-Nella ending its sending/receiving relationship under a phase-out that would see all Hi-Nella students out of Oaklyn's school by 2016-17, the district saw overall enrollment decline from 469 in 2011-12 to 384 in 2014-15.[14] The loss of Hi-Nella's students, and the tuition revenue that accounted for as much as 10% of Oaklyn's budget, have caused significant strain on the district's budget, which has seen a substantial decline in its fiscal balance.[15]

In 2017, the Oaklyn Board of Education and the Collingswood Board of Education finalized an agreement to expand the send-receive relationship to send Oaklyn students to Collingswood school in sixth grade starting with the 2018-2019 school year.[6] Previously the agreement only included students in grades ten through twelve.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[16]) are:

  • Oaklyn Public School, which educates students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grades (277 students)
    • Jennifer Boulden, principal[17]

Administration

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

  • Dr. Fredrick McDowell, superintendent[19]
  • Beth Ann Coleman, business administrator and board secretary[20]

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.[21][22][23]

References
  1. District information for Oaklyn Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. Oaklyn Board of Education District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Oaklyn Public School District. Accessed July 29, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades K through nine in the Borough of Oaklyn School District. Composition: The Oaklyn School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Oaklyn."
  4. School Performance Reports for the Oaklyn Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 29, 2022.
  5. Public Schools Archived 2017-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed January 30, 2017.
  6. "Oaklyn Board of Education, 12/19/2017 Minutes".
  7. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 17, 2014.
  8. Staff. "Collingswood High School", South Jersey magazine. Accessed November 17, 2014. "Collingswood High School serves about 850 students in grades nine through twelve from the Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne school districts."
  9. Giordano, Rita. "N.J. puts pressure on schools to share Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne are just three districts being pushed to combine services - or more.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 2009. Accessed November 17, 2014. "Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne, she said, are reasonable candidates for administrative sharing. Oaklyn Superintendent Tommy Stringer is due to retire in December, and Woodlynne has an interim superintendent, Walter Rudder. Collingswood Superintendent Scott Oswald is established and well-regarded. Oaklyn and Woodlynne students attend Collingswood High School."
  10. School data for Collingswood High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  11. Hefler, Jan (July 9, 1997). "Uniform Dress Styles Don't Make The Grade For Oaklyn's Schools Students Would Have Had A Collection Of Clothing From Which To Choose. Opposition Was Strong". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  12. Oaklyn Public School 2014 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 21, 2015. "In the middle of the Borough of Oaklyn, a town of about 4,000 residents, sits the Oaklyn Public School. Today, this historic school building that was constructed in 1926 serves 409 students in pre-kindergarten through ninth grade. In addition to resident students, children residing in the Borough of Hi-Nella also attend this school."
  13. 13 Non-Operating School Districts Eliminated, New Jersey Department of Education press release dated July 1, 2009. Accessed December 26, 2009.
  14. Oaklyn Board of Education Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2015, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 5, 2017. "Oaklyn and our sending district Hi Nella have agreed to sever their send/receive relationship. As a result, 2014-15 saw another decrease in enrollment. Enrollments will continue to decline due to the loss of Hi Nella into 2016. In 16-17, there will no longer be any pupils from Hi Nella attending the Oaklyn Public School."
  15. Skoufalos, Matt. "Oaklyn School Searches for Answers Amid Budget Shortfall; Resolving the financial issues of the small district will require some creative problem-solving, says Superintendent Scott Oswald.", NJ Pen. Accessed February 5, 2017. "A longstanding receiving arrangement with the tiny borough of Hi-Nella, just six miles south, used to bring in as much as $800,000 to the Oaklyn district—about 10 percent of its annual budget, said Scott Oswald, joint superintendent of the Collingswood and Oaklyn school districts. But four years ago, Hi-Nella started pulling its students out of Oaklyn to send them to the neighboring Stratford school district. When they left, so did their tuition dollars."
  16. School Data for the Oaklyn Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  17. School Administration, Oaklyn Public School District. Accessed July 29, 2022.
  18. New Jersey School Directory for Camden County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  19. Superintendent's Office, Oaklyn Public School District. Accessed July 29, 2022.
  20. Business Office, Oaklyn Public School District. Accessed July 29, 2022.
  21. 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.
  22. Board of Education, Oaklyn Public School District. Accessed July 29, 2022. "The Oaklyn Board of Education is a 9-member board comprised of residents of Oaklyn. Members serve for three years."
  23. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Oaklyn School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2021. Accessed July 29, 2022. "The Oaklyn School District ('School District') is a Type II district located in the County of Camden, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board of Education is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member’s terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for resident students in grades PK through 5. Students in grades 6 through 12 attend the Collingswood High School District on a tuition basis."
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