East Brunswick Board of Education: A Comprehensive Overview
The East Brunswick Public Schools, overseen by the East Brunswick Board of Education, provides a comprehensive educational system for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. This article delves into the structure, operations, finances, and historical context of the board and the school district it governs.
Governance and Structure
The East Brunswick Public School District operates as a Type II school district within Middlesex County, New Jersey. This classification grants the district independence, with its operations managed by an elected Board of Education. The Board consists of nine members, each serving a three-year term. Elections are staggered, with three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election since 2012. This staggered approach ensures continuity and experience within the board. The Board of Education sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration.
The East Brunswick 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 East Brunswick Public School District.
Historical Context and Growth
East Brunswick's school system has a rich history, reflecting the township's own growth and evolution. Several older prewar school facilities in East Brunswick have been decommissioned. They date from the period before the rapid expansion of East Brunswick in the 1960s and provide a glimpse of how the Township appeared before the burgeoning residential build-outs of the 1950s and, on minimum-1/3 acre plots, of the 1960s. The few prewar school structures that remain are readily identifiable as red-brick, two-story buildings.
From 1994 to 2004, the student population grew by approximately 1,850 students. This increase is equivalent to the need for 60 to 75 new classrooms. This growth led to overcrowding at elementary schools, necessitated busing to transport students to schools when there was no existing facility near their home and required the use of trailers at the Middle School to accommodate the influx of students.
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To address these challenges, voters approved a $106.1 million referendum in December 2004 for additions and improvements at Central, Lawrence Brook, and Hammarskjold Middle Schools. Of this sum, $24.7 million was to be contributed by the State of New Jersey. The rebuilding of Hammarskjold Middle School was planned to cost $66.5 million, of which $12.3 million was to have come from the State. Central School renovation and expansion were planned to cost ca. $20.7 million, of which $6.4 million was to have come from the State. Lawrence Brook School renovation and expansion were expected to cost ca. $19 million, of which ca. Previous bond referendums in 1994 and 1995 had failed to obtain voter approval.
Several older prewar school facilities in East Brunswick have been decommissioned. McGinnis School (at Dunhams Corner Road and Hardenburg Lane), opened in 1926 and last used for instruction in 1978, was demolished in January 2015. It has been replaced by a parochial school building of similar form, built by Torah Links of Middlesex County. Weber School (at Riva Avenue and Hardenburg Lane), a near-twin of McGinnis, was sold in 2006 to St.
Financial Overview
Schools in New Jersey are primarily funded by property taxes. From 2000 to 2007, these taxes increased at a rate of 7% annually.
Analyzing the district's spending provides insight into its priorities. According to the NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending, the district's financial allocations were as follows:
- Total Spending: \$19,169,64
- Budgetary Cost: 14,029,42
- Classroom Instruction: 8,447,40
- Support Services: 2,356,54
- Administrative Cost: 1,432,49
- Operations & Maintenance: 1,600,48
- Extracurricular Activities: 154,162
- Median Teacher Salary: \$62,675
Comparing this data to the previous year reveals some changes:
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- Total Spending increased by 1.5% from $18,891.
- Budgetary Cost decreased by 5.1% from $14,783.
- Classroom Instruction decreased by 3.6% from $8,763.
- Support Services decreased by 1.5% from $2,392.
- Administrative Cost decreased by 3.6% from $1,485.
- Operations & Maintenance decreased by 10.3% from $1,783.
- Extracurricular Activities decreased by 42.5% from $268.
- Median Teacher Salary increased to $64,043.
Special Education Services
East Brunswick Public Schools provides special services in compliance with the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and related State of New Jersey Statutes. Accordingly, each eligible student is educated in a least restrictive environment (LRE) according to an individualized education plan (IEP) drafted by his or her child study team (CST) consisting of school personnel and parents. Eligibility determinations are made every three years.
Special services may include speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational aides, and other services as appropriate and called for. A Director of Special Education, currently Sharon Weber-Oleszkiewicz, manages East Brunswick Public Schools' program of providing special services. Special education is supported at the schools by individual professionals including specialists (math, reading, and speech), special education teachers, teacher resource personnel, teacher aides, and child study team personnel (a category which may include psychologists, learning disabled teaching consultants, and social workers).
There are multiple resources and support groups available to parents of disabled children. For example, the State of New Jersey operates the Division of Developmental Disabilities. The processes mandated by IDEA, while saving the educational lives of many affected students, also pose many challenges to educators and parents. The IEP process can be lengthy. A child requiring special services needs a substantial investment in time on the part of the parents, the child's greatest advocate. Parents need to consider outside evaluations and consult with others.
Parents may refer to the published curricula made available by East Brunswick Public Schools at The East Brunswick Public Library. East Brunswick Public Schools uses "leveled reading" terminology to specify reading skills. Leveling schemes are highly technical. One scheme by which, e.g., "Level J" is an end-of-first-grade reading level, is the Fountas and Pinnell "Benchmark Assessment" System. Achieving a properly defined plan, it is important to conduct a full and proper evaluation. Educating a special needs child is a project. Project planning is a discipline in industry and government. The IDEA guarantees the services needed by special students. It is wise for parents to familiarize themselves with relevant portions of the IDEA text.
District Factor Group
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.
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Leadership
The East Brunswick Public Schools has been led by several superintendents throughout its history:
- Murray A. Chittick served from 1929 through 1957.
- Joseph Sweeney served from the early 1970s through the mid 1980s.
- Jon Kopko was the superintendent from 1989 through 2000. The East Brunswick Public Schools Administration Building was renamed in honor of long-time Superintendent of Schools Jon R. Kopko upon his retirement in 2000 and is situated at 760 Route 18 North.
- Superintendent Jamie Savedoff served from July 2000 through March 2003.
- Jo Ann Magistro served as superintendent from 2003 through 2013.
- Interim superintendent Patrick Piegari served from 2013 through 2014.
- Victor P. Valeski replaced Patrick Piegari, who had been interim superintendent since July 1. Piegari had been filling in since the retirement of longtime district superintendent Jo Ann Magistro.
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