Medford Township Public Schools

Medford Township Public Schools
Address
137 Hartford Road Medford , Burlington County , New Jersey , 08055 United States
Coordinates	39°54′19″N74°50′51″W / 39.905299°N 74.847498°W / 39.905299; -74.847498
District information
Grades	PreK-8
Superintendent	Keira Scussa
Business administrator	Jonathan Yates
Schools	7
Students and staff
Enrollment	2,517 (as of 2020–21) [1]
Faculty	225.1 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio	11.2:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group	I
Website	www.medford.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-8 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $20,616 45 $20,745 −0.6% 1 Budgetary Cost 14,897 35 15,258 −2.4% 2 Classroom Instruction 9,036 34 8,999 0.4% 6 Support Services 2,252 33 2,414 −6.7% 8 Administrative Cost 1,751 50 1,655 5.8% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,658 47 1,658 0.0% 13 Extracurricular Activities 41 7 117 −65.0% 16 Median Teacher Salary 72,915 70 63,770 Data from NJDoE 2016-17 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending. [2] *Of K-8 districts with more than 750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=76

The Medford Township Public Schools is a community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Medford, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ^[3] The district has five elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade, a single school serving sixth graders and a school serving seventh and eighth graders.

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 2,517 students and 225.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1. ^[1]

The district is 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. ^[4]

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Shawnee High School, located in Medford Township, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from both Medford Lakes and Medford Township. ^[5] The school is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, which also serves students from Evesham Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. ^{[6] [7] [8]} As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,576 students and 122.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. ^[9]

History

The district was the subject of the C. H. v. Oliva , a religious freedom case in which mother Carol Hood sued Grace Oliva, her son Zachary's first grade teacher, and related administrators in the Medford Township Public Schools for a 1996 incident in which her son was not allowed to read a section of the Bible in his kindergarten class. After courts rejected the family's claim, calling the students a "captive audience", the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case in 2001. ^[10]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ^[11] ) are: ^{[12] [13] [14] [15]}

Elementary schools

• Milton H. Allen School ^[16] with 399 students in grades K-5
  • Christopher Clarke, principal ^[17]
• Chairville Elementary School ^[18] with 360 students in grades K-5
  • Ryan Winkelspecht, principal ^[17]
• Cranberry Pines School ^[19] with 365 students in grades K-5
  • Jennifer Petagno, principal ^[17]
• Kirby's Mill Elementary School ^[20] with 300 students in grades PreK-5
  • Helen Saul, principal ^[17]
• Taunton Forge School ^[21] with 251 students in grades K-5
  • Lucas Coesfeld, principal ^[17]

Middle schools (6-8)

• Maurice and Everett Haines Sixth Grade Center ^[22] with 232 students in 6th grade
  • Brooke Farrow, principal ^[17]
• Medford Memorial Middle School ^[23] with 600 students in grades 7-8
  • Shawn Ryan, principal ^[17]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: ^{[17] [24]}

• Keira Scussa, superintendent
• Evon DiGangi, business administrator and board secretary ^[25]
• Mark E. Damon, Director of Personnel ^[26]

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. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

References

1. District information for Medford Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Medford Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 7, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades K through 8 in the Medford Township School District. Composition: The Medford Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Medford."
4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 28, 2019.
5. Shawnee High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 7, 2020. "Attendance Area: Medford Township and Medford Lakes Borough"
6. Lenape Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Name, Composition & Classification, Lenape Regional High School District. Accessed June 7, 2020. "Section 2 – Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Lenape Regional High School District. Section 3 – Composition: The Lenape Regional High School District shall be organized in the territory comprised of the municipalities of: Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland for the limited purpose of providing and operating a high school district (9-12)."
7. Lenape Regional High School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 7, 2020. "The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) serves the eight municipalities of Evesham, Medford, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland Townships and Medford Lakes Borough. Encompassing an area of 350 square miles the Lenape District is the largest school district in Burlington County."
8. Staff. "Regional School Districts", Burlington County Times , April 26, 2015. Accessed April 2, 2020. "Lenape Regional Serves: Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle, Woodland"
9. School data for Shawnee High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
10. "Supreme Court Rejects Bible Case", CBS News , June 18, 2001. Accessed June 16, 2022. "The Supreme Court said Monday it will not get involved in a fight over whether a public school teacher should have allowed a first-grader to read his classmates a story from The Beginner's Bible.... A federal judge and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Hood, finding that Oliva was within her rights as a teacher to restrict access to what the school calls a 'captive audience' of 6 and 7-year-olds."
11. School Data for the Medford Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
12. School Sending Areas, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 7, 2020.
13. Public Schools Directory 2023–2024, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
14. School Performance Reports for the Medford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
15. New Jersey School Directory for the Medford Township Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 28, 2019.
16. Milton H. Allen School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
17. Administration, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2023.
18. Chairville Elementary School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
19. Cranberry Pines School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
20. Kirby's Mill Elementary School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
21. Taunton Forge School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
22. Maurice and Everett Haines Sixth Grade Center, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
23. Medford Memorial Middle School, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed June 16, 2022.
24. New Jersey School Directory for Burlington County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 28, 2019.
25. Business Office, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2023.
26. Personnel Office, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2023.
27. 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.
28. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Medford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2024. "The Medford Township Public School District is a Type II district located in the County of Burlington, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the District functions independently through a Board of Education. The operations of the District include six elementary schools and one middle school located in Medford Township." See "Roster of Officials" on page 17.
29. Board Members, Medford Township Public Schools. Accessed October 5, 2023.

External links

• Medford Township Public Schools
• Medford Township Public Schools' 2016-17 Detailed Report Card published by the New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Medford Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Lenape Regional High School District