Data from
NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2] *Of Special svc. districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=8
The Burlington County Special Services School District is a
special educationpublicschool district headquartered in
Westampton, in
Burlington County, in the
U.S. state of
New Jersey, whose schools offer educational and therapeutic services for students of elementary and high school age from across the county who have emotional of physical disabilities that cannot be addressed by their sending districts.
The Burlington County Special Services School District was established in 1972 by the Burlington County
Board of Chosen Freeholders. At first the district served 30 disabled students, but grew within five years to accommodate 500 students from 40 sending school districts in the county. A newly constructed campus for the school was built in
Westampton, starting use in January 1983. In 1990, the district opened a high school for at-risk students in
Lumberton Township and a K-8 campus was opened the following year in
Willingboro Township to help teach students how to overcome their disabilities.[3]
As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 498 students and 109.0 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 4.6:1.[1]
History
A group of emotionally and physically disabled students from the school district's marching band participated in the inaugural parade for President
Bill Clinton.[4] The band also marched in the parade in
Atlantic City, New Jersey for the 1993 Miss America pageant.[5]
Saying that he "didn't even know it was a paying job" when he was elected to the Assembly in 1995, Superintendent
Carmine DeSopo announced in 1996 that he would donate his entire $35,000 annual salary from the Assembly to the school district's marching band and to a camp the district operated for adult graduates.[6] Having been responsible for the creation of the district, DeSopo announced in March 2001 that he was retiring at the end of the school year from his position as superintendent after 38 years in the field of education.[7][8]
Burlington County Alternative School at Mount Laurel[15] with 61 students in grades 6-12
Joan Barbagiovanni, principal
Lumberton Campus[16] with 41 students in grades 6-12
Ashanti Holley, interim principal
Administration
Core members of the district's administration are:[17][18]
Christopher J. Nagy, superintendent
Andrew C. Willmott, business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's board of education sets policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. The board is composed of seven members, the county superintendent of schools, who serves on an ex officio basis, and six members who are appointed by the
Burlington CountyBoard of County Commissioners to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two member terms up for reappointment and expiring each year. 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.[19][20]
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Burlington County Special Services School District,
New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 8, 2024. "The Burlington County Special Services School District is a Special Services School District located in the County of Burlington, State of New Jersey. As a Special Services School District, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of six members appointed to three-year terms by the County Commissioners. These terms are staggered so that two members’ terms expire each year."
^Board of Education, Burlington County Special Services School District. Accessed March 8, 2024.