Mountainside School District

Mountainside School District
Address
1497 Woodacres Drive
Mountainside
, Union County, New Jersey, 07092
United States
Coordinates40°40′21″N 74°22′13″W / 40.672543°N 74.370185°W / 40.672543; -74.370185
District information
GradesPreK-8
SuperintendentJanet Walling
Business administratorDana Sullivan (interim)
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment747 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Faculty71.6 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.mountainsideschools.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-8
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$15,20012$18,891−19.5%
1Budgetary Cost10,688414,159−24.5%
2Classroom Instruction6,46438,659−25.3%
6Support Services1,658172,167−23.5%
8Administrative Cost1,21881,547−21.3%
10Operations & Maintenance1,240151,612−23.1%
13Extracurricular Activities110551045.8%
16Median Teacher Salary58,5112561,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=84

The Mountainside School District is a community public school district, that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the borough of Mountainside, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 747 students and 71.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.[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]

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Berkeley Heights Public Schools that is covered by an agreement that runs through the end of 2021–22 school year.[5][6] As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 936 students and 88.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.[7] Students also have the choice to attend the programs of the Union County Vocational Technical Schools, which serve students from across Union County.[8]

Awards and recognition

In 2024, Deerfield school was one of 11 statewide that was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[9][10]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[11]) are:[12][13]

  • Beechwood School[14] with 269 students in grades PreK-2
    • Jessica Vierschilling, principal[15]
  • Deerfield School[16] with 467 students in grades 3-8
    • Suzanne Jenks, principal[15]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[15][17]

  • Janet Walling, superintendent[18]
  • Dana Sullivan, interim business administrator and board secretary

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 II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) 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.[19][20][21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Mountainside School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Mountainside Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Mountain School District. Accessed September 24, 2024. "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 Mountainside School District. The Mountainside School District has a sending-receiving relationship with Berkeley Heights Board of Education to educate the Mountainside School District pupils in grades nine through twelve. Composition: The Mountainside School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Mountainside."
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Berkeley Heights Public School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 7, 2016. "In addition to serving the public school students of Berkeley Heights, high school students from the neighboring Borough of Mountainside are educated at Governor Livingston High School."
  6. ^ Mustac, Frank. "Contract Signed to Continue Sending Mountainside Students to Governor Livingston High School", TAP into Mountainside, October 12, 2016. Accessed February 5, 2020. "With the Berkeley Heights Board of Education's recent approval of a renegotiated send/receive agreement, new terms are now in place by which the Mountainside School District will be sending its students in grades nine through 12 to Governor Livingston High School.... The new contract runs for five years from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022, with a renewal option for an additional five years... The business administrator explained that 30 percent of the Mountainside School District annual budget goes to paying the Berkeley Heights district for sending about 300 students who live in Mountainside to Governor Livingston High School."
  7. ^ School data for Governor Livingston High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Our District, Union County Vocational Technical Schools. Accessed May 20, 2013.
  9. ^ Current Awardees, United States Department of Education. Accessed September 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Kelley, Tina. "11 new National Blue Ribbon Schools named in N.J.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 23, 2024. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Eleven public and private schools have been chosen as New Jersey’s newest National Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday."
  11. ^ School Data for the Mountainside School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ School Performance Reports for the Mountainside School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  13. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Mountainside School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Beechwood School, Mountainside School District. Accessed September 24, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Administration, Mountainside School District. Accessed September 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Deerfield School, Mountainside School District. Accessed September 24, 2024.
  17. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Browne, Kate. "New Superintendent Excited About Joining Mountainside", Westfield Leader, September 5, 2019. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Mrs. Walling comes to Mountainside from the Atlantic Highlands School District in Monmouth County, where she worked for 31 years."
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Mountainside School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District." See "Roster of Officials" on page 11.
  21. ^ Board of Education Members, Mountainside School District. Accessed September 24, 2024.