Keansburg School District

Keansburg School District
Address
100 Palmer Place Keansburg , Monmouth County , New Jersey , 07734 United States
Coordinates	40°26′14″N74°07′45″W / 40.43722°N 74.129132°W / 40.43722; -74.129132
District information
Grades	PreK-12
Superintendent	Kathleen O’Hare
Business administrator	Lindsey Case
Schools	4
Affiliation(s)	Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment	1,642 (as of 2018–19) [1]
Faculty	185.0 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio	8.9:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group	A
Website	www.keansburg.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $30,485 49 $18,891 61.4% 1 Budgetary Cost 19,771 48 14,783 33.7% 2 Classroom Instruction 11,360 48 8,763 29.6% 6 Support Services 4,289 49 2,392 79.3% 8 Administrative Cost 1,494 12 1,485 0.6% 10 Operations & Maintenance 2,032 43 1,783 14.0% 13 Extracurricular Activities 544 36 268 103.0% 16 Median Teacher Salary 57,400 16 64,043 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending. [2] *Of K-12 districts with up to 1,800 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=49

Keansburg School District is a public school district based in Keansburg, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. ^[3] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke ^[4] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. ^{[5] [6]}

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,642 students and 185.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.9:1. ^[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the lowest 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. ^[7]

Controversy

In May 2008, Governor Jon Corzine attempted to reduce a $740,000 retirement payout to outgoing superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski. The package included nearly $185,000 for some 250 unused sick and vacation days, plus $556,290 in severance pay. The severance package, negotiated in a 2003 contract, awarded Trzeszkowski a payout calculated by multiplying her monthly salary by the 38 years she worked in the Keansburg district. The $740,000 amount, to be paid over a five-year period, would be paid out on top of Trzeszkowski's estimated $120,000 annual pension. ^[8]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ^[9] ) are: ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Primary schools

• Keansburg Preschool ^[13] with 199 students in grade PreK
  • Anne Hazeldine, principal ^[14]
• Joseph C. Caruso School ^[15] with 668 students in grades K-4. At the start of the 2016–17 school year, the Port Monmouth Road School (which had 501 students in grades PreK - 2) was closed with the opening of the new Joseph C. Caruso School for grades K-4. The 122,000-square-foot (11,300 m²) school was constructed at a cost of $51 million. ^[16]
  • Elyse McMahon, principal ^[14]
• Joseph R. Bolger Middle School ^[17] with 348 students in grades 6-8
  • Joseph Larocca, principal ^[14]

High school

• Keansburg High School ^[18] with 384 students in grades 9-12
  • Sean Brophy, principal ^[14]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: ^{[14] [19]}

• Kathleen O’Hare, superintendent ^[20]
• Lindsey Case, business administrator and board secretary ^[21]

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 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. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

2023-2024 Board of Education members: ^[25]

• Matthew C. Kitchen, President (2022-2024)
• Gregory J. Siciliano, Vice President (2022-2024)
• Brooke Clayton (2023-2025)
• Ken Cook (2023-2025)
• Judy Ferraro (2021-2023)
• Christopher J. Hoff (2021-2023)
• Kim Kelaher-Moran (2021-2023)
• Michael Mankowski (2023-2025)
• Patricia Menture-Frizell (2022-2024)

References

1. District information for Keansburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Keansburg Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020. "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 Keansburg School District. Composition: The Keansburg School District comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Keansburg."
4. What We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."
5. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
6. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
7. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
8. McNichol, Dunstan. "Corzine seeks to trim $740K deal for Keansburg schools chief", The Star-Ledger , May 22, 2008. Accessed July 21, 2008.
9. School Data for the Keansburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
10. County School List H-K, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
11. School Performance Reports for the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
12. New Jersey School Directory for the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
13. Keansburg Preschool, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020.
14. Chain of Command, Keansburg School District. Accessed April 27, 2023.
15. Joseph C. Caruso School, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020.
16. Spahr, Rob. "Officials help break ground for new $51 million Keansburg elementary school", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 17, 2014. Accessed May 3, 2017. "Schools Development Authorities CEO Charles McKenna, state legislators, local officials and Keansburg School District administrators helped break ground for the future Joseph C. Caruso Elementary School on Tuesday. The new 122,000 square-foot school is expected accommodate 750 kindergarten through fourth grade students and feature 28 general use classrooms, eight kindergarten classrooms, self-contained special education classrooms, a media center, a gymnasium and a cafetorium."
17. Joseph R. Bolger Middle School, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020.
18. Keansburg High School, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020.
19. New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
20. Office of the Superintendent, Keansburg School District. Accessed April 27, 2023.
21. Business Office, Keansburg School District. Accessed April 27, 2023.
22. 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.
23. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed May 15, 2020. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grades levels Preschool through 12th grade."
24. Active Board Members, Keansburg School District. Accessed May 15, 2020.
25. Active Board Members, Keansburg School District. Accessed April 27, 2023.

External links

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