West Long Branch Public Schools

The West Long Branch Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from West Long Branch, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3] Students from Interlaken attend the district as part of a sending/receiving relationship in which students attend on a tuition basis,[4] as do students from Loch Arbour, New Jersey, who began attending schools in West Long Branch starting in the 2017–18 school year, after leaving the Ocean Township School District[5][6] and those from Allenhurst, after a 2017 decision that terminated a relationship with the Asbury Park Public Schools.[7][8]

West Long Branch Public Schools
Address
135 Locust Avenue
, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 07764
United States
Coordinates40°17′21″N 74°01′04″W / 40.289266°N 74.017785°W / 40.289266; -74.017785
District information
GradesPreK-8
SuperintendentChristina Egan
Business administratorCorey Lowell
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment551 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty61.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio9.0:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
Websitewww.wlbschools.com
Ind. Per pupil District
spending
Rank
(*)
K-8
average
%± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$19,25141$18,8911.9%
1Budgetary Cost15,1684014,1597.1%
2Classroom Instruction8,947378,6593.3%
6Support Services2,313362,1676.7%
8Administrative Cost1,813441,54717.2%
10Operations & Maintenance1,763461,6129.4%
13Extracurricular Activities23657104126.9%
16Median Teacher Salary58,6452761,136
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-8 districts with 401-750 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=64

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising two schools, had an enrollment of 551 students and 61.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.0:1.[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.[9]

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Shore Regional High School, a regional high school located in West Long Branch that also serves students from the constituent districts of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport and Sea Bright, together with out-of-district students who pay tuition to attend the school.[10][11] As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 613 students and 55.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.[12]

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[13]) are:[14][15][16]

  • Betty McElmon Elementary School[17] with 330 students in pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade
    • James J. Erhardt, principal[18]
  • Frank Antonides School[19] with 214 students in fifth through eighth grades
    • Allyson Winter, principal[20]

Administration

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

  • Christina Egan, superintendent
  • Corey Lowell, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

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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.[23][24][25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for West Long Branch School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ West Long Branch Board of Eeucation District Policy 0110 - Identification, West Long Branch Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023. "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 eight in the West Long Branch School District. Composition: The West Long Branch School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of West Long Branch."
  4. ^ Board of Education of the Borough of Interlaken Meeting Minutes, Borough of Interlaken, September 28, 2015. Accessed January 28, 2017. "The Interlaken School District is part of a sending-receiving relationship with the West Long Branch School District for grades Kindergarten through 8 and the Shore Regional High School District for grades 9 through 12."
  5. ^ Radel, Dan. "Loch Arbour votes to leave Ocean Twp. schools", Asbury Park Press, April 4, 2017. Accessed August 1, 2018. "Village voters have decided by an overwhelming margin to leave the Ocean Township School District and forge a (cheaper) different path. The tally Tuesday was 93 in favor to 4 opposed, according to the unofficial results from the Office of the Monmouth County Clerk.... The village's per-pupil education cost for Ocean Township now totals about $143,000, according to Mayor Paul Fernicola. He said the village will instead send students to West Long Branch and Shore Regional High School on a per-pupil tuition rate, not yet determined, that is substantially less than the current tab."
  6. ^ Frequently Asked Questions, Borough of Loch Arbour. Accessed August 1, 2018. "Where do Village children attend school? The Village of Loch Arbour has a send-receive relationship with the West Long Branch School (Grades pre-K-8) and the Shore Regional High School (Grades 9-12)."
  7. ^ In The Matter Of The Petition Of The Board Of Education Of The Borough Of Allenhurst, Monmouth County, For Authorization To Sever A Sending-Receiving Relationship With The Board Of Education Of The City Of Asbury Park, Monmouth County, And To Enter Into A Sending-Receiving Relationship With The Board Of Education Of The Borough Of West Long Branch, Monmouth County, And The Board Of Education Of The Shore Regional High School District, Monmouth County., New Jersey Department of Education, July 20, 2017. "It Is Ordered on this 20th day of July, 2017 that – pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:38-13 and N.J.A.C. 6A:3-6.1 – Allenhurst’s application for authorization to sever its sending-receiving relationship with Asbury Park, and enter into sending-receiving relationships with West Long Branch and Shore Regional, as set forth in its petition of appeal, is Approved, thereby terminating the sending-receiving relationship between Allenhurst and Asbury Park, and establishing sending-receiving relationships with West Long Branch and Shore Regional, which will permit Allenhurst students to attend school in these two districts."
  8. ^ Stine, Don. "Allenhurst Ends Sending-Receiving Relationship with Asbury Park School District", The Coaster, August 7, 2017. "Allenhurst is following in the footsteps of its two neighboring towns and will begin to send its students to West Long Branch Elementary School and to Shore Regional High School on a per-pupil tuition basis. Board of Education President Larry O’Rourke said that Allenhurst school board officials saw Interlaken and Loch Arbour recently make the same move with permission of state Acting-Commissioner of Education Kimberly Harrington.... O’Rourke said Allenhurst has about 38 school-age children and that some may be able to start attending their new schools this September but he added that no contracts with the two schools have yet been signed."
  9. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 1, 2014.
  10. ^ Shore Regional High School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Shore Regional High School, located in West Long Branch, Monmouth County New Jersey, is a comprehensive secondary school that proudly serves the communities of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright, and West Long Branch. The beautiful ten-acre campus is situated on the banks of Franklin Lake in the borough of West Long Branch."
  11. ^ Walter, Kenny. "SRHS $15.7M budget calls for flat tax levy; School taxes decrease for three of four sending towns", The Hub, April 4, 2013. Accessed January 28, 2017. "Three of the four sending districts that comprise the Shore Regional High School District — Oceanport, Monmouth Beach and West Long Branch — will pay less in taxes for the 2013-14 school year. Taxes will increase, however, for property owners in Sea Bright, which will pay a higher percentage of the regional school budget."
  12. ^ School data for Shore Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  13. ^ School Data for the West Long Branch Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  14. ^ County School List S-W, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.
  15. ^ School Performance Reports for the West Long Branch School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  16. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the West Long Branch Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  17. ^ Betty McElmon Elementary School, West Long Branch School District. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  18. ^ Principal's Corner, Betty McElmon Elementary School. Accessed February 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Frank Antonides School, West Long Branch School District. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  20. ^ Principal's Corner, Frank Antonides School. Accessed July 25, 2023. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  21. ^ Administration, West Long Branch Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
  22. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the West Long Branch School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2023. "West Long Branch School District Board of Education is a Type II district located in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the District functions independently through a Board of Education (Board). The Board is comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels Pre-K through 8. "
  25. ^ Board of Education, West Long Branch Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023.
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