Waterford Township School District

Waterford Township School District
Address
1106 Old White Horse Pike
, Camden County, New Jersey, 08089
United States
Coordinates39°43′37″N 74°51′08″W / 39.726901°N 74.852218°W / 39.726901; -74.852218
District information
GradesPreK-6
SuperintendentMichael Nolan
Business administratorDaniel J. Fox
Schools3
Students and staff
Enrollment819 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty78.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupDE
WebsiteDistrict website
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-6
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$15,1568$18,891−19.8%
1Budgetary Cost14,0202613,6492.7%
2Classroom Instruction7,860148,366−6.0%
6Support Services2,912512,16134.8%
8Administrative Cost1,525261,4674.0%
10Operations & Maintenance1,594321,5522.7%
16Median Teacher Salary54,3781857,437
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-6 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=59

The Waterford Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade from Waterford Township, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 819 students and 78.5 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 "DE", the fifth-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]

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the Hammonton Public Schools in Hammonton, as part of a sending/receiving relationship, alongside students from Folsom who attend for grades 9-12 as part of an agreement with the Folsom Borough School District.[5][6][7] Schools in the Hammonton district attended by Waterford Township students (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[8]) are Hammonton Middle School[9] with 879 students in grades 6-8 and Hammonton High School[10] with 1,393 students in grade 9-12.[11]

In the wake of the dissolution of the Lower Camden County Regional School District, the Hammonton board of education voted in 1999 to begin accepting an estimated 800 students from Waterford Township for grades 7-12 starting as soon as 2002, with the tuition paid by students from Waterford helping to lower overall costs to Hammonton taxpayers and the New Jersey Department of Education approved the agreement.[12][13]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[14]) are:[15][16][17]

  • Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center[18] with 221 students in grades 2-3 (now PreK-K)
  • Atco Elementary School[19] with 193 students in grades K-1 (now grades 1-2)
  • Waterford Elementary School[20] with 400 students in grades 4-6

Administration

The superintendent is Michael Nolan[21] and the assistant superintendent for business is Daniel J. Fox.[22][23]

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 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.[24][25][26]

In 1997 the district conducted a survey of 700 households on whether it should adopt school uniforms. 383 persons who responded indicated that they favored uniforms while 166 indicated opposition. At the time there were some members of the school board who formed a faction favoring school uniforms, while another faction opposed them.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Waterford Township 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. ^ Waterford Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Waterford Township School District. Accessed October 5, 2023. "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 six in the Waterford Township School District. Composition: The Waterford Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Waterford Township."
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  5. ^ Hammonton Public Schools 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2020. "The Hammonton Public School System serves children from Hammonton, Waterford, and Folsom – as well as over 140 NJ Department of Education Choice students."
  6. ^ Schools, Towns of Hammonton. Accessed April 3, 2020. "Residents from Waterford attend grades 7 through 12. Residents of Folsom and Collings Lakes attend the Hammonton High School in grades 9 through 12 at a brand-new high school on a 118-acre campus."
  7. ^ Puko, Timothy. "Sending Towns Feeling Pinched by Hammonton", The Press of Atlantic City, March 13, 2007. Accessed June 6, 2016. "The two school districts that send students to Hammonton are disputing tuition adjustments that would allow Hammonton School District to avoid a tax hike this year but cause large tax hikes in the sending districts. The school budgets for Hammonton and its sending districts Waterford and Folsom could hang in limbo well past next month's school board elections, and Waterford and Folsom could be left with budget fights and massive cuts, sending district superintendents said."
  8. ^ School Data for the Hammonton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  9. ^ Hammonton Middle School[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed April 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Hammonton High School Archived November 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed April 3, 2020.
  11. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Hammonton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Arnold, Stephanie L. "Hammonton Board Decides To Accept Waterford Students More Money For An Improved Curriculum Is Expected Once The 800 Junior And Senior High Pupils Arrive.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 25, 1999. Accessed December 15, 2014. "The school board has been mulling the issue since the Waterford Board of Education, in Camden County, decided in September that it wanted to send its 800 junior high and high school students to the Atlantic County school district. Last year, five of seven towns that make up the Lower Camden County Regional School District voted to dissolve it within three years, leaving each town responsible for educating its students."
  13. ^ Board of Education of the Town of Hammonton, Atlantic County, petitioner, New Jersey Department of Education, January 4, 2000. Accessed April 3, 2020. "This matter arises from the pending dissolution of the Lower Camden County Regional School District No. 1 (LCCR). Petitioner, Hammonton BOE, has a proposed sending/receiving contract with Waterford, one of the constituent districts of the LCCR, to accept that district's students in grades 7-12....The Commissioner found that education law poses no impediment to Hammonton entering a sending/receiving relationship with Waterford pursuant to the parties' proposed agreement (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-11)."
  14. ^ School Data for the Waterford Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  15. ^ About Us, Waterford Township School District. Accessed April 3, 2020. "Waterford Township School District is a prekindergarten – 6th grade district serving approximately 890 students in three schools. Upon graduating from 6th grade, students continue their public education in nearby Hammonton Public School District. School / Grades: Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center Preschool & Kindergarten; Atco Elementary School Grades 1-2; Waterford Elementary School Grades 3- 6"
  16. ^ School Performance Reports for the Waterford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Waterford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Thomas Richards Early Childhood Center, Waterford Township School District. Accessed April 3, 2020.
  19. ^ Atco Elementary School, Waterford Township School District. Accessed April 3, 2020.
  20. ^ Waterford Elementary School, Waterford Township School District. Accessed April 3, 2020.
  21. ^ Superintendent's Message, Waterford Township School District. Accessed October 5, 2023.
  22. ^ Business Office - Staff Directory, Waterford Township School District. Accessed May 14, 2020.
  23. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Camden County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Waterford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed October 5, 2023. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Camden, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members terms expire each year. The Superintendent is appointed by the Board to act as executive officer of the School District. Students in grades K through 6 are educated at the School District's three schools. Students in grades 7 through 12 attend, on a tuition basis, Hammonton Middle/High Schools."
  26. ^ Board of Education, Waterford Township School District. Accessed October 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Thevenot, Brian. "District-wide Uniform Policy: The Rules Would Be Among The First Of Their Kind In New Jersey. But Serious Questions Remain.", (Archive), Philadelphia Inquirer, June 11, 1997. Accessed November 29, 2015.