Morris School District

Morris School District
Superintendent:		Dr. Thomas Ficarra
Business Administrator:		Susan Young
Address:		31 Hazel Street Morristown, NJ 07960
Grade Range:		K-12
School facilities:		10
Enrollment:		4,673 (as of 2007-08)[1]
Faculty (in FTEs):		398.5
Student–teacher ratio:		11.7
District Factor Group:		GH
Web site:		http://www.morrisschooldistrict.org
Ind.	Per Pupil	District Spending	Rank (*)	K-12 Average	%± vs. Average
1	Comparative Cost	$16,900	96	$13,632	24.0%
2	Classroom Instruction	9,797	96	8,035	21.9%
6	Support Services	2,996	95	2,166	38.3%
8	Administrative Cost	1,445	71	1,379	4.8%
10	Operations & Maintenance	2,105	95	1,674	25.7%
16	Median Teacher Salary	61,310	68	57,597
Data from NJDoE 2009 Comparative Spending Guide.[2] *Of K-12 districts with 3,501+ students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=105

The Morris School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from three municipalities in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The communities in the district are Morristown (2,443 students from a 2000 Census population of 18,544) and Morris Township (2,121 students from a population of 21,796), along with students from Morris Plains (175 students) in grades 9-12 who attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Morris Plains Schools.^[3]

As of the 2007-08 school year, the district's 10 schools had an enrollment of 4,673 students and 398.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7.^[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third 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.^[4]

In addition to its preK-12 program, the Morris School District operates a Community School that offers an extensive adult school curriculum. The Community School also provides a before and after-school childcare program, Sunrise Sunset, for Morris School District children of busy parents. Housed in each of the District's elementary schools, Sunrise Sunset offers a supervised environment in which boys and girls can work and play before and after school. The Community School's summer program, Summer Plus, provides children with a local alternative to summer camp.

Schools

Schools within the District (with 2007-08 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[5]) are:

Preschool

• Lafayette Learning Center with 103 students

Primary Schools (K-2)

• Alfred Vail School with 338 students
• Hillcrest School with 294 students
• Woodland School with 329 students

Intermediate Schools (3-5)

• Alexander Hamilton School with 237 students
• Thomas Jefferson School with 286 students
• Sussex Avenue School with 327 students

Multiage Magnet School (K-5)

• Normandy Park Magnet School with 339 students

Middle School (6-8)

• Frelinghuysen Middle School with 934 students

High School (9-12)

• Morristown High School with 1,486 students

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:^[6][7]

• Dr. Thomas Ficarra, Superintendent
• Susan Young, Business Administrator / Board Secretary

The superintendent is under contract with the school board for one year. He is paid a salary of $170,000.^[8]

Board of education

The Morris School District Board of Education has ten members; five from Morris Township, four from Morristown, and one from Morris Plains. The representatives from Morris Township and Morristown are elected by the voters of each individual municipality to three-year terms of office. The Morris Plains Board of Education appoints a representative to the Morris School District Board to represent Morris Plains on issues affecting Morristown High School, who is also eligible to vote on district-wide issues.^[9]

School Board elections are held in April of each year. In addition to selecting members of the Board of Education, voters also are asked to vote on the proposed budget for the subsequent school year.

The budget for 2007-08 school year was $94,255,303.^[10]

History

Two schools are known to have operated in near the Green in Morristown in the 18th century. One was in use from 1732–1767; the other, known as the “Steeple School,” stood from 1767 - 1799.

From the early to mid-19th century, local schools included the Franklin Street, Bridge Street, Mt. Kemble, and Washington Valley Schools.

The Maple Avenue School opened in 1869 on land donated by George T. Cobb.

An early school (18th century) located three miles west of Morristown was described as follows: ”The building was constructed of logs, and instead of glass window, sheep skins were stretched over apertures made by sawing off an occasional log.

In 1971, the district was regionalized under an order by the New Jersey Supreme Court, which ruled that the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education can cross district lines for desegregation purposes.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} District information for the Morris School District School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 5, 2009.
2. ^ Comparative Spending Guide March 2009, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 28, 2009.
3. ^ Morristown High School 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 23, 2008. "It is composed of 1503 ethnically diverse students representing more than 31 different languages from Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains."
4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 27, 2009.
5. ^ Data for the Morris School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 28, 2009.
6. ^ Contact Information, Morris School District. Accessed October 7, 2008.
7. ^ Morris County School Directory, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 5, 2009.
8. ^ 2005 Administrative Reports New Jersey DOE retrieved on May 19, 2008
9. ^ Board of Education, Morris School District. Accessed June 16, 2008.
10. ^ Daily Record (Morristown), Minhaj Hassan, March 27, 2007.

External links

• Morris School District
• Morris School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Morris School District, National Center for Education Statistics

Coordinates: 40°48′19″N 74°28′33″W / 40.80541°N 74.475909°W / 40.80541; -74.475909