As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprising 13 schools, had an enrollment of 10,059 students and 763.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.2:1.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "CD", the sixth-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.[4]
After the state rejected a budget plan that would have cut 85 positions and raised taxes by almost 4%, the board of education voted in April 2017 to cut a total of 300 positions, including 260 non-tenured teachers, to achieve $6 million in savings from the earlier proposed $133 million budget.[5]
Awards and recognition
During the 2008-09 school year, Public School #14 Gifted & Talented was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[6] the highest award an American school can receive. In 2009-2010, Washington Community School was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award.[7][8]
For the 2004–05 school year, Mary J. Donohoe No. 4 School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[9] It is the fourth school in Bayonne to receive this honor. The other three are Bayonne High School in 1995-96,[10] Midtown Community School in 1996-97[11] and P.S. #14 in the 1998-99 school year.[12]
During the 2008–09 school year, Washington Community School was awarded the ASCA Honor Council Excellence Award, which is given to school's Student Councils who have met the requirements and completed projects in the areas of in leadership, citizenship, and community service.[13]
Nicholas Oresko School No. 14[24] (444; PreK-8) an advanced school for gifted and talented students in academics, the arts, and physical education
Charles Costello, principal
Dr. Walter F. Robinson No. 3[25] (772; PreK-8). The facility was originally opened in 1910 as Bayonne High School, and was changed to an elementary school in the late 1930s when the present high school facility was completed. In 1977, it was renamed after a prominent history teacher who became school principal and assistant superintendent of schools and authored a history of the city of Bayonne.
Karen J. Fiermonte, principal
William Shemin Midtown Community School No. 8[26] (1,230; PreK-8). In November 2019, the school was renamed to honor World War I Medal of Honor hero, and Bayonne resident, William Shemin.[27]
The Bayonne Board of Education has implemented a dress code that took effect in the 2006-2007 school year for students in Pre-K through 8th grade. The plan was intended to "increase student identification with their schools and the district, Eliminate many of the distractions associated with differences in social or economic status, Allow the children, their teachers and the Board of Education to concentrate on shared pursuit of educational excellence and Instill a sense of belonging and school pride".[33][34] A heated battle was fought between enraged parents and grandparents and the board, with parents and grandparents upset at the manner in which the policy was imposed, the cost of the uniforms, the loss of freedom of expression to students in choosing the clothing they wear and issues regarding the manner in which the contract was awarded.[35]
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[36][37]
The district's board of education is composed of nine members who set policy and oversee 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 2015) 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.[38][39][40]
In a November 2015 referendum, voters approved by a 3-1 margin a change from a Type I (appointed) to Type II (elected) school board.[41]
^Bayonne Board of Education District Policy: Identification, Bayonne School District. Accessed July 14, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-K through 12 in the Bayonne School District. Composition: The Bayonne School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the City of Bayonne."
^McDonald, Corey. "Bayonne school board votes to lay off nearly 300 district employees", The Jersey Journal, April 27, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "Facing the packed auditorium of the Bayonne High School, the BOE passed resolutions effectively eliminating 261 non-tenured teachers, as well as 15 secretaries, eight engineers, two bus drivers, and other miscellaneous positions amidst the Board's current budget crisis. A number of residents expressed their frustration and impatience with the board, whose previous budget -- $133.1 million with a 3.95 percent tax increase and a projected 85 layoffs -- was rejected by the state."
^"CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
^"Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test", The Washington Post. September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Bayonne School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed March 29, 2024. "The City of Bayonne School District is a Type II district located in the County of Hudson, 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 and one sending district member appointed annually. The District converted from a Type I District (appointed school board) to a Type II District (elected school board) pursuant to a special question included in the general election held on November 3, 2015.... The purpose of the District is to educate students in grades K-12."
^Lin, Jonathan. "Overwhelming majority of Bayonne voters choose to have an elected school board", The Jersey Journal, November 5, 2014, updated January 17, 2019. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Support for changing Bayonne's appointed school board to an elected board has swept the polls. The referendum on whether there should be an elected school board, which appeared on this year's ballot as Bayonne Public Question #2, generated 4,858 or 76.56 percent 'Yes' votes and 1,487 or 23.44 percent 'No' votes."