Jackson School District (New Jersey)

Jackson School District
District's Administration Building
Address
151 Don Connor Boulevard
Jackson Township
, Ocean County, New Jersey, 08527
United States
Coordinates40°06′17″N 74°20′42″W / 40.104849°N 74.344924°W / 40.104849; -74.344924
District information
GradesK-12
SuperintendentNicole Pormilli
Business administratorDaniel Baginski
Schools10
Students and staff
Enrollment7,535 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty623.1 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.1:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupDE
Websitewww.jacksonsd.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$16,13818$18,891−14.6%
1Budgetary Cost13,0142514,783−12.0%
2Classroom Instruction7,609138,763−13.2%
6Support Services2,082392,392−13.0%
8Administrative Cost1,284251,485−13.5%
10Operations & Maintenance1,464321,783−17.9%
13Extracurricular Activities281632684.9%
16Median Teacher Salary57,8501564,043
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 Jackson School District is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Jackson Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3] The district operates six elementary schools serving grades K-5, two middle schools and two high schools.[4] In January 2015, the Jackson Board of Education voted to implement full-day kindergarten, which was introduced in September 2015.[5]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising 10 schools, had an enrollment of 7,535 students and 623.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1.[1]

History

Switlik Elementary School opened in 1948 as the district's first central elementary school, marking the end of one-room schoolhouses.[6]: 39 

In 1962, The Brookwood Elementary School opened. It would later be renamed after Sylvia Rosenauer, its first principal, in 1978.[6]: 54 

Jackson High School (since renamed as Jackson Memorial High School) opened in September 1963 as the district's first high school with 700 students in grades 7–9, though other district school facilities were used on a temporary basis as the building that housed Jackson Junior-Senior High School wasn't completed and opened to students until the spring of 1964.[7] Before the high school opened, students living in Jackson Township attended Lakewood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[8]

Johnson Elementary School opened in 1969. It was named after Howard C. Johnson, the first Jackson resident to receive a diploma. He graduated from Lakewood High School in 1901.[6]: 55  That same year, the Lucy N. Holman Elementary School opened. It was named after a Switlik principal.[6]: 56 

In 1973, the Carl W. Goetz Middle School opened.[9]

In 1993, the McAuliffe Middle School opened, it was named after Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian teacher in space and a victim of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster during a NASA mission on January 28, 1986. McAuliffe's mother was there herself when the school named after her daughter opened its doors for the first time.[10]

In 2003, Elms Elementary School opened.[11]

Jackson Liberty High School opened in September 2006 with 800 students in 9th and 10th grades. The school was constructed at a cost of $70 million (equivalent to $109.2 million in 2024) with a maximum capacity of 1,900 students in grades 9–12. The school is two stories high with 288,500 square feet (26,800 m2) of floor space on a 150-acre (0.61 km2) parcel of land, and features 85 classrooms, a 1,800-seat gymnasium and about a dozen athletic fields.[12]

In May 2010, it was announced that the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights found probable cause against the Jackson school district for violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by allowing a hostile environment to prevail against former Jackson Memorial High School student Daniel Jacobson. Jacobson, who is gay and Honduran, alleged that he was repeatedly harassed and threatened because of his sexual orientation and national origin.[13] The case will likely go to trial by the end of the year.[14]

In 2024, Rosenauer was sold for $13.1 million to Bais Yaakov, an all-girls Jewish school, as part of an effort to fill a budgetary gap.[15]

In February 2025, The Jackson School district announced that it would close Christa McAuliffe Middle School at the end of the 2024-25 school year. It also announced that for the 2025–26 school year, all high school students would be attending Jackson Liberty High School, which will become Jackson Township High School, while the former Jackson Memorial High School would be repurposed into a school for grades 7 and 8. Carl W. Goetz Middle School would be reconfigured for grades 5 and 6.[16][17][18]

In June 2025, the district sued the state of New Jersey. It blames the state on school closings, hundreds of job losses and programming cuts on the state’s “systemic and unconstitutional underfunding”. The district has also attributed the loss of both Rosenauer and McAuliffe, along with the 385 job reductions and programming cuts on a $22.4 million decrease in state school aid over a seven-year period, according to a statement from Jackson officials. Declining enrollment has been a factor in the state funding cuts. The district has decreased 15.6% in student enrollment from 8,189 in 2017-18 to 6,914 in 2024-25. The district has also saw their busing costs climb as more Orthodox Jewish families moved into the municipality and requested district-funded busing to send their children to private religious schools. The school district is seeking compensation and a judgement that requires the state to revise the school funding formula.[19]

Awards and recognition

For the 2001–02 school year, Christa McAuliffe Middle School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.[20]

The district had been 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.[21]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[22]) are:[23][24][25][26]

Elementary schools
  • Crawford-Rodriguez Elementary School[27] (536 students; in grades PreK-5)
    • Ronald Polakowski, principal
  • Elms Elementary School[28] (627; PreK-5)
    • Michael Burgos, principal
  • Lucy N. Holman Elementary School[29] (484; PreK-5)
    • Richard Karas, principal
  • Howard C. Johnson Elementary School[30] (354; PreK-5)
    • Renee Pagano-Hein, principal
  • Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School[31] (213; PreK-5)
    • Theresa Licitra, principal
  • Switlik Elementary School[32] (806; K-5)
    • Michael Raymond, principal
Middle school
  • Carl W. Goetz Middle School[33] (1,001; 6–8)
    • Carl Perino, principal[34]
  • Christa McAuliffe Middle School[35] (759; 6–8)
    • Debra Phillips, principal
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[38][39]

  • Nicole Pormilli, superintendent of schools
  • Daniel Baginski, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised of seven 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 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.[40][41][42] As of 2025, the President of the board of education is Tina Kas.[43]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Jackson Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Jackson Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Jackson School District, adopted November 16, 2004. Accessed February 27, 2025. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Jackson Township School District. Composition: The Jackson Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Jackson Township."
  4. ^ About Our District, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023. "We educate almost 9,000 students in ten schools – six elementary, two middle and two high schools."
  5. ^ Oglesby, Amanda. "Jackson BOE approves full-day kindergarten", Asbury Park Press, January 21, 2015. Accessed March 20, 2015. "Jackson – The township's 5-year-olds will have full-day kindergarten when they start school in September. The Board of Education voted Tuesday evening to change Jackson's kindergarten program from half day to full day."
  6. ^ a b c d O'Donnell, Victoria; and Ippolito, Christopher. Jackson Township, Arcadia Publishing, 2012, ISBN 9780738592725. Accessed July 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Oglesby, Amanda. "Jackson Memorial celebrates 50 years", Asbury Park Press, October 7, 2014. Accessed March 1, 2025. "Fifty years ago, Jackson opened its first high school within the township, giving residents their own high school.... The building's completion drew an end to Jackson's previous educational relationship with Lakewood High School. When it opened its doors in the spring of 1964, its roughly 700 students walked into Jackson Junior Senior High School for the first time, said Bernie Reider, 73, of Jackson, who was a math and science teacher there at the time."
  8. ^ "Board Sets Up 4-Year High At Lakewood", Asbury Park Press, October 29, 1963. Accessed March 1, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Dr. David Zweben, president of the Board, said that the change is based on the knowledge that Jackson Township students who now attend the Lakewood junior and senior high schools will attend the new Jackson High School next year. He said that only those Jackson Township students now in the junior class who will be seniors next year will attend Lakewood High School."
  9. ^ Vosseller, Bob (December 21, 2023). "Goetz School Celebrates 50th Anniversary". Jersey Shore Online. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  10. ^ Greenberg, Ted; Grassi • •, Emily Rose (June 16, 2025). "NJ's Christa McAuliffe Middle School set to close due to state funding cuts". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  11. ^ "Paradise, Nicholas / Meet the Teacher". www.jacksonsd.org. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  12. ^ Zedalis, Joe. "New Jackson school to open", Asbury Park Press, August 20, 2006. Accessed March 1, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Stained oak doors, terrazzo floors, recessed lighting, a patio and corridors as wide as 40 feet await the 800 students who will attend the $70 million Jackson Liberty High School starting next month. The school, located on Hope-Chapel Road near the Lakewood boundary, will welcome ninth- and 10th-graders in its first year. The school is expected to enroll about 1,700 students two years from now, when grades nine through 12 attend.... Jackson Liberty was built with money approved by taxpayers as part of a $103 million referendum in January 2002. The school is located on 154 acres with 17 athletic fields, a field house and enough room for either an intermediate or elementary school to be constructed on the site."
  13. ^ "AG Rabner Announces Finding of Probable Cause in School Bullying Case", New Jersey Attorney General. Accessed July 6, 2010.
  14. ^ "N.J. student's harassment case may go to trial", The Advocate. Accessed July 6, 2010.
  15. ^ Jennings, Rob. "N.J. elementary school sold to Orthodox Jewish school in $13M deal", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 17, 2024. Accessed July 4, 2025. "A longtime public elementary school in Ocean County that closed in June because of an $18 million, district-wide budget shortfall is slated to become a private school. The Jackson school board approved selling the former Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School — which closed after 62 years — to Bais Yaakov of Jackson, according to the K-12 school district. The school board accepted a $13.1 million bid for the site at its Dec. 11 meeting."
  16. ^ Oglesby, Amanda. "Jackson to merge high schools, sue New Jersey Dept of Education after Lakewood gets loan", Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2025. Accessed February 27, 2025. "This summer, Jackson officials plan to close Christa McAuliffe Middle School to fill an estimated $13 million budget hole in the 2025-26 school year.... In addition, about 1,400 Jackson Memorial High School students would be merged into the student body at Jackson Liberty High School, the newer of the two high schools. Jackson Memorial would then be used to educate seventh- and eighth-grade students."
  17. ^ Jennings, Rob. "N.J. high school will get new name after huge merger", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 9, 2025. Accessed July 4, 2025. "The Jackson Liberty High School building will become Jackson Township High School starting in September. The newly-named school will include students currently attending Jackson Liberty and Jackson Memorial High School. It will be the district’s only high school."
  18. ^ Jennings, Rob. "N.J. district will close a different middle school in last-minute switch", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 20, 2025. Accessed July 4, 2025. "The Jackson school board approved a district-wide restructuring plan Wednesday in which the Christa McAuliffe Middle School will close when the academic year ends in June.... Administrators had previously proposed closing the K-12 district’s other middle school, the Carl W. Goetz Middle School, while converting Jackson Memorial High School into a school for grades 7 and 8 and sending grades 5 and 6 to McAuliffe."
  19. ^ NJ.com, Rob Jennings | NJ Advance Media for (June 12, 2025). "N.J. school district that lost $22M in funding is taking the state to court: 'Our students are suffering'". nj. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  20. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2025.
  21. ^ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  22. ^ School Data for the Jackson School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Administrative Contacts, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  24. ^ Public Schools Directory 2023-2024; Living & Learning in Ocean County, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  25. ^ School Performance Reports for the Jackson Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  26. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Jackson School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  27. ^ Crawford-Rodriguez Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  28. ^ Elms Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  29. ^ Lucy N. Holman Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  30. ^ Howard C. Johnson Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  31. ^ Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  32. ^ Switlik Elementary School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  33. ^ Carl W. Goetz Middle School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  34. ^ About Our School, Carl W. Goetz Middle School. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  35. ^ Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  36. ^ Jackson Liberty High School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  37. ^ Jackson Memorial High School, Jackson School District. Accessed December 23, 2023.
  38. ^ Administrative Contacts, Jackson School District. Accessed February 27, 2025.
  39. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Ocean County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Jackson Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed February 27, 2025. "The Township of Jackson School District is a Type II District located in Ocean County, New Jersey. 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 14.
  42. ^ Board of Education, Jackson School District. Accessed February 27, 2025. "Our seven-member Board of Education is an elected body comprised of residents of Jackson Township. The board establishes policies and administrative procedures for the Jackson School District's daily operations. Board members fulfill three-year terms and serve the residents and children of Jackson Township without pay."
  43. ^ Board of Education Members, Jackson School District. Accessed February 27, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.