River Dell Regional School District

River Dell Regional School District
Address
230 Woodland Avenue River Edge, New Jersey , Bergen County , New Jersey , 07661 United States
Coordinates	40°56′22″N74°02′12″W / 40.939398°N 74.036597°W / 40.939398; -74.036597
District information
Grades	7-12
Superintendent	James J. Albro
Business administrator	Trude Engle
Schools	2
Students and staff
Enrollment	1,606 (as of 2021–22) [1]
Faculty	140.2 FTEs [1]
Student–teacher ratio	11.5:1 [1]
Other information
District Factor Group	I
Website	www.riverdell.org
Ind. Per pupil District spending Rank (*) 7-12 average  %± vs. average 1A Total Spending $19,735 16 $18,891 4.5% 1 Budgetary Cost 14,838 18 14,586 1.7% 2 Classroom Instruction 8,865 22 8,339 6.3% 6 Support Services 1,812 10 2,114 −14.3% 8 Administrative Cost 1,929 41 1,561 23.6% 10 Operations & Maintenance 1,531 7 1,798 −14.8% 13 Extracurricular Activities 697 13 673 3.6% 16 Median Teacher Salary 79,286 40 65,769 Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending. [2] *Of 7-12 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=47

The River Dell Regional School District is a regional school district serving students in seventh through twelfth grades from the communities of River Edge and Oradell in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,606 students and 140.2 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 "I", the second-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

In October 1975, a Superior Court judge sentenced to jail 75 of 200 striking members of the River Dell Education Association for violating a back-to-work order that he had issued earlier in the month. The judge also mandated that the striking employees contribute $250 towards a scholarship fund, ^[7]

President Ronald Reagan spoke at the high school on June 21, 1984, where he advocated on behalf of a drinking age of 21 as a minimum standard. ^{[8] [9]}

Awards and recognition

During the 1997-98 school year, River Dell High School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. ^[10]

The school was the 31st-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. ^[11]

For the 2001-02 school year, River Dell Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve. ^[12]

Schools

Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ^[13] ) are: ^{[14] [15]}

• River Dell Regional Middle School ^[16] in River Edge (with 589 students in grades 7-8)
  • Robert Urbanovich, principal ^[17]
• River Dell High School ^[18] in Oradell (with 999 students in grades 9-12)
  • Brian Pepe, principal ^[19]

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are: ^[20]

• James J. Albro, superintendent of schools ^[21]
• Trude Engle, business administrator and board secretary ^[22]

Board of education

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. ^{[23] [24]} Seats on the district's board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with four assigned to Oradell and five to River Edge. ^[25]

References

1. District information for River Dell 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. River Dell Regional High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 8, 2016. "River Dell Regional High School serves the northern New Jersey municipalities of Oradell and River Edge, which have a combined population of approximately 18,000."
4. Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Oradell, N.J.; Giving an Old Downtown a New Life", The New York Times , August 20, 2000. Accessed June 8, 2016. "In seventh grade, Oradell youngsters enter the River Dell Regional School District, which is shared with neighboring River Edge. It comprises the 423-student River Dell Middle School in River Edge for grades seven and eight and the 823-student River Dell High School in Oradell."
5. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the River Dell Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, year ending June 30, 2014. Accessed January 22, 2020. "The District provides education to 1 ,660 students (as of June 30, 2014) in grades seven through twelve. Geographically, the District is comprised of the Boroughs of River Edge and Oradell."
6. NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 20, 2014.
7. Phalon, Richard. "Jail Terms Used to Spur School Strike Settlements", The New York Times , October 17, 1975. Accessed October 16, 2017. "Judge George B. Gelman of Bergen County Superior Court sentenced 75 River Dell teachers, custodians and secretaries to 10 days in jail today, but suspended imposition of the penalty on the condition that they return to work Monday morning."
8. Weisman, Steven R. "Reagan Calls For Drinking Age Of 21", The New York Times , June 21, 1984. Accessed October 16, 2017. "President Reagan got a glimpse of a New Jersey high school's program to combat drunken driving today and called for a nationwide minimum drinking age of 21.... Mr. Reagan addressed this issue in his appearance at River Dell High School in Oradell, N.J."
9. "Remarks at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey ", The American Presidency Project, June 20, 1984. Accessed October 16, 2017.
10. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed June 8, 2016.
11. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly , September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
12. New Jersey Department of Education Star School Award recipient detail 2001-02 school year for River Dell Middle School, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 13, 2006.
13. School Data for the River Dell Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
14. School Performance Reports for the River Dell Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
15. New Jersey School Directory for the River Dell Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
16. River Dell Regional Middle School, River Dell Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2020.
17. Building Administration, River Dell Regional Middle School. Accessed January 4, 2023.
18. River Dell Regional High School, River Dell Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2020.
19. Building Administration, River Dell Regional High School. Accessed January 4, 2023.
20. New Jersey School Directory for Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
21. Office of the Superintendent, River Dell Regional School District. Accessed August 15, 2023.
22. Business Administrator, River Dell Regional School District. Accessed January 4, 2023.
23. 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.
24. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the River Dell Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2021. Accessed January 4, 2023. "The District provides education to 1,622 students (as of June 30, 2021) in grades seven through twelve. Geographically, the District is comprised of the Boroughs of River Edge and Oradell. An elected nine-member Board of Education serves as the policy maker for the District."
25. Board Trustees Biographies, River Dell Regional School District. Accessed January 4, 2023.

External links

• River Dell Regional School District
• School Performance Reports for the River Dell Regional School District , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the River Dell Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics