Bridgeton Public Schools

Bridgeton Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the city of Bridgeton, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke^[3] 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.^[4][5]

Bridgeton Public Schools
Address
41 Bank Street Bridgeton , Cumberland County, New Jersey, 08302 United States
Coordinates	39.44111°N 75.223009°W / 39.44111; -75.223009
District information
Grades	PreK-12
Superintendent	Celeste Merriweather
Business administrator	Nicole Albanese
Schools	8
Affiliation(s)	Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment	6,313 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty	511.0 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio	12.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor Group	A
Website	www.bridgeton.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) K-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $18,577 51 $18,891 −1.7% 1 Budgetary Cost 15,843 76 14,783 7.2% 2 Classroom Instruction 9,391 77 8,763 7.2% 6 Support Services 3,063 92 2,392 28.1% 8 Administrative Cost 1,517 65 1,485 2.2% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,574 45 1,783 −11.7% 13 Extracurricular Activities 197 30 268 −26.5% 16 Median Teacher Salary 58,350 19 64,043 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

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 6,313 students and 511.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.^[1]

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

Students from Downe Township and some students from Lawrence Township (other students are sent to Millville Senior High School) attend the district's high school for ninth through twelfth grades as part of sending/receiving relationships.^[7]

History

In 1948 schools were racially integrated, and all of the teachers were white.^[8]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[9]) are:^[10][11]

Pre-Schools

• Geraldine O. Foster Early Childhood Center^[12] (308 students in PreK)

Elementary schools

• Broad Street School^[13] (936; K-8)
• Buckshutem Road School^[14] (686; K-8)
• Cherry Street School^[15] (558; K-8)
• ExCEL School^[16] (enrollment not listed; K-8)
• Indian Avenue School^[17] (668; K-8)
• Quarter Mile Lane School^[18] (744; PreK-8)
• West Avenue School^[19] (552; K-8)

High school

• Bridgeton High School^[20] (1,560; 9-12)

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:^[21][22]

• Celeste Merriweather, superintendent^[23]
• Nicole Albanese, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

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 2016) 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.^[24][25][26]

References

1. District information for Bridgeton City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. What We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."
4. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
5. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
6. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 21, 2014.
7. Region Profile - Western/Southern Cumberland Region Strategic Plan Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Cumberland Development Corporation, January 2003. Accessed December 21, 2014. "Students in grades 9-12 residing in Commercial, Maurice River and a portion of Lawrence Townships attend Millville High School. Students in Bridgeton, Downe and a portion of Lawrence Township attend Bridgeton High School."
8. 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.
9. School Data for the Bridgeton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 25, 2022.
10. School Performance Reports for the Bridgeton City School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
11. New Jersey School Directory for the Bridgeton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
12. Geraldine O. Foster Early Childhood Center, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
13. Broad Street School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
14. Buckshutem Road School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
15. Cherry Street School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
16. ExCEL School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
17. Indian Avenue School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
18. Quarter Mile Lane School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
19. West Avenue School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
20. Bridgeton High School, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed September 1, 2022.
21. Our District, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed June 27, 2024.
22. New Jersey School Directory for Cumberland County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
23. Superintendent, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed June 27, 2024.
24. 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.
25. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the City of Bridgeton School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 9, 2024. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Cumberland, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education (the 'Board'). 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. The Superintendent is appointed by the Board to act as executive officer of the School District. The purpose of the School District is to educate students in grades Pre-K through 12 at its eight schools."
26. Board Members, Bridgeton Public Schools. Accessed June 27, 2024.

External links

• Bridgeton Public Schools
• School Performance Reports for the Bridgeton Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Bridgeton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics