As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising five schools, had an enrollment of 2,198 students and 190.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1.[1]
The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, having been approved in July 2002 to participate in the program.[4] Seats in the program for non-resident students are specified by the district and are allocated by lottery, with tuition paid for participating students by the New Jersey Department of Education.[5][6]
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.[7]
At the time of its founding in 1957, the Southern Regional School District had a roughly equal number of students from Long Beach Island and Stafford Township. By 2016, the overwhelming majority of students were from Stafford Township, accounting for nearly 90% of enrollment. These demographic changes have led to significant discrepancies in the cost per pupil sent to the district from each community, with Harvey Cedars and Long Beach Township paying more than $200,000 per pupil, while Stafford Township's costs are $3,600 for each student. These widely different costs result from a formula that uses the taxable property value in each municipality to apportion costs, which means that municipalities with relatively high property values and small numbers of students pay a higher share of total district costs. Some residents of Long Beach Island communities are seeking to amend the formula to take advantage of a 1993 law that allows districts to use both property value and enrollment to allocate property taxes, though that would require passage of referendums in each municipality.[14]
Oxycocus School[20] with 178 students in pre-kindergarten
William Wilkinson, principal
Ronald L. Meinders Primary Learning Center[21] with 274 students in kindergarten
Dawn Reo, principal
Elementary schools
Ocean Acres Elementary School[22] with 527 students in grades 1 and 2
Susan D'Alessandro, principal
McKinley Avenue Elementary School[23] with 570 students in grades 3 and 4
Tiffany Eberle, principal
Intermediate school
Stafford Intermediate School[24] with 651 students in grades 5 and 6
Hope Zaun, principal
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[25][26]
George Chidiac, superintendent
Lourdes LaGuardia, business administrator and board secretary
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.[25][27][28]
^Stafford Township Board of Education District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Stafford Township School District Accessed June 16, 2020. "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 six in the Stafford Township School District. Composition: The Stafford Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Stafford Township."
^Public School Choice Program, Stafford Township School District. Accessed June 16, 2020. "Students from other public schools are welcome to apply to attend Stafford Township Schools for grades K through 6 for the 2020-2021 school year."
^Southern Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 16, 2020. "Located in Manahawkin, the Southern Regional School District draws from the constituent districts of Long Beach Township, Beach Haven, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars and Stafford Township, as well as the tuition sending district of Ocean Township (Waretown).
^About Us, Southern Regional School District. Accessed January 20, 2020. "Our school is a 7-12 comprehensive regional high school district. Our middle school covers grades 7-8 and our high school covers grades 9-12. The district is comprised of the constituent members of Stafford Township, Beach Haven, Long Beach Township, (which includes the municipalities of Loveladies, North Beach, High Bar Harbor and Brant Beach and Long Beach Township) Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City. Waretown is our sending district."
^ abBoard of Education Members, Stafford Township School District. Accessed June 16, 2020. "Our nine member Board of Education is an elected body comprised of residents of Stafford Township. As Board members, they establish policies and oversight for the Stafford Township School District. Board members fulfill three-year terms and serve the residents and children of Stafford Township without pay."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Stafford Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed June 16, 2020. "The District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. The purpose of the district is to educate students in grades K-6. The District operates three elementary schools and one intermediate school located in Manahawkin. Stafford Township is a member of the Southern Regional School District for Grades 7-12."
