Berkeley Heights Public Schools

Last updated

Berkeley Heights Public Schools
Address
345 Plainfield Avenue
Berkeley Heights
, Union County , 07922
United States
Coordinates 40°40′38″N74°26′24″W / 40.677107°N 74.440046°W / 40.677107; -74.440046
District information
Grades K-12
SuperintendentKim Feltre
Business administratorDan Gallagher (interim)
Schools6
Students and staff
Enrollment2,441 (as of 2023–24) [1]
Faculty225.3 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio10.8:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group I
Website www.bhpsnj.org
Ind.Per pupilDistrict
spending		Rank
(*)		K-12
average		%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$18,41441$18,891−2.5%
1Budgetary Cost14,4184514,783−2.5%
2Classroom Instruction8,978578,7632.5%
6Support Services2,110402,392−11.8%
8Administrative Cost1,468281,485−1.1%
10Operations & Maintenance1,300111,783−27.1%
13Extracurricular Activities5305926897.8%
16Median Teacher Salary69,4575964,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending. [2]
*Of K-12 districts with 1,800-3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=68

The Berkeley Heights Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Berkeley Heights in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. [3]

Contents

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 2,441 students and 225.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. [1]

The district's high school serves public school students of Berkeley Heights, along with approximately 300 students from the neighboring borough of Mountainside who are educated at the school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Mountainside School District. [4] [5] [6] Governor Livingston provides programs for deaf, hard of hearing and cognitively-impaired students in the district and those who are enrolled from all over north-central New Jersey who attend on a tuition basis. [7]

History

Union County Regional High School District was established in 1937 as the first regional high school district in New Jersey, serving students from Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside and Springfield. [8] In November 1953, district voters approved a $1.95 million bond referendum that included funds to purchase a site in Berkeley Heights for a third high school. In April 1957, voters approved a $3.8 million bond referendum that included funds to construct a high school on the Berkeley Heights site. [9] The name "Governor Livingston Regional High School" was chosen in September 1959, though there was criticism about potential confusion with Livingston High School located 10 miles (16 km) away in Livingston. [10] In September 1960, the school opened its doors to 800 students from Berkeley Heights and Mountainside. The regional district's superintendent at the time was Dr. Warren Davis and Frederick Aho was the first principal of the high school. [11]

In May 1996, the vote to de-regionalize the school district passed and the incoming freshmen in 1997–98 school year were the first to enter Governor Livingston High School, which became part of the Berkeley Heights School District. [8]

The district had been 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. [12]

Schools

Columbia Middle School Berkeley Heights NJ Columbia elementary school.jpg
Columbia Middle School

Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [13] ) are: [14] [15]

Elementary schools
Middle school
High school

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: [28] [29]

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 three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election; a representative appointed by Mountainside also sits on the board. 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. [32] [33] [34]

The board of education and administrative offices for the district are located in the original Columbia School building on Plainfield Avenue, adjacent to the middle school building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 District information for Berkeley Heights School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Board of Education Bylaws 0110 - Identification, Berkeley Heights Public Schools, revised March 15, 2001. Accessed August 10, 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 12 in the Berkeley Heights School District, and preschool children identified for special education as required by statute. Composition: The Berkeley Heights School District is comprised of all area within the municipal boundaries of Berkeley Heights."
  4. ↑ 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."
  5. ↑ 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."
  6. ↑ Migueis, John. "Too Many Bosses, Not Enough Students — A Case for School District Unification in Union County", Medium, July 17, 2025. Accessed August 10, 2025. "Mountainside is one of these tiny, K-8 districts that has two schools and approximately 800 students. Berkeley Heights (BHPS) has 2,300 students and six schools including Governor Livingston High School (GLHS), which Mountainside’s students attend as part of a send-receive relationship. Mountainside has too few students to have its own high school.... Every five years, Berkeley Heights and Mountainside renegotiate to keep Mountainside students attending GLHS versus going to another high school, such as Westfield or Springfield (Mountainside sent students to Jonathan Dayton in Springfield many decades ago)."
  7. ↑ Baum, Victoria. "Governor Livingston High School’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Celebrates 42 Years of Innovation and Excellence", TAP into Mountainside, October 29, 2019. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Since 1976, Governor Livingston High School’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program has been offering unique opportunities for high school students throughout the state of New Jersey. This award-winning program is a part of the fabric of Governor Livingston High School and offers a comprehensive curriculum, extensive electives and a variety of extracurricular activities to ensure an outstanding high school experience for all enrolled students. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at GLHS offers exceptional opportunities to qualifying deaf and hearing-impaired students within the Berkeley Heights School District, as well as other students who attend from neighboring districts through a tuition-based program."
  8. 1 2 Assembly Task Force on School District Regionalization; Findings and Recommendations, New Jersey Legislature, February 25, 1999, p. 27. Accessed August 10, 2025. "Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside and Springfield formed the limited purpose Union County Regional District No. 1 in 1937.... There was a very short time between the vote by the public to dissolve in May 1996, the selection process of employees in December 1996, and the formal dissolution on June 30, 1997."
  9. ↑ "Voters OK Funds For New School", Courier News , May 1, 1957. Accessed August 10, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "The Union County Regional Board of Education's S3.8 million bond issue was passed by an overwhelming majority vote yesterday. Final tally of the six-member school district showed 1,279 for and 209 against. The bond issue will provide a 900-pupil regional high school for Berkeley Heights on a 35-acre tract off Mountain Ave. with doors scheduled to open by the Fall of 1959."
  10. ↑ "'Unfortunate' Galled Good School Name", Courier News , September 2, 1959. Accessed August 10, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Governor Livingston Regional High School, the name chosen for the school by the board's school name committee of Everett A. Fay and Dr. Minor C. K. Jones, came under immediate fire from board member John L. Banyasz. Banyasz said, 'The greatest deed the board could do is to name it Memorial High School in honor of the memory of the boys from the school district who gave their lives for their country. As a matter of fact, there's a Livingston High School and a Livingston town within a few miles of us.'"
  11. ↑ "Schools to Offer Electronics Course", Courier News , August 13, 1960. Accessed August 10, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Fredericks joins with Superintendent Warren M. Davis and Principal Frederick Aho in their enthusiasm for the new featured course at the Governor Livingston School."
  12. ↑ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ School Data for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ School Performance Reports for the Berkeley Heights School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  16. ↑ Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ Administration, Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  18. ↑ William Woodruff Elementary School, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  19. ↑ [httpshttps://www.bhpsnj.org/o/wwes/page/woodruff-administrative-team Administrative Team], William Woodruff Elementary School. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  20. ↑ Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  21. ↑ Administration, Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  22. ↑ Mountain Park Elementary School, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  23. ↑ Administration, Mountain Park Elementary School. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  24. ↑ Columbia Middle School, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  25. ↑ Administration, Columbia Middle School. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  27. ↑ Administration, Governor Livingston High School. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  28. ↑ District Administrative Team, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  29. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  30. ↑ Baum, Vicki. "Berkeley Heights Board of Education Names Dr. Kim Feltre Superintendent of Schools", TAPinto Berkeley Heights, October 29, 2024. Accessed August 10, 2025. "The Berkeley Heights Board of Education is pleased to announce that at the Tuesday, October 29th BOE meeting, the appointment of Dr. Kim Feltre to the position of Superintendent of Berkeley Heights Public School was approved."
  31. ↑ Business Office, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
  32. ↑ 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.
  33. ↑ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Township of Berkeley Heights School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed August 10, 2025. "The District is a Type II District located in Union County, New Jersey. The District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The District is governed by a seven member board and one sending district member 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.
  34. ↑ Board of Education Members, Berkeley Heights Public Schools. Accessed August 10, 2025.
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