Ocean City School District

The Ocean City School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean City, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Ocean City School District
Address
501 Atlantic Avenue
, Cape May County, New Jersey, 08226
United States
Coordinates39°16′50″N 74°34′03″W / 39.280598°N 74.567526°W / 39.280598; -74.567526
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentScott McCartney (interim)[1]
Business administratorTimothy E. Kelley
Schools3
Students and staff
Enrollment2,056 (as of 2020–21)[2]
Faculty220.4 FTEs[2]
Student–teacher ratio9.3:1[2]
Other information
District Factor GroupDE
Websitewww.oceancityschools.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-12
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$21,28562$18,89112.7%
1Budgetary Cost16,9206414,78314.5%
2Classroom Instruction10,648648,76321.5%
6Support Services2,218452,392−7.3%
8Administrative Cost1,527351,4852.8%
10Operations & Maintenance1,968591,78310.4%
13Extracurricular Activities55563268107.1%
16Median Teacher Salary86,7726764,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[3]
*Of K-12 districts with 1,800-3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=68
Ocean City High School

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 2,056 students and 220.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1.[2]

Public school students from Corbin City, Longport, Sea Isle City and Upper Township attend Ocean City High School for ninth through twelfth grades as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective school districts.[4][5]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth-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.[6]

History edit

By 1948, schools in Ocean City were racially integrated. At the time all teachers were white.[7]

Merger discussions with the Sea Isle City School District in 2008 ended after the Ocean City district indicated that it did want to accept Sea Isle City's tenured teachers, which it would be required to do under state law. Sea Isle City currently spends $35,000 per student and hoped to see savings through the merger, even after adding in transportation costs.[8] The Sea Isle City district graduated its last eighth grade class in June 2009 and with the 2010-11 school year, students from Sea Isle City started attending the Ocean City schools starting in fifth grade.[9] As of June 30, 2012, Sea Isle City School District no longer operates, in the face of an order by the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education that was based on declining enrollment and budgetary issues. All students from Sea Isle City in public school for pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade attend Ocean City Public Schools.[10]

Schools edit

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

Elementary schools
  • Ocean City Primary School[15] with 299 students in grades PreK-3
    • Cathleen Smith, principal
  • Ocean City Intermediate School[16] with 468 students in grades 4-8
    • Michael Mattina, principal
High school

Administration edit

Core members of the district's administration are:[18][19]

  • Scott McCartney, interim superintendent[1]
  • Timothy E. Kelley, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education edit

The district's board of education is comprised of nine elected members, plus three appointed representatives from Upper Township, 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 nine trustees are elected directly by Ocean City's 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. Members from Upper Township and non-voting members from Longport and Sea Isle City are appointed by their districts to one-year terms of office. 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.[20][21][22]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Vitale, Maddy (June 23, 2023). "Ocean City School Board Hires Interim Superintendent". OCNJ Daily. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d District information for Ocean City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  4. ^ Ocean City High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 6, 2017. "Ocean City High School is a comprehensive high school serving the communities of Ocean City, Upper Township, Sea Isle City, Corbin City and Longport, with an enrollment of over 1,250 students."
  5. ^ Superintendent Profile, Ocean City School District, February 11, 2022. Accessed August 5, 2022. "A primary, intermediate, and high school deliver a top-tier education to approximately 2,200 students as it serves the communities of Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Upper Township, Corbin City, Longport and participates in the NJ School Choice Program."
  6. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 15, 2014.
  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. 86.
  8. ^ Editorial. "Merging schools / Law makes it hard", The Press of Atlantic City, June 30, 2008.
  9. ^ Ianieri, Brian. "Sea Isle sends off eight in city's last graduation", The Press of Atlantic City, June 19, 2009. Accessed August 4, 2011. "Facing declining enrollment and fewer children left in the seasonal city, the school board in March made a controversial decision to send fifth-grade to eighth-grade students to the Ocean City School District in the fall. Sea Isle's school will retain pre-Kindergarten through fourth-grade classes. The city's high school-age students have long attended Ocean City High School."
  10. ^ Rudloff, Mary. "State orders Sea Isle City school to close; Sea Isle, Ocean City school boards vote not to stand in the way; students to come to Ocean City", Ocean City Sentinel, May 2, 2012. Accessed July 22, 2014. "By voting to not oppose the Order to Show Cause, both school districts agree to expand the send-receive relationship, sending Sea Isle's students in kindergarten through third grade to Ocean City beginning in September. Sea Isle's students in grades four through 12 already attend school in Ocean City."
  11. ^ School Data for the Ocean City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  12. ^ About, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  13. ^ School Performance Reports for the Ocean City School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  14. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Ocean City School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Ocean City Primary School, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  16. ^ Ocean City Intermediate School, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  17. ^ Ocean City High School, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  18. ^ District Offices, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022.
  19. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Cape May County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Ocean City School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2021. Accessed August 5, 2022. "The Ocean City School District is a Type II district located in the County of Cape May, 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 elected to three-year terms. The members are elected during the general election held in November each year. As a receiving district for high school students from Upper Township and Longport, Upper Township and Longport are provided with Board representation to vote on issues related to Ocean City High School."
  22. ^ Board of Education, Ocean City School District. Accessed August 5, 2022. "The Board of Education is composed of nine citizens elected from Ocean City and three representatives from Upper Township who are appointed by the Upper Township Board of Education. As Board members, they establish policies and oversight for the Ocean City School District. Board members fulfill three-year terms (Upper Township representatives serve for one-year terms) and voluntarily serve the residents and children of the Ocean City School District."

External links edit