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The Springfield Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Springfield Township, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprising five schools, had an enrollment of 2,236 students and 168.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1.

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.

History

Springfield Township became one of the six constituent municipalities of the Union County Regional High School District when it was established, joining Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth and Mountainside. The district opened for students in September 1937, with the district's first facility being Jonathan Dayton Regional High School in Springfield, which was named for founding father Jonathan Dayton. Amid conflict between the constituent municipalities about financing a district described as "the highest-spending regional high school in the state" and anger from residents impacted by the closure of David Brearley High School, a referendum was held in May 1996 in which voters approved a proposal to breakup the regional district. With the district's dissolution at the end of the 1996-97 school year Jonathan Dayton High School was turned over to the Springfield Public Schools, which became a K-12 district.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary schools

• Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center with 551 students in grades PreK-2
  • Adriana B. Coppola, principal
• James Caldwell Elementary School with 292 students in grades 3-5
  • David Rennie, principal
• Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School with 245 students in grades 3-5
  • Michael C. Plias, principal

Middle school

• Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School with 518 students in grades 6-8
  • Timothy P. Kielty, principal

High school

• Jonathan Dayton High School with 659 students in grades 9-12
  • Norman Francis Jr., principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

• Rachel Goldberg, superintendent
• Michelle Calas, school 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.

References

1. ^ District information for Springfield Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
3. Springfield Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed May 17, 2020. "Purpose: The Board exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Township of Springfield School District. Composition: The Township of Springfield School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Springfield in the County of Union, New Jersey."
4. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 15, 2014.
5. "A Biography: Jonathan Dayton, form whom new regional school is named, figured in Revolution, Congress and civic life", Courier News, June 30, 1937. Accessed April 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Since the Regional Board of Education recently named the new Union County Regional High School, Flemer Avenue, Springfield, the 'Jonathan Dayton Regional High School,' after a Revolutionary hero, prospective students of the school from six county places, and their parents, have sought to know the biography of Jonathan Dayton.... The Jonathan Dayton School will open for occupancy caring for the high school students of Clark Township, Kenilworth, New Providence Township, Garwood, Mountainside and Springfield."
6. Hanley, Robert. "Schools Weigh Impact Of District Breakup", The New York Times, May 16, 1996. Accessed April 28, 2021. "They are Springfield, with Dayton High; Berkeley Heights, with Governor Livingston High; Clark, with Arthur Johnson High, and Kenilworth, with Brearley High, which closed three years ago but will reopen after Commissioner Klagholz sets a date for the formal dissolution. Many expect it will be June 30, 1997. The district's two towns without high school buildings -- Garwood and Mountainside -- will remain kindergarten-to-eighth-grade districts and ship out their high school students. Mountainside's will go to Livingston High in Berkeley Heights."
7. Paglia, Bernice. "Stakes high in vote on deregionalization", Courier News, May 13, 1996. Accessed April 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In 1992 the Union County Regional High School District 1 board voted to close one of its four high schools, a move aimed at saving $4 million. That move may come full circle on Tuesday, when voters from six municipalities will decide whether to dissolve the district itself, which state Education Commissioner Leo Klagholz has called 'the highest-spending regional high school in the state.'"
8. School Data for the Springfield Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2022.
9. School Performance Reports for the Springfield Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
10. New Jersey School Directory for the Springfield Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
11. Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
12. James Caldwell Elementary School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
13. Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
14. Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
15. Jonathan Dayton High School, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
16. New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
17. Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
18. Business Administrator / Board Secretary, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.
19. 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.
20. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Springfield Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed February 7, 2024. "The Springfield School District is a Type II district located in the County of Union, 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."
21. Board of Education Members, Springfield Public Schools. Accessed February 7, 2024.

External links

• Springfield Public Schools
• School Performance Reports for the Springfield Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Springfield Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics

v t e School districts of Union County, New Jersey
K-8	Garwood Mountainside Winfield
K-12	Berkeley Heights Clark Cranford Elizabeth Hillside Kenilworth Linden New Providence Plainfield Rahway Roselle Roselle Park Scotch Plains-Fanwood Springfield Summit Union Westfield
9-12	Union County Vocational
Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren High schools by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

• Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
• New Jersey District Factor Group GH
• School districts in Union County, New Jersey