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West Morris Regional High School District

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School district in Morris County, New Jersey, US

West Morris Regional High School District
Address
10 South Four Bridges Road Chester Township, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, 07930
United States
Coordinates40°48′31″N 74°43′49″W / 40.80851°N 74.730149°W / 40.80851; -74.730149
District information
Grades9-12
SuperintendentBarbara Sargent
Business administratorL. Douglas Pechanec
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment2,240 (as of 2021–22)
Faculty189.4 FTEs
Student–teacher ratio11.8:1
Other information
District Factor GroupI
Websitewww.wmrhsd.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 9-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$23,50013$21,8667.5%
1Budgetary Cost17,6561616,5996.4%
2Classroom Instruction9,775179,7240.5%
6Support Services2,953282,7019.3%
8Administrative Cost1,841241,7743.8%
10Operations & Maintenance1,85181,985−6.8%
13Extracurricular Activities1,21333331266.5%
16Median Teacher Salary77,8902372,376
Data from NJDoE 2019 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.
*Of 9-12 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=47

The West Morris Regional High School District is a limited purpose regional public high school district in New Jersey that serves students from the surrounding Morris County communities of Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township and Washington Township. Elementary school students of the constituent municipalities attend separate K-8 school districts maintained by four of the five municipalities; Chester Borough and Chester Township schools are consolidated under the Chester School District and the remaining three municipalities each have their own districts (Mendham Borough Schools, Mendham Township Public Schools and Washington Township Schools).

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising two schools, had an enrollment of 2,240 students and 189.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1.

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts.

Both schools in the district are accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the International Baccalaureate program. In August 2015, West Morris Central (ranked 151st) and Mendham (18th) were ranked among "America's Top High Schools 2015" by Newsweek magazine.

West Morris Mendham High School was ranked as the seventh-most challenging public, non-magnet, non-charter high school in 2017 by The Washington Post and the most challenging such school in New Jersey.

History

The district was established in March 1956 and the "West Morris" name was adopted the following month. The district's first school opened in September 1958, at what is now West Morris Central, with 531 students in grades 9-11 in a building with 39 classrooms designed to accommodate a maximum enrollment of 1,200.

Mount Olive Township was part of the district until that municipality created its own district in 1977. Students from Mount Olive Township attended West Morris Central High School until 1972. West Morris Mount Olive High School, in Flanders, opened in 1972 and was operated by the regional district until the 1978-1979 school year, with the West Morris Mount Olive High School Class of 1978 being the last graduating class from this facility under the regional administration. The high school building and remaining faculty became part of the Mount Olive Township School District and is operated as Mount Olive High School.

In June 2015, a feasibility study requested by Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township was released that discussed potential restructuring of the West Morris Regional High School District, considering two different options. In one scenario, West Morris Mendham High School would be stripped away from the district to become a standalone regional high school for the Chesters and Mendhams. In the second scenario, the existing PreK-8 districts would be dissolved and combined with West Morris Mendham to create a consolidated PreK-12 district. In either scenario, Washington Township would take over West Morris Central High School and become its own PreK-12 district. Significant tax savings would have been achieved for the Chesters and Mendhams under both scenarios, with equivalent tax increases for Washington Township.

Schools

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

  • West Morris Central High School was built in 1958 with 173,210 square feet (16,092 m) of space, is located in—and serves students from—Washington Township. with 1,084 students in grades 9-12
  • West Morris Mendham High School was built in 1970 with 171,025 square feet (15,889 m) of space, is located in Mendham Borough and serves Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township. with 1,106 students in grades 9-12

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:

  • Barbara Sargent
  • L. Douglas Pechanec, 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. The nine seats on the board of education are allocated based on the populations of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Washington Township, two to Chester Township and one each to Chester Borough, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township.

References

  1. ^ District information for West Morris Regional High 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 the Board, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed August 17, 2020. "The West Morris Regional High School District (WMRHSD) Board of Education is comprised of nine members who represent five municipalities in western Morris County; Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Chester Borough, Chester Township, and Washington Township. Because Chester Borough and Chester Township have joined to form a consolidated K-8 school district, there are a total of four separate K-8 districts that send students to the WMRHSD."
  4. ^ West Morris Regional High School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 4, 2016. "Established in 1958, the West Morris Regional High School District operates two schools, West Morris Central High School and West Morris Mendham High School. The regional district serves the students of five Morris County communities: Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township and Washington Township. Students from Washington Township attend West Morris Central High School, and students from the Chesters and the Mendhams attend West Morris Mendham High School."
  5. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 8, 2009.
  6. Affiliate Schools by State -- New Jersey, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Accessed September 5, 2023.
  7. Find an IB World School in New Jersey, International Baccalaureate. Accessed September 5, 2023.
  8. About, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed October 11, 2015.
  9. Staff. "America's Top High Schools 2015", Newsweek. Accessed October 11, 2015.
  10. Seymour, Kara. "These Are The 'Most Challenging' High Schools In NJ, According To The Washington Post; The Washington Post has released its 2017 list of the Most Challenging High Schools in the U.S. Here are the top 25 from New Jersey.", Westfield, NJ, Patch, May 12, 2017. Accessed August 18, 2020.
  11. "New Regional: 'West Morris'", Courier News, April 5, 1956. Accessed March 6, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The new Regional High School district, embracing the townships of Chester, Mendham, Mount Olive and Washing ton and the borough of Mendham, will henceforth be known as 'West Morris' Regional Board of Education."
  12. "531 to Enter New School", Courier News, September 9, 1958. Accessed March 6, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "An estimated 531 ninth, tenth and eleventh grade students will begin classes tomorrow at the partially completed $2,000,000 West Morris Regional High School, Morris County's third regional school. James H. M. Darvie, principal, said construction would not be completed until Dec. 1, but that most of the new building's 39 classrooms were ready. The school serves Chester Township, Mendham Borough, Mount Olive Township and Washington Township..... The brick and glass building has a capacity of 1,200."
  13. WMRHSD Now and Then, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed November 17, 2021. "West Morris Central (WMC), built in 1958, is located in, and serves, Washington Township."
  14. History, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed June 28, 2012.
  15. Roman, Linda. "Split School District Finds Advantages", Daily Record, August 31, 1980. Accessed March 25, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Voters from the Mendhams, the Chesters, Washington Township and Mount Olive the communities which comprised the 130-square-mile district, with three high school buildings overwhelmingly approved a referendum for Mount Olive's withdrawal from the regional district in December 1977. This made Mount Olive the first district in the state to do so. Deregionalization became effective July 1, 1978.... West Morris Central High School became the district's first school in 1958. In 1970, a second school was built in Mendham. In 1972, the third high school was built in Mount Olive."
  16. Ross Haber and Associates. West Morris Regional High School District Restructuring Feasibility Study, Chester School District, June 2015. Accessed February 12, 2020.
  17. West Morris Regional High School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  18. Facilities, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed September 5, 2023. "The West Morris Regional High School District (WMRHSD) consists of two high schools that are known for their challenging curriculum, academic excellence and supportive communities: West Morris Central (WMC), built in 1958, is located in, and serves, Washington Township. West Morris Mendham (WMM), built in 1970, is located in Mendham Borough, and serves Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, and Mendham Township."
  19. School Performance Reports for the West Morris Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  20. New Jersey School Directory for the West Morris Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  21. West Morris Central High School, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed March 6, 2022.
  22. West Morris Mendham High School, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed March 6, 2022.
  23. District Administration, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed September 5, 2023.
  24. New Jersey School Directory for Morris County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  25. Superintendent introduction Letter, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed September 5, 2023.
  26. Burns, Vianella. "New Superintendent Appointed At West Morris Regional", Archived September 5, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Mendham-Chester, NJ Patch, May 5, 2023. Accessed September 5, 2023. "The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education announced on Friday, May 5, that their superintendent, Barbara Sargent, will be leaving the district at the end of the school year and transferring to the West Morris Regional High School District."
  27. Business Office, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed September 5, 2023.
  28. 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.
  29. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the West Morris Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed August 18, 2020. "The School District is administered by a nine-member Board of Education ('the Board'), with three members elected each year for three-year terms.... The Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board on a renewable contractual basis for a minimum of three and a maximum of five years."
  30. Board of Education, West Morris Regional High School District. Accessed February 12, 2020.

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