The Township of Ocean School District is a comprehensive consolidated public school district serving students from two communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean Township and from the tiny village of Loch Arbour.
As of the 2014-15 school year, the district and its five schools had an enrollment of 3,877 students and 364.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-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.
In 1834, land was purchased by the trustees of the Deal School District and a two-room schoolhouse was built it served the students until 1885 when the school had 156 students and a larger building was needed. (This school is currently located on Monmouth Road, Oakhurst)
The Poplar Road School was located between Deal Road and West Park Avenue in the Poplar section of town, this school was used from 1864 until 1911 when the students were sent to the new Oakhurst School. (This school has been knocked down)
The first Wayside School was located on the Tinton Falls side of Hope Road it was used until 1911, when pupils were sent to the new Oakhurst School, at this time however all high school students traveled to Long Branch High School by stagecoach.
The Oakhurst School was built in 1900. It accommodated all students from Wayside and Oakhurst in grades one to eight from 1900 until 1958. From 1959 to 1978, it was used as a K-4 and K-5 facility. Principals included Ralph Busch, Charles J. Strahan, Frank Parker, Jesse Love, Harry Patterson, Estelle Voorhees, Ernest Smith, Richard Randall, John D.W. Rasp, Donald Vineburg, and Glen Morgan. In 1978, the building was turned into the school district's administrative offices and still does to this day.
The Wanamassa School, opened in 1930 to serve all students in Wanamassa. Before that, students walked to the Bradley School in Asbury Park. The school is stilled used to this day for grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes. Principals included Victoria Green, Edward German, J. Anthony Covino, Joseph Palaia, Douglas Deicke, Camille Tighe, Margaret Grilli, Justine Salvo, and current Victor Milano.
The Ocean Township Elementary School on Dow Avenue opened in 1958 as a middle school, serving grades five to eight. Upper-grade teachers from Wanamassa and Oakhurst Schools moved to the new school with their principal J. Anthony Covino. In 1984, Cavino retired and Mrs. Villapiano, Assistant Principal, took over. At her retirement in 2002, William Galatro took over and served until 2007. Dr. Doreen O. Ryan is currently Principal. The school currently housed Grades PK-4 and Special Education Disabilities Classes.
The Wayside Elementary School opened on January 5, 1970. It houses grades PK-4. John D.W. Rasp was the first principal until 1988. Other principals have included Douglas Deicke, Thomas Pagano, David Enderly, and currently Denise Palaia.
Before the Ocean Township High School opened in 1965, students from the district were bussed to Long Branch or Asbury Park for High School. The principals were Charles Scott, Douglas Fredricks, Robert Mahon, Gardner Atlee, John Crews, John Connelly, John Tighe, Margaret Morgan, John Lysko, Dr. William Cohee, Julia Davidow, and currently Kelly E. Weldon. Under Miss Weldon serve Gina Hagerman, Grades 10-12 Assistant Principal and Michael Lambusta, Grades 9-11 Assistant Principal.
The Township of Ocean Intermediate School was opened in 1975 to house grades seven, eight, and nine. It now houses grades five, six, seven, and eight. Principals have included Donald Vineburg and current principal Larry Kostula. Under him serve Candice Vasta and James Maliff, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade Principal and Christopher Amato, Fifth Grade Principal.
In August, 2007 the high school received international attention when its principal, Julia Davidow, backed by superintendent of schools Thomas Pagano decided to prohibit West Park Players, the school's drama club, from staging the play The Laramie Project. The play, an account of the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, had a pro-LGBT and pro-tolerance message that the two administrators felt would offend conservative community values, Davidow stating "I do not want to draw a line between those who think homosexuality is right and those who think it is wrong. I have a school community to run here and I must protect everyone involved." In the wake of widespread outrage at Pagano's and Davidow's act and calls for their disciplining, the play was reinstated.
Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:
Elementary schools
Ocean Township Elementary School (in Oakhurst; with 422 students, in grades PreK-4)
Dr. Doreen O. Ryan - Principal
Wanamassa Elementary School (Wanamassa; 306, K-4)
Victor R. Milano - Principal
Wayside Elementary School (Wayside; 663, PreK-4)
Denise T. Palaia - Principal
Middle school
Ocean Township Intermediate School (Wayside; 1,140, 5-8)
Larry Kostula - Principal
Candice Vasta - Assistant Principal
James Maliff - Assistant Principal
Christopher Amato - Assistant Principal (Grade 5)
High school
Ocean Township High School (Oakhurst; 1,213, 9-12)
Kelly E. Weldon - Principal
Gina Hagerman - Assistant Principal/Grades 10 & 12
Michael Lambusta - Assistant Principal/Grades 9 & 11
The Ocean Township School District is led by a nine-member Board of Education.
The members are:
Joseph Hadden, President
Jim Dietrich, Vice President
Steve Clayton
Denise Parlamas
Sylvia Sylvia-Cioffi
David Marshall
Amy McGovern
Michael Palutis
Sean Moore
The district provides a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). All children 3 through 21, who reside in the Township of Ocean School District are provided with access to some kind of Special Education.
Core members of the district's administration are:
Dr. James Stefankiewicz, Superintendent
Kenneth Jannarone, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
