South Orange-Maplewood School District

The South Orange-Maplewood School District is a regional public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the suburban communities of South Orange and Maplewood, two municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.[3]

South Orange-Maplewood School District
Address
525 Academy Street
Maplewood
, Essex County, New Jersey, 07040
United States
Coordinates40.736009°N 74.264678°W / 40.736009; -74.264678
District information
GradesPreK–12
SuperintendentDr. Ronald G. Taylor
Business administratorEric Burnside
Schools11
Students and staff
Enrollment7,353 (as of 2019–20)[1]
Faculty576.1 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.8:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.somsd.k12.nj.us
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K–12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$18,65556$18,891−1.2%
1Budgetary Cost14,5655314,783−1.5%
2Classroom Instruction8,589498,763−2.0%
6Support Services2,356542,392−1.5%
8Administrative Cost1,513631,4851.9%
10Operations & Maintenance1,859721,7834.3%
13Extracurricular Activities20032268−25.4%
16Median Teacher Salary74,7608864,043
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 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 7,353 students and 576.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-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

The school district has operated as a unified organization for the area since 1867 and under the current name since 1894. James Ricalton, a teacher, photographer and world traveler born in New York of Scottish parents who became the school district's first permanent teacher, helped set the high standard of education that persists in the school district to this day.[5]

In October 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the South Orange-Maplewood School District in relation to its academic leveling and disciplinary systems, stating that the overuse of discipline and "zero-tolerance" policy, and implicit racial bias within the level selection system violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.[6]

Awards and recognition

For the 1992–93 school year, Columbia High School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.[7]

NAMM named the district in its 2009 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 124 school districts nationwide.[8]

Schools
A South Orange Middle School student protest

Schools in the district (with 2019–20 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[9]) are:[10][11]

Preschool
  • Montrose Early Childhood Center[12] (133 students, in PreK; located in Maplewood)
    • Bonita Samuels, principal
Elementary schools
  • Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School[13] (493 students, in grades K–5 located in Maplewood)
    • Shannon Glander, principal
    • Sheila Murphy, assistant principal
  • Clinton Elementary School[14] (605, K–5; Maplewood)
    • Jennifer Connors, principal
    • Sandra Smith, assistant principal
  • Delia Bolden Elementary School[15] (544, 3–5; Maplewood). The school, formerly known as Jefferson Elementary School, was renamed in 2022 in honor of Delia Bolden, who graduated in 1912 as the first African-American woman to graduate from Columbia High School.[16]
    • Kimberly Hutchinson, principal
    • Angel Rivera, assistant principal
  • Marshall Elementary School[17] (518, K–2; South Orange)
    • Raquel Horn, principal
    • Laura Swyberius, assistant principal
  • South Mountain Elementary School[18] (647, K–5; South Orange)
    • Kevin Mason, principal
    • Shane Zeigler, assistant principal
  • South Mountain Elementary School Annex[19] (NA, K–1; South Orange)
    • Kevin Mason, principal
    • Shane Zeigler, assistant principal
  • Tuscan Elementary School[20] (K–5, 637; Maplewood)
    • Malikah Majeed, principal
    • Brad Bertani, assistant principal
Maplewood Middle School
Middle schools
  • Maplewood Middle School[21] (827, 6–8; Maplewood)
    • Dara Gronau, principal
    • Louis Brown, assistant principal
    • Russell King, assistant principal
  • South Orange Middle School[22] (786, 6–8; South Orange)
    • Lynn Irby, principal
    • James Jennings, assistant principal
    • James Waldron, assistant principal
High school
  • Columbia High School[23] (1,967, 9–12; Maplewood)
    • Frank Sanchez, principal
    • Melissa Butler, assistant principal
    • Cheryline Hewitt, assistant principal
    • Dion Patterson, assistant principal
    • Terry Woolard, assistant principal

Administration

Members of the district administration are:[24][25]

  • Dr. Ronald G. Taylor, superintendent
  • Eric Burnside, school 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.[26][27] The district's tax levy is approved by an eight-member Board of School Estimate, which includes two members of the district's board of education and three elected officials each from Maplewood and South Orange.[28]

References
  1. District information for South Orange-Maplewood 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. [https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/?mdocs-file=6885 The School District Of South Orange And Maplewood, New Jersey Bylaw 0110 - Identification. South Orange Maplewood School District. Accessed September 3, 2020. "Composition: The South Orange and Maplewood School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of South Orange and Maplewood."
  4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 25, 2014.
  5. James Ricalton Lantern Slide Collection, St. Lawrence University Library. Accessed November 5, 2019. "After briefly attending St. Lawrence University (class of 1871) Ricalton left before taking a degree and moved to Maplewood, New Jersey in 1871 where he worked as a school teacher. By all accounts, he was an extraordinary teacher, and his legacy is celebrated in the South Orange-Maplewood School District."
  6. "Complaint against the South Orange Maplewood School District under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973", American Civil Liberties Union, October 9, 2014. Accessed October 31, 2015.
  7. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed April 11, 2011.
  8. "Nationwide Survey Finds the 'Best Communities for Music Education' in U.S.", NAMM, April 16, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  9. School Data for the South Orange-Maplewood School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2021.
  10. Our Schools, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  11. New Jersey School Directory for the South Orange-Maplewood School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  12. Montrose Early Childhood Center, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  13. Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  14. Clinton Elementary School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  15. Jefferson Elementary School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed August 27, 2022.
  16. "Jefferson Elementary School Renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School", South Orange-Maplewood School District, press release dated June 30, 2022. Accessed September 3, 2022. "The South Orange & Maplewood School District Board of Education (BOE) as per Resolution 4320 approved the renaming of Jefferson Elementary School to the Delia Bolden Elementary School during its meeting on Wednesday, June 29. Delia Bolden was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School in 1912."
  17. Marshall Elementary School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  18. South Mountain Elementary School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  19. South Mountain Elementary School Annex, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  20. Tuscan Elementary School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  21. Maplewood Middle School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  22. South Orange Middle School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  23. Columbia High School, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed October 28, 2021.
  24. District Departments, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed May 20,2022.
  25. New Jersey School Directory for Essex County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  26. 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.
  27. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the South Orange-Maplewood School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2020. Accessed October 28, 2021. "The School District of South Orange and Maplewood is a Type II district located in the County of Essex, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The board is comprised of nine members elected to staggered three-year terms. Financial matters such as annual budgets and proposed debt authorizations are presented to a Board of School Estimate for review and approval."
  28. Board of Education Overview, South Orange-Maplewood School District. Accessed September 3, 2020. "However, the tax levy is approved by a separate entity, the Board of School Estimate, which is comprised of three members of the Village Trustees of South Orange, three members of the Township Committee of Maplewood and two members of the Board of Education."
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