City of Burlington Public School District

The City of Burlington Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade in the City of Burlington, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States.[3] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide,[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]

City of Burlington Public School District
Address
518 Locust Avenue Burlington, NJ 08016 United States
Coordinates	40.074723°N 74.858624°W / 40.074723; -74.858624
District information
Grades	PreK-12
Superintendent	Leonard Fitts (interim)
Business administrator	Raymond Coxe
Schools	4
Affiliation(s)	Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment	1,659 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty	166.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio	10.0:1[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	B
Website	www.burlington-nj.net
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $23,393 44 $18,891 23.8% 1 Budgetary Cost 17,345 42 14,783 17.3% 2 Classroom Instruction 9,834 43 8,763 12.2% 6 Support Services 3,155 44 2,392 31.9% 8 Administrative Cost 1,846 39 1,485 24.3% 10 Operations & Maintenance 2,028 42 1,783 13.7% 13 Extracurricular Activities 442 28 268 64.9% 16 Median Teacher Salary 60,883 26 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

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising four schools, had an enrollment of 1,659 students and 166.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second 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]

The district's high school serves as a receiving school for students in grade nine through twelve from Edgewater Park Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Edgewater Park School District.[8][9]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The district was selected as one of the top "100 Best Communities for Music Education in America 2005" by the American Music Conference.[10]

Schools

The schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[11]) are:[12]

Elementary schools

• Captain James Lawrence Elementary School[13] with 256 students in grades PreK-2
  • Sherry Knight, Principal
• Samuel Smith Elementary School[14] with 295 students in grades PreK-2
  • Marilyn I. Dunham, Principal
• Wilbur Watts Intermediate School[15] with 411 students in grades 3-6
  • Robert Shappell, Principal

High school

• Burlington City High School[16] with 643 students in grades 7-12
  • James Flynn, Principal

In 2018, the district closed Elias Boudinot Elementary School, which had served grades K-2, citing declining enrollment, the opportunities to reduce costs and the potential to raise funds by selling the site.[17]

Administration

Members of the district administration are:[18][19]

• Leonard Fitts, Interim Superintendent
• Raymond Coxe, Business Administrator / Board Secretary

Board of education

The district's board of education, with 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 day-to-day operation of the district. A tenth representative is appointed by Edgewater Park School District to serve on the City of Burlington board of education.[20][21]

References

1. District information for Burlington City Public 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. Burlington City Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed February 10, 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 City of Burlington School District. Composition: The City of Burlington School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the City of Burlington."
4. Abbott School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 1, 2020.
5. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2020.
6. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2020.
7. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 23, 2014.
8. Burlington City High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 28, 2017. "Burlington City High School is a six-year secondary school that includes grades seven through twelve with a total current enrollment of 700.... Thirty-nine percent of students in grades nine through twelve are students from the neighboring Edgewater Park community. BCHS has served as the receiving district for the Edgewater Park School District, which educates students from kindergarten through eighth grade, for many years."
9. Edgewater Park Township School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 28, 2017. "The children of Edgewater Park attend school every day in a safe learning environment, where they grow and mature into caring, productive teenagers ready to move on to Burlington City School District for their four years of high school."
10. Best 100 (101!) Communities for Music Education in America, 2005, accessed December 12, 2006
11. School Data for the City of Burlington Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
12. New Jersey School Directory for the City of Burlington Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
13. Captain James Lawrence Elementary School, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed July 27, 2020.
14. Samuel Smith Elementary School, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed July 27, 2020.
15. Wilbur Watts Intermediate School, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed July 27, 2020.
16. Burlington City High School, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed July 27, 2020.
17. Broadt, Lisa. "School district still looking for elementary school buyer", The Intelligencer, February 13, 2019, updated January 20, 2020. Accessed February 10, 2020. "The school district continues to search for a buyer for the former Elias Boudinot Elementary School property after officials rejected the highest offer submitted during public bidding.... The district in June announced that it would close the K-2 elementary school at 213 W. Pearl St. Superintendent Patricia Doloughty cited declining enrollment as the reason for closure.... Closing the school also would save the district about $1 million in operational costs, officials said."
18. Staff, City of Burlington Public School District. Accessed September 23, 2014.
19. New Jersey School Directory for Burlington County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 29, 2016.
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. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Burlington City School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2020. "The Burlington City School District (District) is a Type II school district located in Burlington County, New Jersey and covers an area of approximately 2.44 square miles. As a Type II school 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. In addition, one board member is appointed from the Edgewater Park School District under a sending/receiving relationship, as required by state statute. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for all of Burlington City’s students in grades K through 12. In addition, the District provides educational services for students in grades 9 through 12 received from the Edgewater Park School District"

External links

• The City of Burlington Public School District
• City of Burlington Public School District's 2015–16 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the City of Burlington Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics