Camden City School District

Ali City School District
201 North Front Street
Camden, NJ 08102
District information
Grades pre-K to 12
Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard
Business administrator Regina Robinson
Schools 22
Affiliation(s) SDA District
Students and staff
Enrollment 11,660 (as of 2014-15)[1]
Faculty 1,091.50 FTEs
Student-teacher ratio 11.7:1
Other information
District Factor Group A
Website www.camden.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District
spending 		Rank
(*) 		K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$26,998102$18,89142.9%
1Budgetary Cost20,84910314,78341.0%
2Classroom Instruction11,4441008,76330.6%
6Support Services4,4091032,39284.3%
8Administrative Cost1,791931,48520.6%
10Operations & Maintenance3,1771021,78378.2%
13Extracurricular Activities1135268-57.8%
16Median Teacher Salary61,2032864,043
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
Board of Education Building

Camden City School District is a public school district that serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from the city of Camden, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide,[3] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.[4][5] In 2013, after years of requests from local officials,[6] New Jersey intervened in Camden City, making the School District state-run under the leadership of Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard.

As of the 2014-15 school year, the district's 22 schools had an enrollment of 11,660 students and 1,091.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the 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]

In 2014-15, Camden students who took the state PARCC test for the first time scored far below other cities in New Jersey, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.[8] About 6 percent of district students in grades three through eight are proficient in language arts, with about 4 percent testing proficient in math.

Just 5 to 8 percent of high school students tested at close to the statewide proficiency rate in language arts. For math, that number was 1 to 3 percent of high school students.

But there are also signs of progress. The State committed at least $50 million[9] to renovate Camden High School, the graduation rate has gone up four years in a row, and the District-led pre-school program has become a highlight.[10]

In 2015, a brand-new, $41 million, 110,000-square-foot school opened on Broadway,[11] home to students at a District school and two renaissance schools.

The District is guided by its school improvement plan, the Camden Commitment.[12]

Governance

In June 2004 the school district enacted a mandatory school uniform policy for all students. 10 schools had already started their own uniform policies.[13] Uniform policies were enforced effective September 2004.[14]

Awards, recognition and rankings

George Washington School was recognized by Governor Jim McGreevey in 2003 as one of 25 schools selected statewide for the First Annual Governor's School of Excellence award.[15]

Schools

Schools in the district, with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[16] are:[17][18]

Preschool
Elementary schools
High schools

Criticism

In the 2000s, the Camden school system was labeled as corrupt by some individuals; a July 6, 2006 editorial [43] written by Sherry Wolkoff appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The editorial, titled "Children of Camden get short end of the pencil," asserts that Camden school officials obtain unjustified bonuses while Camden schoolchildren have few resources.

In early 2006, allegations were also made that school officials had altered standardized test scores to improve Camden's national school ratings. "We know that, with respect to the test scores, those scores were not legitimately achieved," says Lucille Davy, New Jersey's acting commissioner of education. "There was manipulation of the process."[44]

In December 2013, the district reported that only three high school students had met the "college ready" standard, based on a minimum combined score of 1550 on the SAT.[45]

In the wake of 163 violent incidents in the district during the 2012-13 school year, the district undertook a $1.4 million project in 2014 to add digital cameras and electronic controls at doors to limit access to high school buildings.[46]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[47]

References

  1. 1 2 District information for Camden School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  2. ↑ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Abbott School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ What are SDA Districts? Archived May 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed August 14, 2012. "SDA Districts are 31 special-needs school districts throughout New Jersey. They were formerly known as Abbott Districts, based on the Abbott v. Burke case in which the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts.... The districts were renamed after the elimination of the Abbott designation through passage of the state's new School Funding Formula in January 2008."
  5. ↑ SDA Districts Archived December 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed August 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ "New York Times".
  7. ↑ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer".
  9. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer".
  10. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer".
  11. ↑ "Courier Post".
  12. ↑ "Camden City School District".
  13. ↑ Burney, Melanie. "Camden schools to require uniforms in September A new policy aims to improve discipline among students and security in schools." (Archive). June 9, 2004. Accessed November 29, 2015.
  14. ↑ Burney, Melanie. "On first day, students give new uniforms mixed reviews" (Archive). Philadelphia Inquirer. September 8, 2004. Accessed November 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ McGreevey Celebrates Schools that are "Getting it Right": Schools of Excellence Winners Demonstrate Effectiveness of Governor's Education Priorities Archived October 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., New Jersey Department of Education press release dated November 211, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2009.
  16. ↑ School Data for the Camden City Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Schools, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for the Camden City Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  19. ↑ Early Childhood Development Center, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ Henry L. Bonsall Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  21. ↑ Octavius V. Catto Community Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  22. ↑ Cooper's Poynt School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ Alfred Cramer College Preparatory Lab School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  24. ↑ R.T. Cream Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  25. ↑ Henry H. Davis Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  26. ↑ Thomas H. Dudley Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  27. ↑ Forest Hill Elementary School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  28. ↑ Cooper B. Hatch Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  29. ↑ Francis X. McGraw Elementary School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  30. ↑ Rafael Cordero Molina Elementary School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  31. ↑ Harry C. Sharp Elementary School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  32. ↑ Charles Sumner Elementary School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  33. ↑ Veterans Memorial Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  34. ↑ John Greenleaf Whittier Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  35. ↑ Dr. Ulysses S. Wiggins College Preparatory Lab Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  36. ↑ H. B. Wilson Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  37. ↑ Yorkship Family School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  38. ↑ Brimm Medical Arts High School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  39. ↑ Camden High School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  40. ↑ Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  41. ↑ MetEast High School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  42. ↑ Woodrow Wilson High School, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  43. ↑ Children of Camden get short end of the pencil, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 6, 2006
  44. ↑ NPR: Widespread Fraud Alleged in Camden, N.J. Schools
  45. ↑ Via Associated Press. "Only 3 students scored college-ready in Camden", NJ.com, December 18, 2013. Accessed August 27, 2014. "The new school superintendent in Camden says it was a 'kick-in-the-stomach moment' when he learned that only three district high school students who took the SAT this year scored as college-ready."
  46. ↑ Burney, Melanie. "At Camden high schools, new security cameras and controlled access", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 23, 2014. Accessed August 27, 2014.
  47. ↑ New Jersey School Directory for Camden County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  48. ↑ Superintendent's Corner, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed August 26, 2014.
  49. ↑ Business Services, Camden City Public Schools. Accessed May 8, 2015.

Coordinates: 39°56′53″N 75°07′34″W / 39.948058°N 75.126221°W / 39.948058; -75.126221

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