Ocean Township School District (Monmouth County, New Jersey)
Township of Ocean Schools | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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163 Monmouth Road Oakhurst, NJ 07755 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
District information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grades | K-12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Superintendent | Dr. James Stefankiewicz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Business administrator | Kenneth Jannarone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schools | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students and staff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enrollment | 3,936 (as of 2011-12)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Faculty | 338.9 FTEs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Student-teacher ratio | 11.61:1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
District Factor Group | FG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | http://www.oceanschools.org | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Township of Ocean School District is a comprehensive consolidated public school district serving students from two communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean Township and from the tiny village of Loch Arbour.[3]
As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's five schools had an enrollment of 3,936 students and 338.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.61:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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]
Schools
Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[5]) are:[6]
- Elementary schools (K - 4)
- Ocean Township Elementary School[7] Oakhurst, 447 students
- Dr. Doreen O. Ryan - Principal
- Wanamassa Elementary School[8] Wanamassa, 368 students
- Victor R. Milano - Principal
- Wayside Elementary School[9] Wayside 578 students
- Denise T. Palaia - Principal
- Middle school (5 - 8)
- Ocean Township Intermediate School[10] Ocean Township 1,254 students
- Larry Kostula - Principal
- Candice Vasta - Assistant Principal
- James Maliff - Assistant Principal
- Christopher Amato - Assistant Principal (Grade 5)
- High school (9 - 12)
- Ocean Township High School[11] Oakhurst 1,289 students
- Kelly E. Weldon - Principal
- Gina Hagerman - Assistant Principal/Grades 10 & 12
- Michael Lambusta - Assistant Principal/Grades 9 & 11
Board of education
The Ocean Township School District is led by a nine-member Board of Education.
The members are:
- Joseph Hadden, President
- Jim Dietrich, Vice President
- Steve Clayton
- Denise Parlamas
- Sylvia Sylvia-Cioffi
- David Marshall
- Amy McGovern
- Michael Palutis
- Sean Moore
History
- In 1834, land was purchased by the trustees of the Deal School District and a two-room schoolhouse was built it served the students until 1885 when the school had 156 students and a larger building was needed. (This school is currently located on Monmouth Road, Oakhurst)
- The Poplar Road School was located between Deal Road and West Park Avenue in the Poplar section of town, this school was used from 1864 until 1911 when the students were sent to the new Oakhurst School. (This school has been knocked down)
- The first Wayside School was located on the Tinton Falls side of Hope Road it was used until 1911, when pupils were sent to the new Oakhurst School, at this time however all high school students traveled to Long Branch High School by stagecoach.
- The Oakhurst School was built in 1900. It accommodated all students from Wayside and Oakhurst in grades one to eight from 1900 until 1958. From 1959 to 1978, it was used as a K-4 and K-5 facility. Principals included Ralph Busch, Charles J. Strahan, Frank Parker, Jesse Love, Harry Patterson, Estelle Voorhees, Ernest Smith, Richard Randall, John D.W. Rasp, Donald Vineburg, and Glen Morgan. In 1978, the building was turned into the school district's administrative offices and still does to this day.
- The Wanamassa School, opened in 1930 to serve all students in Wanamassa. Before that, students walked to the Bradley School in Asbury Park. The school is stilled used to this day for grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes. Principals included Victoria Green, Edward German, J. Anthony Covino, Joseph Palaia, Douglas Deicke, Camille Tighe, Margaret Grilli, Justine Salvo, and current Victor Milano.
- The Ocean Township Elementary School on Dow Avenue opened in 1958 as a middle school, serving grades five to eight. Upper-grade teachers from Wanamassa and Oakhurst Schools moved to the new school with their principal J. Anthony Covino. In 1984, Cavino retired and Mrs. Villapiano, Assistant Principal, took over. At her retirement in 2002, William Galatro took over and served until 2007. Dr. Doreen O. Ryan is currently Principal. The school currently housed Grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes.
- The Wayside Elementary School opened on January 5, 1970. It houses grades PK-4. John D.W. Rasp was the first principal until 1988. Other principals have included Douglas Deicke, Thomas Pagano, David Enderly, and currently Denise Palaia.
- Before the Ocean Township High School opened in 1965, students from the district were bussed to Long Branch or Asbury Park for High School. The principals were Charles Scott, Douglas Fredricks, Robert Mahon, Gardner Atlee, John Crews, John Connelly, John Tighe, Margaret Morgan, John Lysko, Dr. William Cohee, Julia Davidow, and currently Kelly E. Weldon. Under Miss Weldon serve Gina Hagerman, Grades 10-12 Assistant Principal and Michael Lambusta, Grades 9-11 Assistant Principal.
- The Township of Ocean Intermediate School was opened in 1975 to house grades seven, eight, and nine. It now houses grades five, six, seven, and eight. Principals have included Donald Vineburg and current principal Larry Kostula. Under him serve Candice Vasta and James Maliff, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade Principal and Christopher Amato, Fifth Grade Principal.
Laramie Project controversy
In August, 2007 the high school received international attention when its principal, Julia Davidow, backed by superintendent of schools Thomas Pagano decided to prohibit West Park Players, the school's drama club, from staging the play The Laramie Project. The play, an account of the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, had a pro-LGBT and pro-tolerance message that the two administrators felt would offend conservative community values, Davidow stating "I do not want to draw a line between those who think homosexuality is right and those who think it is wrong. I have a school community to run here and I must protect everyone involved."[12][13][14][15][16] In the wake of widespread outrage at Pagano's and Davidow's act and calls for their disciplining, the play was reinstated.[17]
Special education
The district provides a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). All children 3 through 21, who reside in the Ocean Township School District are provided with some kind of Special Education.
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[18][19]
- Dr. James Stefankiewicz, Superintendent[20]
- Kenneth Jannarone, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
References
- 1 2 District information for Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
- ↑ DeNicola, Linda. "Ocean Township voters approve school budget: Taxes will rise 3.3 percent in Ocean, decrease in Loch Arbour", Atlanticville, April 28, 2005. Accessed April 6, 2011.
- ↑ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
- ↑ School Data for the Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Ocean Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ocean Township Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Wanamassa Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Wayside Elementary School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ocean Township Intermediate School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ocean Township High School, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Larsen, Erik. "School officials forbid club to perform play", Asbury Park Press, August 4, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ↑ Angelini, Bob. "Wyoming Town Rejected Bigotry: Will Ocean Township High School?", Asbury Park Press, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ↑ Larsen, Erik. "No mention of controversial play at board meeting: Principal nixed Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ↑ Larsen, Erik. "Jersey Guys offer to pay for staging of The Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ↑ Larsen, Erik. Instructor Assails Banning of Play, Asbury Park Press, August 5, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ↑ Papaianni, Joanne L (August 9, 2007). "Play Will Go On In Ocean". The Coaster. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ↑ Central Office Administration, Ocean Township School District. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 23, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.oceanschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=20292925&pageId=21000070 Superintendent's Message], Township of Ocean Schools. Accessed July 23, 2014.
External links
- Township of Ocean Schools
- Ocean Township School District's 2014–15 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- School Data for the Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Coordinates: 40°15′49″N 74°00′46″W / 40.263626°N 74.012729°W