Union City School District (New Jersey)

Union City School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Union City, New Jersey, United States. 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[3] 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.[4][5] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 14 schools, had an enrollment of 13,768 students and 837.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.4:1.[1]

For other uses, see Union City School District.

Union City School District
The Union City Board of Education building
Address
3912 Bergen Turnpike
Union City
, Hudson County, New Jersey, 07087
United States
Coordinates40.778268°N 74.031458°W / 40.778268; -74.031458
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentSilvia Abbato
Business administratorAnthony N. Dragona (Business Administrator)
Justin Mercado (Board Secretary)
Schools14
Affiliation(s)Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment13,768 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty837.2 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio16.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupA
Websitewww.ucboe.us
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$20,54682$18,8918.8%
1Budgetary Cost17,0759014,78315.5%
2Classroom Instruction8,555458,763−2.4%
6Support Services3,349972,39240.0%
8Administrative Cost1,404441,485−5.5%
10Operations & Maintenance3,2931031,78384.7%
13Extracurricular Activities1125268−58.2%
16Median Teacher Salary64,9005164,043
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

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.[6]

The city's single public high school, Union City High School, opened September 3, 2009,[7] and was built on the site of the former Roosevelt Stadium.[8] The $178 million school, whose signature feature is an athletic field on its second floor roof, replaced the former Emerson High School and Union Hill High School, which converted to middle schools.[9]

Awards and recognition

Woodrow Wilson School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2004-05 school year.[10] The Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence was awarded again to Woodrow Wilson for the 2014-2015 school year.[11][12]

Schools
Union City High School

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[13]) are:[14][15][16]

Preschool
  • Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education[17] (298; grades PreK - K)
Elementary schools
  • Thomas A. Edison Elementary School[18] (1,019; PreK - 6)
  • Sara Gilmore Academy School[19] (399; 1 - 8)
  • Henry Hudson Elementary School[20] (367; PreK - 2)
  • Jefferson Elementary School[21] (329; PreK-4)
  • Colin Powell Elementary School[22] (833; K - 5)[23]
  • Theodore Roosevelt School[24] (1,010; K - 6)
  • Veteran's Memorial Elementary School[25] (606; PreK - 5)
  • George Washington Elementary School[26] (796; PreK - 6)
  • Robert Waters Elementary School[27] (1,084; PreK - 6)
Middle schools
High school
Adult education
  • Union City Adult Learning Center[32]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[33][34]

  • Silvia Abbato, superintendent[35]
  • Anthony N. Dragona, business administrator[36]
  • Justin Mercado, board secretary[37]

Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, Union City is one of 15 districts with appointed school boards. 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.[38][39][40][41]

References
  1. District information for Union City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. 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'."
  4. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  5. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  6. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 18, 2014.
  7. Rappaport, Melissa. "Back to school; New buildings, new amenities for 2009", The Hudson Reporter, August 30, 2009. Accessed July 6, 2017.
  8. Hu, Winnie. "After 88 Years of Rivalry, the Last as Us and Them", The New York Times, November 22, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2017. "But today's so-called Turkey Game signals the end of the tradition. Next fall, the two schools will merge in a new $176 million building.... The new Union City High School will take up 4.5 acres (18,000 m2) in the center of the city, squeezed between row houses and commercial strips. It will have a football field and bleachers built on the roof so that players will no longer have to share the facilities at José Martí Middle School."
  9. Thorbourne, Ken. "Eagles ready to soar at new Union City High School", The Jersey Journal, August 30, 2009. Accessed July 6, 2017.
  10. U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2013 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed September 14, 2014.
  11. Goldman, Jeff. "Which N.J. schools were named to national 'Blue Ribbon' list?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 2, 2014. Accessed December 31, 2014. "Eleven New Jersey schools have been named to the annual National Blue Ribbon list, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday."
  12. 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private, United States Department of Education. Accessed December 31, 2014.
  13. School Data for the Union City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  14. Schools, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  15. Jersey School Directory for the Union City School District. New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  16. Schwartz, Art. "Back to school in Union City; Kids, teachers gear up this week", The Hudson Reporter, September 1, 2013. Accessed July 6, 2017.
  17. Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  18. Thomas A. Edison Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  19. Sara Gilmore Academy School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  20. Henry Hudson Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  21. Jefferson Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  22. Colin Powell Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  23. McDonald, Terrence T. "Gov. Christie visits Union City school opening, hears Democratic mayor praise him". NJ.com, February 8, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  24. Theodore Roosevelt School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  25. Veteran's Memorial Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  26. George Washington Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  27. Robert Waters Elementary School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  28. Emerson Middle School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  29. Union Hill Middle School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  30. José Martí STEM Academy, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  31. Union City High School, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  32. Union City Adults Learning Center, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  33. Board of Education Administration, Union City School District. Accessed March 27,2022.
  34. New Jersey School Directory for Hudson County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
  35. Superintendent Silvia Abbato, Union City School District. Accessed March 27, 2022.
  36. Anthony N. Dragona, Union City School District. Accessed March 27, 2022.
  37. Board Secretary, Union City School District. Accessed March 27, 2022.
  38. 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.
  39. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Union City School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2018. Accessed May 1, 2020. "The City of Union School District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The District is a Type I District located in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey. As a Type I, the District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of seven members appointed to three-year terms."
  40. Roll, Erin. "Montclair Parents Debate Appointed Vs. Elected School Board", Montclair Local, April 4, 2019. Accessed May 9, 2020. "Montclair is one of 11 school districts in New Jersey in which the board of education is appointed by the mayor, rather than elected.... As of 2018, Montclair was one of only 11 Type I school districts in New Jersey. The other 10 are Ventnor, Port Republic, Rockleigh, Pine Valley, East Orange, East Newark, Union City, Harrison, Trenton and Summit."
  41. Board of Education Members, Union City School District. Accessed May 9, 2020.
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