Long_Beach_Island_Consolidated_School_District

Long Beach Island Consolidated School District

Long Beach Island Consolidated School District

School district in Ocean County, New Jersey, US


The Long Beach Island Consolidated School District is a regional consolidated public school district which serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade from five communities bordering the Atlantic Ocean on Long Beach Island, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Communities served by the district are Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and Surf City.[3][4][5]

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As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 215 students and 30.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.0:1.[1]

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

As part of an effort to reduce costs associated with multiple aging facilities, the district announced in 2016 that it was considering closing the Long Beach Island Grade School and consolidating all students at Ethel A. Jacobsen Elementary School. The plan would require a $16 million bond to cover the costs of expanding and upgrading Jacobsen School to add two new wings, which would add about $50 per year in property taxes for the average homeowner, excluding any contribution from state aid or revenue from the sale of the old building.[7][8]

Students in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the Southern Regional School District, which serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, along with students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township, as well as students from Ocean Township (including its Waretown section) who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[3][9][10] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[11]) are Southern Regional Middle School[12] with 902 students in grades 78 and Southern Regional High School[13] with 1,975 students in grades 912.[14][15][16] Both schools are in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[17]) are:[18][19][20]

  • Ethel Jacobsen School[21] in Surf City with 111 students in pre-kindergarten to second grade
    • Frank Birney, principal
  • Long Beach Island Grade School[22] in Ship Bottom with 125 students in grades 3 – 6
    • Peter J. Kopack, principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[23][24]

  • Peter J. Kopack, superintendent[25]
  • Christine Kelly, school business administrator and board secretary[26]

Board of education

The district's board of education is comprised of nine members 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 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] Of the nine seats, four are allocated to Long Beach Township and two to Surf City, with the other three constituent municipalities each allocated one seat.[23][29]


References

  1. 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 212.
  2. LAN Associates. Study of School Consolidation Long Beach Island, New Jersey Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, January 21, 2011. Accessed September 25, 2013. "The Long Beach Island Consolidated School District serves the needs of the citizens of Long Beach Island including the communities of Barnegat Light Borough, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars Borough, Surf City Borough, and Ship Bottom Borough. The remaining community of Beach Haven at the south end of the island currently has its own school. The Long Beach Island Consolidated Schools serve children from the age of pre-school through sixth grade after which the students attend Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin."
  3. Long Beach Island Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022. "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 six in the Long Beach Island School District. Composition The Long Beach Island School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, and Surf City."
  4. Ogelsby, Amanda. "4 things to know: LBI school consolidation", Asbury Park Press, August 3, 2016. Accessed January 31, 2017. "The Long Beach Island School District plans to close and sell the Long Beach Island Grade School and move its students into the Ethel A. Jacobsen Elementary School in order to cut building maintenance, staff and transportation costs."
  5. School Consolidation[permanent dead link], Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed January 31, 2017.
  6. Southern Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Located in Manahawkin, the Southern Regional School District draws from the constituent districts of Long Beach Township, Beach Haven, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars and Stafford Township, as well as the tuition sending district of Ocean Township (Waretown).
  7. About Us, Southern Regional School District. Accessed July 4, 2022. "Our school is a 7-12 comprehensive regional high school district. Our middle school covers grades 7-8 and our high school covers grades 9-12. The district is comprised of the constituent members of Stafford Township, Beach Haven, Long Beach Township, (which includes the municipalities [sic] of Loveladies, North Beach, High Bar Harbor and Brant Beach and Long Beach Township) Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City. Waretown is our sending district."
  8. Southern Regional Middle School, Southern Regional School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  9. Southern Regional High School, Southern Regional School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  10. Ethel Jacobsen School, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  11. Long Beach Island Grade School, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  12. Board Members, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  13. Superintendent, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  14. Business Administrator, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Accessed July 4, 2022.
  15. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, New Jersey Department of Education, June 30, 2021. Accessed April 15, 2024. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Ocean, 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 appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grades levels kindergarten through 6th grade." See "Roster of Officials" on page 16.
  16. "Four on Ballot for LBI School Board", The SandPaper, October 23, 2019. Accessed July 4, 2022. "The LBI school board is comprised of nine members, four from Long Beach Township, two from Surf City, and one each from Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars and Barnegat Light."

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