Orange Board of Education

Orange Board of Education is a comprehensive community public school district that is headquartered in the city of Orange, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[3] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke[4] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.[5][6] The district was considered high performing as per the New Jersey Department of Education having achieved 80% and above on all indicators within the NJQSAC evaluation in June 2020.

Orange Board of Education
Address
451 Lincoln Avenue
Orange
, Essex County, New Jersey, 07050
United States
Coordinates40.76317°N 74.242925°W / 40.76317; -74.242925
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentDr. Gerald Fitzhugh II
Business administratorJason E. Ballard
Schools12
Affiliation(s)Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment5,629 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty507.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio11.1:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupA
Websitewww.orange.k12.nj.us
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$20,82184$18,89110.2%
1Budgetary Cost16,5738614,78312.1%
2Classroom Instruction9,659858,76310.2%
6Support Services2,998902,39225.3%
8Administrative Cost1,8921011,48527.4%
10Operations & Maintenance1,714581,783−3.9%
13Extracurricular Activities23949268−10.8%
16Median Teacher Salary54,617764,043
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
Cleveland Street school

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 12 schools, had an enrollment of 5,629 students and 507.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the lowest 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]

History

In 1948 the district had a racially integrated school system with an open enrollment school system in which families could choose which schools their children could attend. In 1948 one predominately African-American school had five teachers deemed "colored".[8]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21) enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[9]) are:[10][11][12][13]

Preschool
  • Orange Early Childhood Center[14] (188; in PreK)
  • John Robert Lewis Early Childhood Center[15] (NA; Pre-K)
    • Dr. Cayce Cummins, principal
Elementary Schools
  • Central Elementary School[16] (319; K-2)
    • Denise White, principal
  • Cleveland Street School[17] (303; K-7)
    • Robert Pettit, principal
  • Forest Street Community School[18] (410; PreK-7)
    • Dr. Yancisca Loften-Cooke, principal
  • Heywood Avenue School[19] (355; PreK-7)
    • Dion Patterson, principal
  • Lincoln Avenue School[20] (708; K-7)
    • Frank Iannucci, principal
  • Oakwood Avenue Community School[21] (425; PreK-7)
    • Dana Gaines, principal
  • Park Avenue School[22] (569; K-7)
    • Dr.Myron Hackett, principal
  • Rosa Parks Central Community School[23] (999; Grades 3–7) formerly Main Street School and Central School)
    • Dr. Debra Joseph-Charles, principal
  • Scholars Academy[24] (NA)
    • Karen Machuca, principal
Middle School (Secondary)
  • Orange Preparatory Academy[25] (679; 8–9, formerly Orange Middle School)
    • Carrie Halstead, principal
High Schools (Secondary)
  • Orange High School[26] (840; 10–12)
    • Jason Belton, principal
  • STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges[27] (160; 9–12)
    • Dr. Devonii Reid, principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[28][29]

  • Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh II, superintendent[30]
  • Jason E. Ballard, board secretary and school business administrator

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. Since November 2017, it is a Type II school district, in which 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 2018) 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] In November 2016, voters approved the change from a Type I district, in which the board is appointed by the mayor, to a Type II district, in which residents vote for board members. In November 2017, the first election for the elected board took place.[34]

References
  1. District information for Orange Board Of Education 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. District Policy 0110 - Identification, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022. "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 Orange Township School District. Composition: The Orange Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the City of Orange."
  4. What We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."
  5. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  6. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  7. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  8. 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. 86.
  9. School Data for the Orange Board of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  10. Our Schools, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  11. Our Principals, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  12. School Performance Reports for the Orange Board of Education School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  13. New Jersey School Directory for the Orange Board of Education, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  14. Orange Early Childhood Center, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  15. John Robert Lewis Early Childhood Center, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  16. Central Elementary School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  17. Cleveland Street School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  18. Forest Street Community School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  19. Heywood Avenue School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  20. Lincoln Avenue School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  21. Oakwood Avenue School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  22. Park Avenue School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  23. Rosa Parks Central Community School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  24. Scholars Academy, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  25. Orange Preparatory Academy, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  26. Orange High School, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  27. STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  28. Our Administrators, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 26, 2022.
  29. New Jersey School Directory for Essex County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  30. Office of the Superintendent, Orange Board of Education. Accessed July 18, 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. Board of Education, Orange Board of Education. Accessed February 3, 2021.
  33. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Orange Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed February 1, 2021. "As of November 2017, the voters of the City of Orange Township School District (the 'District') located in the County of Essex, State of New Jersey approved the change from a Type I to a Type II District. As a Type II District, the District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of nine (9) members elected to three-year staggered terms."
  34. Mazzola, Jessica. "Embattled N.J. town votes to elect its school board", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 15, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed February 3, 2021. "According to the unofficial election results from the Essex County Clerk's Office of a question on last Tuesday's ballot, more than three-quarters of voters in Orange opted to change the Board of Education in the city from one that is appointed by the mayor to one that is elected by the residents. The change will take place immediately, with the first election for the new members of the seven-member board to happen in November 2017."
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