Palmyra Public Schools

Palmyra Public Schools
Address
301 Delaware Avenue
Palmyra
, Burlington County, New Jersey, 08065
United States
Coordinates40°00′13″N 75°01′40″W / 40.003684°N 75.027719°W / 40.003684; -75.027719
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentMark Pease (interim)
Business administratorJared M. Toscano
Schools3
Students and staff
Enrollment1,032 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Faculty90.8 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio11.4:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupDE
Websitewww.palmyraschools.com
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$17,41621$18,891−7.8%
1Budgetary Cost13,2161514,783−10.6%
2Classroom Instruction7,599168,763−13.3%
6Support Services1,925212,392−19.5%
8Administrative Cost1,39251,485−6.3%
10Operations & Maintenance1,598251,783−10.4%
13Extracurricular Activities67447268151.5%
16Median Teacher Salary58,1652064,043
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

The Palmyra Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves the residents of Palmyra, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3] Students from Beverly and Riverton attend the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships with both districts.[4][5]

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,032 students and 90.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1.[1]

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

History

In 1948, during de jure educational segregation in the United States, the district had children of all races attend the same school, but then grouped all of the black children in the same class with a black teacher.[7]

In March 2024, Palmyra residents voted in favor of an $18.4 million bond referendum to fund school district facility upgrades and improvements.[8] Later that month, the district learned of a $1.07 million reduction in state aid[9] from the New Jersey Department of Education for the 2024-2025 school year.[10] Following an appeal by the district, it was confirmed by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury that the district income used to calculate the previously quoted state aid was incorrect:[11]

"'Our district income went from $217,109,243 in 2019 to $208,454,233 in 2020 (a 3.99% decrease),' Pease explained. 'It then went from $208,454,233 in 2020 to $317,940,995 in 2021 (a 52.52% increase).'"

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics[12]) are:[13][14][15]

Preschool
  • Palmyra Preschool[16] serves students in PreK
    • Florencia Norton, principal[17]
Elementary school
  • Charles Street Elementary School[18] with 457 students in grades PreK-5
    • Octavia Lee, principal[19]
Middle / High school

Administration

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

  • Mark Pease, interim superintendent[25]
  • Jared M. Toscano, business administrator and board secretary[26]

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised 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.[27][28] The board also includes one representative from Beverly and one from Riverton.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Palmyra Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Palmyra Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024. "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 Palmyra School District. Composition: The Palmyra School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Palmyra."
  4. ^ Welcome, Palmyra School District. Accessed September 22, 2024. "The Palmyra School District serves over 900 students in three schools. The Charles Street School serves students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5, the Palmyra Middle School serves students in grades 6 through 8, and Palmyra High School serves students in grades 9 through 12. We also have the Delaware Avenue School, which supports district offices and the Palmyra Learning Academy. Through a collaborative sendreceive agreement, students in grades 9 through 12 from the Borough of Riverton and the City of Beverly attend Palmyra High School."
  5. ^ High School Sending Districts, Burlington County Library System, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 27, 2009. Accessed January 11, 2017.
  6. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 11, 2014.
  7. ^ 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. 85.
  8. ^ Staff (March 14, 2024). "Palmyra voters approve $18.4M school-improvement program". www.aol.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "A Formula for Success: All Children, All Communities" (PDF). State of New Jersey Department of Education. December 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Kathy, Chang (April 1, 2024). "High to low: Palmyra school district faces state aid cuts". The Sun Newspapers. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Cheng, Kathy. "Palmyra school district wins state-aid appeal", Palmyra Sun, April 16, 2024. Accessed October 15, 2024. "School officials were facing a possible reduction in state aid of $1,070,732 for the 2024-’25 school year, a decrease that had officials scrambling to balance “an already lean budget” and considering cuts in services, programs and personnel.... The reduction was reduced because district income dramatically increased from 2020 (used to calculate Equalization Aid for the school year) to 2021 (used to calculate state aid for next school year), according to the state."
  12. ^ School Data for the Palmyra Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Public Schools Directory 2023–2024, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
  14. ^ School Performance Reports for the Palmyra Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  15. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Palmyra Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Palmyra Preschool, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Principal's Page, Palmyra Preschool. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Charles Street Elementary School, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Principal's Page, Charles Street School. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Palmyra Middle School, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Palmyra High School, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  22. ^ Principal's Page, Palmyra High | Middle School. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  23. ^ Administration, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  24. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Burlington County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  25. ^ Superintendent, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  26. ^ Business office, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed September 22, 2024.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Palmyra Borough School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 4, 2024. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Burlington, 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 from Palmyra Borough in grades Pre-K through 12 at its three schools. In addition, high school students from the City of Beverly and the Borough of Riverton attend Palmyra High School." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12.
  29. ^ Board of Education Members, Palmyra Public Schools. Accessed April 29, 2020.