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

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 7,503 students and 576.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1.

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.

History

In 1969, the Union school district was threatened with being the first town north of the Mason–Dixon line to be penalized for school segregation. The area of Vauxhall was primarily black and Jefferson Elementary School was disproportionately black compared to the rest of the town. Union avoided problems by converting Jefferson Elementary into a sixth-grade only school called Central 6 and bused all children in the district in 6th grade to Jefferson Elementary School. It was later renamed Central 5 housing all fifth-grade students because the two junior highs, Burnet and Kawameeh, became middle schools and took on sixth grade students.

Schools

The schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary schools

• Battle Hill Elementary School (379 students; in grades PreK-4)
  • Sharon Drayton, interim principal
• Hannah Caldwell Elementary School (646; PreK-4)
  • Mark Hoyt, principal
• Connecticut Farms Elementary School (382; PreK-4)
  • Michelle C. Osborne-Warren, principal
• Franklin Elementary School (468; PreK-4)
  • Kira Baskerville-Williams, principal
• Livingston Elementary School (420; PreK-4)
  • Benjamin Kloc, principal
• Washington Elementary School (558; PreK-4)
  • Thomas O. Matthews, principal
• Jefferson Elementary School (524; grade 5)
  • Kelly Piano, interim principal

Middle schools

• Burnet Middle School (977; 6–8)
  • David Shaw, principal
• Kawameeh Middle School (728; 6–8)
  • Jason Malanda, principal

High school

• Union High School (2,270; 9–12)
  • Althea Bossard, interim principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

• Gerry Benaquista, superintendent
• Yolanda Koon, 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 Township Of Union 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. About Union, Union Public School District. Accessed April 21, 2023. "The school system currently operates 10 schools- six kindergarten through Grade Four elementary schools, one elementary school that houses all of the district's Grade Five students, two middle schools (Grades 6-8), and one comprehensive high school. The district employs approximately 1200 individuals and serves roughly 7,200 students."
4. Township of Union Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Union Public School District. Accessed November 27, 2024. "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 Township of Union School District. Composition: The Township of Union School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Union."
5. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 8, 2014.
6. Sullivan, Ronald. "Jersey Township Gets Busing Plan; Union School Board Adopts Integration Proposal", The New York Times, February 19, 1969. Accessed May 24, 2013.
7. School Data for the Union Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
8. School Performance Reports for the Township of Union School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
9. New Jersey School Directory for the Union Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
10. Battle Hill Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
11. Hannah Caldwell Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
12. Connecticut Farms Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
13. Franklin Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
14. Livingston Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
15. Washington Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
16. Jefferson Elementary School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
17. Burnet Middle School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
18. Kawameeh Middle School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2023.
19. Union High School, Union Public School District. Accessed April 14, 2020.
20. Superintendent's Office, Union Public School District. Accessed January 23, 2024.
21. New Jersey School Directory for Union County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
22. 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.
23. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Township of Union School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed November 27, 2024. "The Township of Union School District is a Type II District located in Union County, New Jersey. The District is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The District is governed by a nine member board elected to three-year terms 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." See "Roster of Officials" on page 12.
24. Board Of Education, Union Public School District. Accessed November 27, 2024. "The Township of Union Public Schools is a Type II school district. Our Board of Education is comprised of nine volunteers who are elected into office to serve three-year terms."

External links

• Union Public School District
• School Performance Reports for the Union Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Union Public School District, 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

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