Hammonton Public Schools

Hammonton Public Schools
Address
566 Old Forks Road
, Atlantic County, New Jersey, 08037
United States
Coordinates39°39′25″N 74°48′36″W / 39.657°N 74.810°W / 39.657; -74.810
District information
GradesK-12
SuperintendentRobin Chieco
Business administratorBarbara S. Prettyman
Schools4
Students and staff
Enrollment3,566 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Faculty249.7 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio14.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupB
WebsiteDistrict website
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-12
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$13,8361$18,891−26.8%
1Budgetary Cost11,195214,783−24.3%
2Classroom Instruction6,86638,763−21.6%
6Support Services1,697152,392−29.1%
8Administrative Cost1,186121,485−20.1%
10Operations & Maintenance1,14261,783−36.0%
13Extracurricular Activities20836268−22.4%
16Median Teacher Salary58,3001864,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with more than 3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=103

The Hammonton Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Hammonton, in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising four schools, had an enrollment of 3,566 students and 249.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.3:1.[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.[4]

Students from Folsom Borough (grades 9-12) and Waterford Township in Camden County (7-12) attend the Hammonton schools as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Folsom Borough School District and the Waterford Township School District.[5][6][7]

History

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In November 1999, residents of Hammonton approved a referendum on construction of new schools. In 2001, the construction of the Early Childhood Education Center was completed. The new Hammonton High School building on Old Forks Road welcomed its first classes when it was opened in September 2002, having been constructed at a cost of $28.7 million of which 40% was funded by the state. The old high school building was converted to a middle school, allowing the district to accommodate the 700 students from Waterford Township who comprised a majority of the district's enrollment.[8] The former high school was on Liberty Street, now home to Hammonton Middle school. Before the move, Hammonton Middle School was located on Vine Street, at a building that is now St. Joseph High School.

In the wake of the dissolution of the Lower Camden County Regional School District, the Hammonton board of education voted in 1999 to begin accepting an estimated 800 students from Waterford Township for grades 7-12 starting as of 2002, with the tuition paid by students from Waterford helping to lower overall costs to Hammonton taxpayers.[9]

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[10]) are:[11][12][13]

Elementary schools
  • Early Childhood Education Center[14] with 355 students in grades K-1
    • Darla Salay, principal[14]
  • Warren E. Sooy Elementary School[15] with 873 students in grades 2-5
    • Kristina Erman, principal[15]
Middle school
  • Hammonton Middle School[16] with 879 students in grades 6-8
    • Michael Nolan, principal[16]
High school

Administration

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

  • Robin Chieco, superintendent[19]
  • Barbara S. Prettyman, business administrator and board secretary[20]

In 2020 Hammonton Public Schools acquired the former St. Joseph High School building, which it leased to the independent St. Joseph Academy.[21]

Board of education

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The district's board of education, composed 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. Representatives are appointed to represent Folsom and Waterford Township on the Hammonton board of education.[22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Hammonton 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. ^ Public School Directory 2019-2020, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Hammonton Public Schools 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 5, 2016. "The Hammonton Public School System serves children from Hammonton, Waterford, and Folsom – as well as over 140 NJ Department of Education Choice students."
  6. ^ Schools Archived July 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Towns of Hammonton. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Residents from Waterford attend grades 7 through 12. Residents of Folsom and Collings Lakes attend the Hammonton High School in grades 9 through 12 at a brand-new high school on a 118-acre campus."
  7. ^ Puko, Timothy. "Sending Towns Feeling Pinched by Hammonton", The Press of Atlantic City, March 13, 2007. Accessed September 15, 2014. "The two school districts that send students to Hammonton are disputing tuition adjustments that would allow Hammonton School District to avoid a tax hike this year but cause large tax hikes in the sending districts. The school budgets for Hammonton and its sending districts Waterford and Folsom could hang in limbo well past next month's school board elections, and Waterford and Folsom could be left with budget fights and massive cuts, sending district superintendents said."
  8. ^ "Hammonton School District hosts grand opening for new high school; Received $10.3 million under Facilities Act", New Jersey Department of Education, press release dated October 7, 2002. Accessed September 15, 2014.
  9. ^ Arnold, Stephanie L. "Hammonton Board Decides To Accept Waterford Students More Money For An Improved Curriculum Is Expected Once The 800 Junior And Senior High Pupils Arrive.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 25, 1999. Accessed September 15, 2014. "The school board has been mulling the issue since the Waterford Board of Education, in Camden County, decided in September that it wanted to send its 800 junior high and high school students to the Atlantic County school district. Last year, five of seven towns that make up the Lower Camden County Regional School District voted to dissolve it within three years, leaving each town responsible for educating its students."
  10. ^ School Data for the Hammonton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Public School Directory 2023–2024, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
  12. ^ School Performance Reports for the Hammonton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  13. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Hammonton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Early Childhood Education Center[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Warren E. Sooy Elementary School[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Hammonton Middle School[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Hammonton High School Archived November 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  18. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Atlantic County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Superintendent Office[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  20. ^ Business Office[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
  21. ^ McGarry, Mike (August 27, 2020). "St. Joseph Academy returns to Vine Street in Hammonton". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  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 Hammonton School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 12, 2024. "The Town of Hammonton School District is a Type II district located in the County of Atlantic, 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. In addition, one member is appointed from the Folsom School District and the Waterford School District under a sending/receiving relationship, as required by the statutes. Effective with the 2013 fiscal year, the election of Board Members was moved to the general election in November. The purpose of the district is to educate students in grades K-12 as well as providing educational services for the Borough of Folsom students in grades 9-12 and the Township of Waterford students in grades 7- 12."
  24. ^ Board of Education[permanent dead link], Hammonton Public Schools. Accessed August 9, 2020.
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