Burlington Township School District

Burlington Township School District
Address
700 Jacksonville Road Burlington Township , Burlington County , New Jersey , 08016 United States
Coordinates	40°03′59″N74°49′50″W / 40.066415°N 74.830525°W / 40.066415; -74.830525
District information
Grades	PreK to 12
Superintendent	Mary Ann Bell
Business administrator	Nicholas Bice
Schools	4
Students and staff
Enrollment	3,625 (as of 2021–22) [1]
Faculty	328.8 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio	11.0:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group	FG
Website	www.burltwpsch.org
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $16,996 26 $18,891 −10.0% 1 Budgetary Cost 12,948 20 14,783 −12.4% 2 Classroom Instruction 8,721 54 8,763 −0.5% 6 Support Services 1,458 6 2,392 −39.0% 8 Administrative Cost 1,253 20 1,485 −15.6% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,322 18 1,783 −25.9% 13 Extracurricular Activities 194 29 268 −27.6% 16 Median Teacher Salary 56,170 10 64,043 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 Burlington Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Burlington Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising four schools, had an enrollment of 3,625 students and 328.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. ^[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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. ^[3]

Controversy

The Burlington Township School District received publicity in 2009 after a video posted on YouTube by a parent without school approval showed more than a dozen children at B. Bernice Young Elementary School singing a song praising President Barack Obama, which Conservative groups cited as a means of indoctrinating students to support the President. At the conclusion of the song, the children pump their fists and chant "hip, hip, hooray!" The song had been performed in conjunction with Black History Month activities and when the author of the book I Am Barack Obama visited the school the next month ^{[4] [5]}

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ^[6] ) are: ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

Elementary schools

• B. Bernice Young Elementary School ^[11] with 763 students in Pre-K to 1st grade
  • Casey Kocsis, principal ^[12]
• Fountain Woods Elementary School ^[13] with 789 students in grades 2-5
  • April Gittens, principal ^[12]

Middle school

• Burlington Township Middle School at Springside ^[14] with 843 students in grades 6-8
  • Matthew J. Andris, principal ^[12]

High school

• Burlington Township High School ^[15] with 1,187 students in grades 9-12
  • Phil Brownridge, principal ^[12]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: ^{[12] [16]}

• Mary Ann Bell, superintendent ^[17]
• Nicholas Bice, business administrator and board secretary ^[18]

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 2013) 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. ^{[12] [19] [20]}

References

1. District information for Burlington 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. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 10, 2014.
4. Kates, Brian. "Conservatives plan protest over pro-Obama song at New Jersey's B. Bernice Young School", New York Daily News , October 12, 2009. Accessed July 1, 2011. "The songs drew national attention when their performances at the B. Bernice Young School in Burlington Township were posted on YouTube last month. In it, second graders sing: 'Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama/He said that all must lend a hand/ To make this country strong again.' ... Conservatives say the songs show children being indoctrinated to idolize Obama. School officials deny the allegation."
5. via Associated Press. "N.J. education chief orders review after Burlington school children learn song about Obama", NJ.com, September 25, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2014. "New Jersey's education commissioner ordered a review after a YouTube video shows school children learning a song celebrating President Barack Obama. The video shows more than a dozen youngsters at B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington Township."
6. School Data for the Burlington Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
7. The Schools of Burlington Township, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
8. Public Schools Directory 2023–2024, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
9. School Performance Reports for the Burlington Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
10. New Jersey School Directory for the Burlington Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
11. B. Bernice Young Elementary School, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
12. Board and Administration Contact Information, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
13. Fountain Woods Elementary School, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
14. Burlington Township Middle School at Springside, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
15. Burlington Township High School, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
16. New Jersey School Directory for Burlington County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
17. Superintendent's Office, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
18. Business Office, Burlington Township School District. Accessed December 28, 2022.
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 Burlington Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2021. Accessed December 28, 2022. "The Township of Burlington School District (School District) is a Type II district located in the County of Burlington, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, it functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member’s terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for resident students in grades K through 12."

External links

• Burlington Township School District
• School Performance Reports for the Burlington Township School District , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Burlington Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics