Paterson Public Schools

Paterson Public Schools
Address
90 Delaware Avenue
Paterson
, Passaic County, New Jersey, 07501
United States
Coordinates40°55′03″N 74°10′13″W / 40.917545°N 74.170203°W / 40.917545; -74.170203
District information
GradesPreK to 12
SuperintendentLaurie Newell (state appointed, acting)
Business administratorDaisy Ayala
Schools50
Affiliation(s)Former Abbott district
Students and staff
Enrollment25,937 (as of 2020–21)[1]
Faculty1,916.0 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Student–teacher ratio13.5:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupA
Websitewww.paterson.k12.nj.us
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$20,45478$18,8918.3%
1Budgetary Cost16,3238314,78310.4%
2Classroom Instruction8,993648,7632.6%
6Support Services3,565982,39249.0%
8Administrative Cost1,576711,4856.1%
10Operations & Maintenance2,070871,78316.1%
13Extracurricular Activities541268−79.9%
16Median Teacher Salary54,182664,043
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

The Paterson Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Paterson, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke[4] 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.[5][6]

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 50 schools, had an enrollment of 25,937 students and 1,916.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1.[1] For the 2014–15 school year, the district anticipated a budget with total expenditures of $591 million and per pupil spending of $16,696.[7]

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.[8]

Among the 594 students who took the SAT in 2013, the mean combined score was 1120 and there were 19 students (3.2% of those taking the exam) who achieved the combined score of 1550 that the College Board considers an indicator of college readiness, a decline from the 26 students (4.3%) who achieved the standard the previous year.[9][10]

District enrollment in Paterson surged at the start of the 2015–16 school year, creating a public school enrollment of 700 students higher than expected and putting the school district in a situation of needing to hire teachers rapidly not long after the district had laid off 300 positions.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Paterson Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Paterson Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Paterson Public Schools. Accessed March 28, 2022. "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 Paterson School District. Composition: The Paterson School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the City of Paterson."
  4. ^ What We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'."
  5. ^ What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  6. ^ SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
  7. ^ 2014–15 User Friendly Budget Summary, Paterson Public Schools. Accessed December 2, 2014.
  8. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 10, 2014.
  9. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Latest SAT results: Number of Paterson 'college-ready' students drops to 19", Paterson Press, October 14, 2014. Accessed December 11, 2014. "A report released by the school district last week showed 19 of the 594 Paterson students who took the SATs this year had scores that met the 'college-ready' criteria established by the College Board, which conducts the standardized tests."
  10. ^ Laine, Tamara. "Chasing College Ready", WWOR-TV, December 1, 2014. Accessed December 1, 2014. "In Paterson, New Jersey only 19 kids who took the SAT's are considered college ready. This means that they scored at least a 1500 out of 2400 on the standardized test, and this number is truly shocking considering how large the school district is."
  11. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Months after layoffs, unexpected enrollment puts Paterson school district in hiring scramble", The Record, September 17, 2015. Accessed September 17, 2015. "Just months after imposing more than 300 layoffs, the city school district is scrambling to hire dozens of extra teachers to handle an unexpected enrollment increase of about 700 students.... But far more immigrants have moved into Paterson than were expected, the superintendent said."