Newton Public School District
Encyclopedia
The Newton Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district
serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Newton
, in Sussex County
, New Jersey
, United States. The district's enrollment includes high school students from Andover Borough
and Andover
and Green
townships, who attend the high school as part of sending/receiving relationship
s.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's three schools had an enrollment of 1,577 students and 134.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth 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. Despite its District Factor Group, Newton has been considered the top school district in Sussex County, registering the highest test scores in the county.
) are:
Teachers have staged two public demonstrations, a march from the high school to the Board of Education meeting in December and informational picketing at district schools in January.
Guy Schultz, a technology teacher at Newton High School for the past nine years, was indefinitely suspended after the district was notified that Schultz did not have proper certification. The district has stated that the teaching credentials of all teachers had been reviewed over the past year and that they had been notified on January 31, 2008 that Schultz lacked the appropriate credentials to teach technology courses. Schultz was the teachers' union representative for Newton High School, and his dismissal was criticized by the union as illegal. Schultz was to be officially fired at the NBoE meeting on February 12; however, Schultz has since been rehired as an Agricultural Science teacher until he acquires the correct credentials.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Newton
Newton, New Jersey
Newton is a town in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,244. It is the county seat of Sussex County....
, in Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. The district's enrollment includes high school students from Andover Borough
Andover, New Jersey
Andover is a Borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 606.Andover was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 25, 1904, from portions of Andover Township.-Geography:Andover is located at ...
and Andover
Andover Township, New Jersey
Andover Township is a Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 6,319....
and Green
Green Township, New Jersey
- History :On November 20, 1824, the southern portion of Sussex County was set off to create Warren County. The northern portions of both Hardwick and Independence Townships, remained in Sussex County and were incorporated as Green Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 27,...
townships, who attend the high school as part of sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
s.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's three schools had an enrollment of 1,577 students and 134.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth 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. Despite its District Factor Group, Newton has been considered the top school district in Sussex County, registering the highest test scores in the county.
Schools
Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are:
- Merriam Avenue School, served 463 students in grades K-5.
- Karen Perez, Principal
- Kristi Bennett, Assistant Principal
- Halsted Street Middle School served 270 students in grades 6 through 8.
- Jeff Waldron, Principal
- Kristi Bennett, Assistant Principal
- Newton High School served 844 students grades 9-12
- James Tasker, Principal
- Kurt Walton, Assistant Principal
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:- Dr. G. Kennedy Greene, Superintendent
- Donna Snyder, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
2007 Teachers' contract negotiations
The teachers of the Newton Public School District and their union, the Newton Education Association, are currently in the process of negotiating new contracts with the Newton Board of Education, the old contract having expired as of June 30, 2007, with the previous contract's terms extended by agreement. Union representatives cited salary and health insurance as the main issues in the dispute, with the district proposing that teachers pay some of the costs of health insurance premiums. State mediators were scheduled to begin mediation between the two sides in January 2008.Teachers have staged two public demonstrations, a march from the high school to the Board of Education meeting in December and informational picketing at district schools in January.
Guy Schultz, a technology teacher at Newton High School for the past nine years, was indefinitely suspended after the district was notified that Schultz did not have proper certification. The district has stated that the teaching credentials of all teachers had been reviewed over the past year and that they had been notified on January 31, 2008 that Schultz lacked the appropriate credentials to teach technology courses. Schultz was the teachers' union representative for Newton High School, and his dismissal was criticized by the union as illegal. Schultz was to be officially fired at the NBoE meeting on February 12; however, Schultz has since been rehired as an Agricultural Science teacher until he acquires the correct credentials.
External links
- Newton Public School District
- Newton Public School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...