Lawrence Township Public Schools

The Lawrence Township Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

Lawrence Township Public Schools
Address
2565 Princeton Pike
, Mercer County, New Jersey, 08648
United States
Coordinates40°16′00″N 74°43′41″W / 40.266668°N 74.728126°W / 40.266668; -74.728126
District information
GradesPre-K to 12
SuperintendentRoss Kasun
Business administratorTom Eldridge
Schools7
Students and staff
Enrollment3,707 (as of 2020–21)[1]
FacultyNA FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratioNA:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupGH
Websitewww.ltps.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-12
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$18,57650$18,891−1.7%
1Budgetary Cost14,5575214,783−1.5%
2Classroom Instruction8,463418,763−3.4%
6Support Services2,690792,39212.5%
8Administrative Cost1,257221,485−15.4%
10Operations & Maintenance1,834701,7832.9%
13Extracurricular Activities25555268−4.9%
16Median Teacher Salary63,0013964,043
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, comprising seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,707 students and NA classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of NA:1.[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]

Students from Robbinsville Township (known as Washington Township until 2007) had attended Lawrence High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship that ended following the opening of Robbinsville High School, with the final group of Robbinsville seniors graduating in the 2006–07 school year.

Awards and recognition

edit

For the 1999–2000 school year, Lawrence Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[5]

Lawrence Township Public Schools have been consistently named one of the "Best Communities for Music Education" in the nation by the NAMM Foundation since 2005.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Schools

edit

Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[12]) are:[13][14][15][16]

Elementary schools
  • Eldridge Park Elementary School[17] with 203 students in grades K-3
    • Amy E. Amiet, principal
  • Ben Franklin Elementary School[18] with NA students in grades PreK-3
    • Jay Billy, principal
  • Lawrenceville Elementary School[19] with 286 students in grades PreK-3
    • Melissa Lockett, principal
  • Slackwood Elementary School[20] with 219 students in grades K-3
    • Jeanne Muzi, principal
  • Lawrence Intermediate School[21] with 807 students in grades 4-6
    • Cynthia Westhead, principal
Middle school
  • Lawrence Middle School[22] with 603 students in grades 7-8
    • Mindy Milavsky, principal
High school

Administration

edit

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

  • Ross Kasun, superintendent of schools[25][26]
  • Tom Eldridge, business administrator and board secretary[27]

Board of education

edit

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 2013) 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.[28][29]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d District information for Lawrence Township Public 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. ^ Lawrence Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre K through 12 in the Lawrence Township Public Schools. Composition The Lawrence Township Public Schools is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Lawrence Township."
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 6, 2014.
  5. ^ New Jersey Department of Education Star School Award recipient 1999-2000, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 25, 2006.
  6. ^ "NAMM Foundation Names the 'Best Communities for Music Education'", NAMM, April 30, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  7. ^ "Nationwide Survey Finds the 'Best Communities for Music Education' in U.S.", NAMM, April 16, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  8. ^ "2016 Best Communities for Music Education Districts | NAMM Foundation". www.nammfoundation.org. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "2017 Best Communities for Music Education | NAMM Foundation". www.nammfoundation.org. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "2018 Best Communities for Music Education Districts | NAMM Foundation". www.nammfoundation.org. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "2019 Best Communities For Music Education Districts | NAMM Foundation". www.nammfoundation.org. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  12. ^ School Data for the Lawrence Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  13. ^ School Directory, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  14. ^ 2021-2022 Public and Charter Schools Directory, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed July 1, 2022.
  15. ^ School Performance Reports for the Lawrence Township Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  16. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Lawrence Township Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  17. ^ Eldridge Park Elementary School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Ben Franklin Elementary School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Lawrenceville Elementary School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Slackwood Elementary School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  21. ^ Lawrence Intermediate School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Lawrence Middle School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  23. ^ Lawrence High School, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  24. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Mercer County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  25. ^ Superintendent, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  26. ^ Sciarrotta, Samantha. "Meet Ross Kasun, Lawrence Township Public Schools’ new superintendent", Community News, August 29, 2018. Accessed September 4, 2018. "Aug. 13 was like the first day of school for Ross Kasun. It was his debut at the Lawrence Township Public Schools offices after being named the district’s new superintendent at a special school board meeting Aug. 8, and he made the rounds, putting faces to names and meeting new people."
  27. ^ Business Department, Lawrence Township Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2022.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Lawrence Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 15, 2024. "Governance of the Lawrence Township Public Schools is the responsibility of The Lawrence Township Board of Education. The Board of Education is comprised of nine members who are generally elected to three-year terms. The nine-member board is statutorily charged with making prescribed decisions and ratifying recommendations of the superintendent.... The Lawrence Township School District is a Type II district located in the County of Mercer, 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. The purpose of the district is to educate students in grades PreK-12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 18.
edit