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Lower Cape May Regional School District

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The Lower Cape May Regional School District (LCMR School District) is regional public school district headquartered in Lower Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from four communities in Cape May County, including Cape May City, Lower Township and West Cape May, with students from Cape May Point attending as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[3][4][5]

Lower Cape May Regional School District
School district administrative offices
Address
687 Route 9
Cape May
, Cape May County, New Jersey, 08204
United States
Coordinates38°58′45″N 74°54′25″W / 38.9791°N 74.9070°W / 38.9791; -74.9070
District information
Grades7-12
SuperintendentGregory Lasher
Business administratorMark Mallett
Schools2
Students and staff
Enrollment1,225 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Faculty106.4 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio11.5:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupB
Websitelcmrschooldistrict.com
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 9-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$21,74029$18,89115.1%
1Budgetary Cost16,1182414,58610.5%
2Classroom Instruction9,539318,33914.4%
6Support Services1,959132,114−7.3%
8Administrative Cost1,662241,5616.5%
10Operations & Maintenance2,044261,79813.7%
13Extracurricular Activities64111673−4.8%
16Median Teacher Salary70,4132765,769
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of 9-12 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=47

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,225 students and 106.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1.[1]

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

History

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The district was established in 1956.[4]: 5  When the district was established, municipalities paid in proportion to how many students attended from each municipality. In 1975 the State of New Jersey established a new regional school district taxing regimen based on property values instead. This led to political conflict between the City of Cape May, which had relatively few students but pays a disproportionate share of the taxation revenue, versus Lower Township.[7]

In January 1995 residents of the district voted in favor of a $4.99 million bond to expand the district facilities.[8]

In 2014, the city of Cape May contributed $6.5 million in property taxes to cover the 67 students from the city attending the district, an average of $97,300 per student. Cape May officials have argued that the district's funding formula based on assessed property values unfairly penalizes Cape May, which has higher property values and a smaller number of high school students as a percentage of the population than the other constituent districts, especially Lower Township; Cape May has 6% of students while its share of property taxes for the district is one third. A change to base contributions on the number of students would cut property taxes in Cape May by $1,250 per home and in West Cape May by almost $1,100, while taxes for the average homeowner in Lower Township would increase by more than $400.[9] In 2012, Cape May contributed $6 million in property taxes and sent 120 students to the regional district, an average of $50,000 per student.[10] In 2013, the district received a proposal that had been prepared for the Cape May City Council that addressed concerns that the city's property tax base meant that it was paying a disproportionate share of the district's tax levy. Cape May raised possible means in which the imbalance could be addressed.[11]

In 2013, the Lower Cape May Regional School District received a feasibility study that would look at ways to reconfigure the district. The study considered Cape May City withdrawing from the regional district or the dissolution of the district, converting the existing PreK-6 Lower Township School District to serve PreK-12, as the regional district's school facilities are located in the township. Cape May City and West Cape May could see annual savings approaching a combined $6 million from the dissolution.[4]

in 2013 Richard Degener of The Press of Atlantic City wrote that the city government of Cape May "has been complaining for years about the city's share of the costs, and City Council recently hired an attorney to study the issue."[12] In 2013, the city government asked the Cape May County Board of Education to have city voters vote on a new tax rate but the county board declined.[12] In 2014, Degener stated that the city government of Cape May "is trying to leave the school system over what it claims are excessive costs".[13]

Superintendent Chris Kobik retired in 2019.[14]

Schools and facilities

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Lower Cape May Regional High School

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15]) are:[16][17]

  • Richard M. Teitelman Middle School[18] with 433 students in grades 7 and 8. The school facility has a capacity of 701 students.[4]: 17 
    • Pete Daly, principal
  • Lower Cape May Regional High School[19] with 757 students in grades 9-12
    • Lawrence Ziemba, principal

The LCMR district describes its facilities as being in Erma, with the postal address being "Cape May, New Jersey";[20] the schools are not in the Erma census-designated place.[21] The Cape May County Herald,[22][23] and the Press of Atlantic City describe the school complex as being in Erma.[24]

The district's campus covers 65 acres (26 ha).[25]

Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[26][27]

  • Gregory Lasher, superintendent
  • Mark Mallett, business administrator and board secretary

Board of education

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The district's board of education is comprised 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 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.[28][29][30] Seats on the board are allocated based on population, with Lower Township assigned seven seats and Cape May and West Cape May assigned one seat each.[31]

Tax funding

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The respective taxation rates differ for each of the three constituent municipalities (Cape May City, Lower Township, West Cape May Borough). The formulas are derived from annual property evaluations, originating from a New Jersey state taxation formula.[13] In 2012 the share of the budget was as follows: Lower Township: 57.6%, Cape May City, 34.2%, and West Cape May 8.3%. For 2013 it changed to Lower Township: 60.7%, Cape May City: 32.5%, and West Cape May: 6.8%.[12]

As of 2014 Cape May contributed about one third of the LCMR budget.[7]

The district commissioned a company in Atlantic City, New Jersey to make an official LCMR flag with one for special events. A second was taken by an employee to Iraq, where he was called as a reservist.[32]

Student body

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In the 2008–2009 school year the LCMR district had 1,602 students from Lower Township. In the 2012–2013 school year the LCMR district had 1,356 students from Lower Township.[4]: 20  The decline in the students from Lower Township was the primary reason for the decline in enrollment in LCMR schools.[4]: 22 

Circa 2007–2012, the numbers of students from the Cape May School District attending LCMR schools ranged between 70 and 85,[4]: 19  and the number of students from West Cape May School District for that period ranged between 45 and 58.[4]: 21  Circa 2014 Cape May City had above 5% of the district's students.[7]

In 2014, Cape May Point did not send any students to LCMR schools.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Lower Cape May Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Lower Cape May Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades seven through twelve. Composition: The Lower Cape May Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cape May, Lower Township, and West Cape May."
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Virgil; and Kirtland, James L. "A Feasibility Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District", Statistical Forecasting LLC, June 2013. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Cape May City is one of three constituent communities served by the Lower Cape May Regional School District ('Lower Cape May Regional'), a limited purpose school district providing education for the middle and high school students from Cape May City, Lower Township, and West Cape May.... Students from Cape May Point attend on a sending-receiving basis."
  5. ^ Interdistrict Public School Choice Brochure, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Lower Cape May Regional High School is a four year comprehensive public High School that serves students from Cape May, West Cape May, Lower Township, Cape May Point and now Choice School students."
  6. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 22, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Keough, Buzz (April 25, 2014). "In Cape May Point, school budget tax rate never more than a penny". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lower Cape May regional budget hikes taxes in three". The Press of Atlantic City. March 17, 1995. p. B1.[clarification needed]
  9. ^ Degener, Richard. "Lower Cape May Regional School District towns to vote on funding formula", The Press of Atlantic City, October 5, 2014. Accessed September 19, 2017. "When that mix makes up a school district, the island towns tend to pay significantly more per pupil than the mainland towns. That's because the state formula deciding who pays is not based on how many pupils are sent.... Cape May now pays $6,520,338 for its 67 students. Under a per pupil system it would pay $932,754."
  10. ^ Fichter, Jack. "Cape May Paying $50K Per Student to Regional School District", Cape May County Herald, January 4, 2012. Accessed July 31, 2017. "Cape May — Taxpayers here pay $50,000 per year for each student sent to the Lower Cape May Regional High School District, a total of $6 million per year.... Deputy Mayor Jack Wichterman said Cape May was paying $6 million to send 120 kids to the regional school district.... 'We have no say in the formula that's utilized to determine how much money we pay to that school district,' he said. 'There are several formulas that can be used and the one that the Lower Township members of that school board chose to use is the one that penalizes the City of Cape May because our real estate values are so much higher than they are in Lower Township.'"
  11. ^ Crowley, Terrence J. "A Response to the Cape May Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District", Lower Cape May Regional School District, January 6, 2014. Accessed November 23, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Degener, Richard (March 21, 2013). "Lower Cape May Regional school tax rate dropping in two districts". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Degener, Richard (April 7, 2014). "Proposed Lower Cape May Regional budget includes tax increases". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Lowe, Claire (November 30, 2018). "Lower Cape May Regional superintendent to retire in 2019". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  15. ^ School Data for the Lower Cape May Regional High School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ School Performance Reports for the Lower Cape May Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Lower Cape May Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Richard M. Teitelman Middle School, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed August 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Lower Cape May Regional High School, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed August 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Board of Education". Lower Cape May Regional School District. Retrieved September 28, 2020. [...]in the Administration Building, located at 687 Route 9, Erma, Township of Lower, County of Cape May, State of New Jersey.[...]687 Route 9 • Cape May, NJ 08204 - All LCMR School District facilities have the same postal address.
  21. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Erma CDP, NJ" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 23, 2020. - The airport is not in the CDP as per the physical location.
  22. ^ "LCMR Field House to Serve as County's 2nd Covid Vaccination Site". Cape May County Herald. January 28, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021. Lower Cape May Regional High School, in Erma. (photo caption) - As it is a press release the article itself was written by the government of Lower Township, but the photo caption indicates a different authorship.
  23. ^ "Vaccine Site to Relocate to LCMR". Cape May County Herald. April 25, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021. Lower Cape May Regional High School, in Erma. (photo caption) - As it is a press release the article was written by the Cape May County Department of Health, but the photo caption indicates a different authorship.
  24. ^ D'Amico, Diane (October 17, 2015). "Stopping bullying in schools not so simple". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved May 16, 2021. Lower Cape May Regional High School in Erma (photo caption)
  25. ^ Lower Cape May Regional School District Choice Profile for 2025-26 School Year, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 29, 2024. "The Lower Cape May Regional School District is a comprehensive 7-12 school district serving the communities of Lower Township, Cape May and West Cape May. The two district schools are situated on a 65 acre campus that includes athletic fields and a performing arts center surrounded by natural wetlands."
  26. ^ Administration, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed December 24, 2019.
  27. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Cape May County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 15, 2024. "The Lower Cape May Regional School District (District) is a Type II school district located in Cape May County, New Jersey and covers an area of approximately 34 square miles. As a Type II school district, it functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three member’s terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to provide educational services for all of Lower Cape May Regional’s students in grades 7 through 12." See "Roster of Officials" on page 13.
  30. ^ Board of Education, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed February 11, 2020.
  31. ^ Crowley, Terence J. A Response to the Cape May Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District, Lower Cape May Regional School District, January 6, 2014. Accessed February 11, 2020. p. 17. "The Lower Cape May Regional District (Regional is classified as a Limited Purpose District....) It is a Type II district and apportions the Board of Education seats based upon the most recent United States Census. It has nine seats on the Board and that are apportioned as follows: Cape May City 1; West Cape May 1; Lower Township 7."
  32. ^ Degener, Richard (April 29, 2005). "From the halls of LCMR / School goes Marine green". Press of Atlantic City: C1.
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