As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 777 students and 55.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.1:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second lowest 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]
For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Manchester Regional High School, which also serves students from Haledon and North Haledon.[8] The school is located in Haledon. The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows non-resident students to attend the district's schools without cost to their parents, with tuition paid by the state. Available slots are announced annually by grade.[9] As of the 2019–20 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 796 students and 64.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.[10]
As of the 2014-15 school year, Prospect Park's share of funding for the Manchester had more than doubled in the previous decade, with property taxes for the regional district rising nearly $700 on the average home in the previous two years after a 2013 change by the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education to the district's funding formula that allocated costs with half based on enrollment and half based on valuation, a formula that benefited North Haledon. Haledon and Prospect Park had argued that property valuation should be the basis for assessing district taxes, while North Haledon, with the largest property valuation, had argued that funding should be based exclusively on enrollment.[11]
School
Prospect Park Elementary School had an enrollment of 859 students as of the 2019–20 school year.[12] The school population was made up of Hispanic (54%), White (22%), Black (22%), and Other (2%).[13]
Core members of the district's administration are:[14][15]
Tyeshia A. Reels, superintendent
Melissa Simmons, interim school business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised of seven 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 either two or 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.[16][17][18]
^Zaremba, Justin. "Wing to be dedicated to late Prospect Park Superintendent", The Gazette (Hawthorne edition), January 26, 2012. Accessed March 19, 2017. "The dedication of the new preschool expansion at Prospect Park School 1 was delayed last week due to concerns about weather conditions.... Magura, who was a member of the board that helmed the project, said most of the $1.5 million project was covered by state grants which provided funding for projects focused on improving facilities for children with special needs."
^Passaic County-Manchester Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Manchester Regional High School (MRHS) serves 903 students from the Passaic County boroughs of Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park. It is also one of only two Interdistrict Public Choice Schools in the county providing a quality college preparatory curriculum to students outside the district who want to avail themselves of this program. One hundred four students from Essex, Bergen and Passaic Counties are enrolled at the school."
^Park, Minjae. "Prospect Park residents appeal to lawmakers for more school aid for Manchester Regional", The Record, March 18, 2015. Accessed March 22, 2015. "At the court's order, the state commissioner of education created a new funding formula based one-third on enrollment and two-thirds on property values. North Haledon appealed and an administrative law judge in 2011 ordered the commissioner to create a new formula, recommending it be based two-thirds on enrollment and one-third on property values. Instead, Cerf in 2003 divided the burden 50-50 between enrollment and tax base, satisfying none of the boroughs."
^Board Members, Prospect Park School District. Accessed April 6, 2020.
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Prospect Park School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed May 8, 2024. "The Board of Education ('Board') of the Borough of Prospect School District ('District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Borough of Prospect Park School District is a Type II district located in the County of Passaic, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The board is comprised of seven members elected to three-year terms. The purpose of the District is to educate students in grades K-8. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District." See "Roster of Officials" on page 15.
