Morris Hills Regional High School District

School district in Morris County, New Jersey, US

Morris Hills Regional High School District
Address
48 Knoll Drive
Rockaway
, Morris County, New Jersey, 07866
United States
Coordinates40°53′09″N 74°30′28″W / 40.88587°N 74.507808°W / 40.88587; -74.507808
District information
Grades9-12
Established1949
SuperintendentNicholas Norcia
Business administratorAlicia Valverde-Mesa (acting)
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment2,606 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty251.8 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio10.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupGH
Websitewww.mhrd.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 9-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$24,43741$18,89129.4%
1Budgetary Cost16,7963215,5927.7%
2Classroom Instruction9,633348,8079.4%
6Support Services2,575312,29412.2%
8Administrative Cost1,863391,59217.0%
10Operations & Maintenance1,763151,954−9.8%
13Extracurricular Activities9833387312.6%
16Median Teacher Salary78,2503871,726
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of 9-12 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=47

The Morris Hills Regional District is a comprehensive regional public school district that consists of two four-year public high schools serving four suburban communities in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district serves the residential communities of Denville Township (Denville Township School District), Rockaway Borough (Rockaway Borough Public Schools), Rockaway Township (Rockaway Township Public Schools) and Wharton (Wharton Borough School District).[3][4][5]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 2,606 students and 251.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-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.[6]

History

The four constituent communities voted in 1949 to create the regional high school district, which would allow 750 students then served by Boonton High School, Dover High School and Rockaway High School, with a goal of serving a total enrollment of 1,500.[7] Students from Wharton, New Jersey attended Wharton High School, which opened in 1922 and closed when Morris Hills High School was opened in 1953.[8][9]

Awards and recognition

For the 1996–97 school year, both Morris Hills High School[10] and Morris Knolls High School[11] were named as "Star Schools" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[12]) are:[13][14]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[22][23]

  • Nicholas Norcia, superintendent[24]
  • Alicia Valverde-Mesa, acting business administrator and board secretary

Nicholas Norcia, who had been the chief administrator of the Fair Lawn Public Schools, was selected as the district's superintendent in April 2023, with plans to take office the following July in Morris Hills.[25][26]

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.[27][28][29] Seats on the board of education are allocated based on the populations of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Rockaway Township, three to Denville Township, one to Rockaway Borough and one to Wharton.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Morris Hills Regional 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. ^ Morris Hills Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades 9 through 12 in the Morris Hills Regional School District. Composition: The Morris Hills Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Denville Township, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton Borough for the limited purpose of providing and operating a high school."
  4. ^ a b c About Us, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed June 4, 2020. "The Morris Hills Regional District accommodates students in grades nine through twelve from Denville, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton, as well as out-of-district students through the New Jersey School Choice Program.... Morris Hills High School receives students from Wharton, the southern-most portion of Rockaway Township.... Rockaway Borough north of Route #46. Morris Knolls High School receives students from Denville, all of Rockaway Township with the exception of White Meadow Lake and the area described above in the southern part of Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough south of Route #46...."
  5. ^ Sending Districts, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023.
  6. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 2, 2015.
  7. ^ "Another Regional High School", Herald News, March 31, 1950. Accessed June 10, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Denville, Wharton and the two Rockaways (township and borough) voted overwhelmingly last fall for a regional school to serve a Morris County area 20 miles long. The size of the favorable vote surprised everyone, because it was feared that Rockaway Borough, which has its own small high school, was jealous of Denville and might turn down the regional proposal. Approval by all four communities was required. The Morris Hills Regional High School may be erected near Route 6, on land offered by Denville. It will be large enough to take in the 750 children now scattered in Dover, Boonton and Rockaway and built so that it can be enlarged to accommodate 1,500 from a region that is growing rapidly."
  8. ^ Kelly, Charlotte; Kelly, Alan Rowe (2004). Wharton. Arcadia Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 9781439631874. Retrieved May 15, 2022. Wharton High School was built in 1922, enabling Wharton to provide a full four-year high school education. High school in Wharton ended in 1953, and students were rerouted to Morris Hills Regional High School in Rockaway.
  9. ^ The Story of Morris Hills, Morris Hills High School. Accessed June 10, 2023. "Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on April 26, 1952 and the cornerstone ceremony was held on May 23, 1953. During the summer of 1953, Miss Dora A. Ames (Mrs. Dora A. Sharp), Director of Guidance, began working to assist the class and student counseling. On September 9, 1953, the Morris Hills Regional High School was opened for the entrance of its first classes. On October 23, 1953, dedication ceremonies were attended by a crowd of over fifteen hundred people."
  10. ^ Star School Award recipient detail 1996-97 school year, Morris Hills High School, New Jersey Department of Education, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 18, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Star School Award recipient detail 1996-97 school year, Morris Knolls High School, New Jersey Department of Education, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 18, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2013.
  12. ^ School data for the Morris Hills Regional High School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  13. ^ School Performance Reports for the Morris Hills Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  14. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Morris Hills Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Morris Hills High School, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Overview, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023. "Morris Hills High School, located in Rockaway, New Jersey, serves the residential communities of Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton. Our current enrollment in Grades 9 to 12 is 1,229, and we support 28 varsity sports. MH is home to the Academy of Mathematics, Science and Engineering, a partnership with Morris County School of Technology."
  17. ^ Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering: Overview, Morris Hills High School. Accessed June 10, 2023. "The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, located at Morris Hills High School, is a rigorous, highly focused four year program for Morris County Students with career interests in mathematics, science, or engineering."
  18. ^ Administration, Morris Hills High School. Accessed January 22, 2022.
  19. ^ Morris Knolls High School, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023.
  20. ^ School Profile, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed June 10, 2023. "Morris Knolls High School, founded in 1964, is one of two four-year comprehensive high schools that comprise the Morris Hills Regional District.... Morris Knolls High School serves the residential communities of Denville and Rockaway Township."
  21. ^ Administration, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed January 22, 2022.
  22. ^ District Administration, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed August 6, 2023.
  23. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Morris County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Superintendent's Welcome, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed August 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Superintendent Announcement",Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed June 12, 2023. "The Morris Hills Regional Board of Education has announced that at the public Board meeting held on Monday, April 24, 2023 the Board unanimously approved the appointment of Mr. Nicholas Norcia as the next Superintendent of Schools for the Morris Hills Regional District."
  26. ^ Noda, Stephanie. "Fair Lawn schools chief Norcia will leave to take position in Morris County", The Record, April 26, 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023. "Nicholas Norcia announced Tuesday that he is resigning effective July 23 and will move on to become superintendent at the Morris Hills Regional District in Morris County."
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Morris Hills Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2024. "The Board is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an educational institution. The Board consists of elected officials 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 16.
  29. ^ Board of Education, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed June 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "School board races; Contests for 4 of 5 boards", New Jersey Hills, March 3, 2005. Accessed June 4, 2020. "The board has nine members; three from Denville, four from Rockaway Township, and one each from Rockaway Borough and Wharton."

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