Hackensack Public Schools

Hackensack Public Schools
Address
191 Second Street Hackensack , Bergen County , New Jersey , 07601 United States
Coordinates	40°53′23″N74°02′31″W / 40.889732°N 74.041821°W / 40.889732; -74.041821
District information
Grades	PreK to 12
Superintendent	Thomas McBryde
Business administrator	Lydia Singh
Schools	6
Students and staff
Enrollment	5,483 (as of 2021–22) [1]
Faculty	415.8 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio	13.2:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group	CD
Website	www.hackensackschools.org
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $24,046 98 $18,891 27.3% 1 Budgetary Cost 15,746 74 14,783 6.5% 2 Classroom Instruction 10,173 93 8,763 16.1% 6 Support Services 2,419 61 2,392 1.1% 8 Administrative Cost 1,274 23 1,485 −14.2% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,611 51 1,783 −9.6% 13 Extracurricular Activities 268 61 268 0.0% 16 Median Teacher Salary 81,508 97 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 Hackensack Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the City of Hackensack, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ^[3]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising six schools, had an enrollment of 5,483 students and 415.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.2:1. ^[1]

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. ^[4]

The district's high school serves students from South Hackensack and Rochelle Park as part of sending/receiving relationships with the respective districts. ^[5] In March 2020, the Maywood Public Schools announced that it had received approval from the New Jersey Department of Education to end the relationship it had established with Hackensack in 1969 and begin transitioning incoming ninth graders to Henry P. Becton Regional High School beginning in the 2020–21 school year. Maywood cited costs of nearly $14,800 per student in 2018 to send students to Hackensack while Becton would start a cost of $10,500 per student. ^[6]

History

In 1948, the district had a school with all African-American students but which had teachers of multiple races. While the school was in operation during de jure educational segregation in the United States, Noma Jensen of Journal of Negro Education wrote "This school is all Negro by reason of population." ^[7]

Superintendent Karen Lewis was suspended in 2016. Assistant superintendent Joseph Cicchelli became an acting superintendent instead of fulfilling his planned retirement. ^[8] Rosemary Marks became the superintendent in 2017. ^[9]

Awards and recognition

Hackensack High School (HHS) was named one of America's best high schools by Newsweek magazine in its 2013 rankings. ^[10] Ranked among the top six percent of high schools in the country, HHS was recognized based on various criteria including Advanced Placement (AP) programs, the four-year, on-time graduation rate and number of graduates accepted into a two- or four-year college program.

Jackson Avenue Elementary School was recognized by Governor Jim McGreevey in 2003 as one of 25 schools selected statewide for the First Annual Governor's School of Excellence award. ^[11]

Schools

Schools in the district, with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics, ^[12] are: ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Preschool

• Early Childhood Development Center ^[16]

Elementary schools

• Fairmount Elementary School ^[17] with 598 students in grades PreK-4
  • Eric Boateng, principal ^[18]
• Fanny Meyer Hillers School ^[19] with 473 students in grades PreK-4
  • Judith A. Soto, principal ^[20]
• Jackson Avenue School ^[21] with 435 students in grades PreK-4
  • Christopher Moran, principal ^[22]
• Nellie K. Parker School ^[23] with 527 students in grades PreK-4
  • Lillian Whitaker, principal ^[24]

Middle school

• Hackensack Middle School ^[25] with 1,447 students in grades 5-8
  • Joy Dorsey-Whiting, principal ^[26]

High school

• Hackensack High School ^[27] with 1,852 students in grades 9-12
  • James Montesano, principal ^[28]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: ^{[29] [30]}

• Thomas McBryde Jr., superintendent ^[31]
• Lydia Singh, business administrator and board secretary ^[32]

Board of education

The district's board of education, composed of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration, with an added representative from Maywood, who represents that district in matters related to the high school. 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 as part of the April school 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. ^{[33] [34]} As one of the 13 districts statewide with school elections in April (five of which are in Bergen County), voters also decide on passage of the annual school budget. ^[35]

References

1. District information for Hackensack 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. Hackensack Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024. "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 twelve in the Hackensack School District. Composition: The Hackensack School District is comprised of all the area within the County of Bergen."
4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 12, 2014.
5. Alvarado, Monsy. "Maywood to study sending high schoolers to Paramus over Hackensack", The Record , January 14, 2011. Accessed April 29, 2013. "Besides 250 students from Maywood, Hackensack High School also serves about 120 students from Rochelle Park and 80 students from South Hackensack."
6. Stoltz, Marsha A. "Here's why Maywood will send its students to Becton instead of Hackensack High School", The Record , March 9, 2020. Accessed April 6, 2020. "Maywood high school students will have four years to phase out of Hackensack High School and into Henry P. Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford. The process will begin in September, when current Maywood eighth-graders will be the first to attend Becton as freshmen, according to a March 7 joint announcement by the superintendents of the two districts.... The two districts signed a seven-year send/receive contract in 2010 with a per-pupil tuition of $13,125 and a 2% yearly increase. In January 2018, Maywood paid Hackensack's school district $14,781 per student, or $3.7 million for 249 students. It rejected a three-year contract proposed by Hackensack of $15,076 per student the first year and a 5% increase the second.... Maywood eventually agreed to a 10-year contract with Becton at $10,500 per student, with a 2% increase for the fifth contract year and a cap of $11,800 by the 10th year. Becton now has students from East Rutherford and Carlstadt."
7. Jensen, Noma (Winter 1948). "A Survey of Segregation Practices in the New Jersey School System". The Journal of Negro Education . 17 (1). Journal of Negro Education: 84–88. JSTOR   2966093. - CITED: p. 85.
8. Torrejon, Rodrigo. "Board to discuss superintendent search in closed meeting", The Journal News , November 17, 2016. Accessed April 6, 2020. "The survey is one of the steps taken by board members to replace acting-Superintendent Joseph Cicchelli. Cicchelli, formerly an assistant superintendent, had planned to retire this year, but he stayed on when Superintendent Karen Lewis was suspended from her position. Cicchelli stepped up to fill in for Lewis until a replacement was found. School officials have not disclosed why Lewis was suspended."
9. Torrejon, Rodrigo ."Educator with 23 years in Hackensack schools will lead district", The Journal News , June 27, 2017. Accessed April 6, 2020. "The Board of Education has selected Rosemary Marks, an educator who has worked in the city school district for more than 20 years, to lead it as the district’s new superintendent."
10. Staff. "2013 America's Best High Schools" Archived August 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Newsweek , May 6, 2013. Accessed August 18, 2014.
11. McGreevey Celebrates Schools that are "Getting it Right": Schools of Excellence Winners Demonstrate Effectiveness of Governor's Education Priorities Archived 2012-10-18 at the Wayback Machine , New Jersey Department of Education press release dated November 21, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2009.
12. School Data for the Hackensack Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
13. School Directory, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
14. New Jersey School Directory for the Hackensack Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
15. School Performance Reports for the Hackensack School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
16. Early Childhood Development Center, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
17. Fairmount Elementary School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
18. Administration and Main Office Personnel, Fairmount Elementary School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
19. Fanny Meyer Hillers School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
20. Administration and Main Office Personnel, Fanny Meyer Hillers School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
21. Jackson Avenue School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
22. Administration and Main Office Personnel, Jackson Avenue School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
23. Nellie K. Parker School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
24. Administration and Main Office Personnel, Nellie K. Parker School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
25. Hackensack Middle School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
26. Administration and Main Office Personnel, Hackensack Middle School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
27. Hackensack High School, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
28. Administration, Hackensack High School. Accessed January 10, 2024.
29. Board Members, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
30. New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
31. Superintendent's Office, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
32. Business Office, Hackensack Public Schools. Accessed January 10, 2024.
33. 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.
34. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Hackensack School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed January 10, 2024. "The Hackensack Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A School Business Administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District."
35. Mazzola, Jessica. "13 N.J school districts held elections Tuesday and - surprise! - hardly anyone voted. See how bad it was", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 18, 2018, updated May 14, 2019. Accessed February 17, 2020. "The rest of their 530 counterparts across the state have switched to November elections – most made the change immediately after a 2012 law allowing school district votes to move from April to the fall, held in tandem with the general election. But voters in 13 New Jersey towns went to the polls Tuesday to cast votes for their local boards of education, and in most cases, on whether or not to pass the district budgets."

External links

• Official website
• Hackensack Elementary School portal
• School Performance Reports for the Hackensack Public Schools , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Hackensack Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics