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Morris School District

Morris School District
Address
31 Hazel Street
Morristown
, Morris County, New Jersey, 07960
United States
Coordinates40°48′19″N 74°28′33″W / 40.80541°N 74.475909°W / 40.80541; -74.475909
District information
GradesPreK–12
SuperintendentAnne Mucci
Business administratorAnthony LoFranco
Schools10
Students and staff
Enrollment5,708 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Faculty457.5 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.5:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupGH
Websitewww.morrisschooldistrict.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$20,57683$18,8918.9%
1Budgetary Cost15,8837814,7837.4%
2Classroom Instruction8,898608,7631.5%
6Support Services3,085932,39229.0%
8Administrative Cost1,511611,4851.8%
10Operations & Maintenance1,916771,7837.5%
13Extracurricular Activities3117526816.0%
16Median Teacher Salary70,1007864,043
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

The Morris School District is a comprehensive public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from three municipalities in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The communities in the district are Morristown and Morris Township, along with students from Morris Plains in grades 9-12 who attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Morris Plains Schools.[3][4]

As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 5,708 students and 457.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.[1]

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.

History

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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 until 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, 18th century school, 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 that combined the two separate pre-existing districts, which ruled that the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education can cross district lines only for desegregation purposes. The decision found that Morristown and the surrounding Morris Township constituted a "single community without visible or factually significant boundary separations" but that de facto segregation existed because Morristown had a substantial black population while the surrounding township did not. By pairing schools across the two municipalities in the merged district, the district could keep a black population at about 20% of enrollment in each elementary school.[5]

In May 1974, the Harding Township School District was given permission by the State Commissioner of Education to end their sending / receiving relationship with the Morris School District and begin sending their students to Madison High School starting with the 1975-76 school year, ruling that the withdrawal of the mostly white students from Harding Township would not "cause a disproportionate change in the racial composition of Morristown High School".[6][7]

In August 2019, former Sussex Avenue School principal Peter Frazzano pleaded guilty to charges filed by Craig Carpenito the then United States Attorney For The District Of New Jersey for stealing $2.7 million from the district's health insurance plan. Frazzano was sentenced to serve 10 years in a federal prison for this crime.[8] In February 2021, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey Rachael A. Honig announced that Matthew Puccio, husband of a Frelinghuysen Middle School guidance counselor and brother-in-law of Peter Frazzano was indicted over a connection to Frazzano's health insurance scheme; if convicted Puccio faces up to 10 years in a federal prison.[9]

The district had been 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.[10]

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[11]) are:[12][13][14]

Preschool
Elementary schools
Middle school
High school

Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[25][26]

Board of education

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The district's board of education, composed 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.[29][30][31] The nine elected seats on the board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with five seats assigned to Morris Township and four to Morristown; a tenth representative is appointed by Morris Plains to represents that district's interest on the board.[32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Morris School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Morris Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Morris School District, adopted March 11, 2024. Accessed January 23, 2025. "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 twelve in the Morris School District. Composition: The Morris School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Morris and Morristown. The Morris School District operates as an all purpose regional Pre-Kindergarten through twelve district. The Morris School District accepts students from grades 9 - 12 from Morris Plains as part of the send-receive agreement."
  4. ^ Westhoven, William. "Morris schools mark 50 years of integration that followed landmark civil rights ruling", Daily Record, September 30, 2022. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The Morris School District now serves all students in Morristown and Morris Township, and high school students from Morris Plains. The district serves a student body of more than 5,700 with one preschool, three primary schools (grades K-2), three intermediate schools (3-5), one multiage magnet school (K-5), one middle school (6-8) and the high school."
  5. ^ Staff. "In Morris, a Painful Schools Merger", The New York Times, October 21, 1973. Accessed July 19, 2017. "In 1971, Carl E. Marburger, the former State Commissioner of Education, ordered the merger of the two school systems. His decision was based on a ruling by the State Supreme Court that school district lines could be crossed to avoid 'de facto' segregation caused by housing patterns. The thrust of the court's decision was that, in fact, the two municipalities were a 'single community without visible or factually significant boundary separations.'"
  6. ^ "Commissioner Reverses Plan for Morris Schools", The New York Times, May 2, 1974. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Contending that it would not significantly 'cause a disproportionate change in the racial composition of Morristown High School,' the state's Acting Commissioner of Education, Edward W. Kilpatrick today allowed Harding Township to send its high school students to. Madison High School rather than to Morristown after June 1975.... In 1971, during the time the regionalization of the Morris districts was pending before the Commissioner, Harding Township, an affluent semirural town of three‐acre‐minimum residential zones, petitioned the county superintendent to allow sending of high school pupils to the smaller Madison High School with a much smaller black population. Subsequently, Harding began to send its ninth graders to Madison despite objections from Morristown."
  7. ^ Staff. "Morristown High School Closed After Racial Fight", The New York Times, May 7, 1974. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Morristown High School has about 400 black students, most of them from Morristown. Most of the high school student from Morris Township, Morris Plain: and Harding Township are white. Morristown and Morris Township were forced to merge their school systems two years ago to advance racial integration. Last week Harding Township was given permission by the State Education Commissioner to withdraw its students from Morristown High and send them to Madison High."
  8. ^ Coughlin, Kevin. "Former Morris School District principal pleads guilty in $2.7M health insurance scam", Morristown Green, August 14, 2019. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The former principal of the Sussex Avenue School in Morris Township, who allowed students to coat him in slime for a school program last year, has pleaded guilty to a scheme that defrauded health plans of $2.7 million."
  9. ^ Coughlin, Kevin. "Brother-in-law of disgraced ex-Morris Township school principal indicted in same fraud scheme", Morristown Green, February 24, 2021. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The brother-in-law of a disgraced former Morris Township school principal has been indicted in connection with the same scheme to defraud public health benefits programs. Matthew Puccio, 38, of Randolph, has been charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced on Tuesday.... If convicted, Puccio faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice his gross gain or loss from the conspiracy"
  10. ^ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  11. ^ School Data for the Morris School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Our Schools, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  13. ^ School Performance Reports for the Morris School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  14. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Morris School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Lafayette Learning Center, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  16. ^ Alexander Hamilton School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  17. ^ Hillcrest School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  18. ^ Thomas Jefferson School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  19. ^ Normandy Park School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  20. ^ Sussex Avenue School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  21. ^ Alfred Vail School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  22. ^ Woodland School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  23. ^ Frelinghuysen Middle School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  24. ^ Morristown High School, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  25. ^ Central Office Administrator & Staff Directory, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  26. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Morris County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  27. ^ Superintendent, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  28. ^ Business Office, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Morris School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The District serves an affluent area in northern New Jersey comprised of the Town of Morristown and the Township of Morris.... The Morris School District is a Combined Type II district located in the County of Morris, State of New Jersey, comprising the Town of Morristown and the Township of Morris. 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 and one sending district member appointed annually. The purpose of the District is to educate students in grades K-12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 14.
  31. ^ Members of the Board, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025.
  32. ^ What is the Board of Education?, Morris School District. Accessed January 23, 2025. "The Morris School District Board of Education is an elected, unpaid group of 10 citizens (5 from Morris Township, 4 from Morristown, and one from Morris Plains) who serve as representatives of their community."
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