REGIONALIZATION STUDY New Jersey Department of Education Contract #A69722 July 25, 1995 ENGLEWOOD RARY ENGLEWOOD, N.J. 07632 ods applied data servicesREGIONALIZATION STUDY New Jersey Department of Education FINAL REPORT VOLUME | July 25, 1995TABLE OF CONTENTS SORUGADEZATION Of FEPOHT 5.55 cece evi w ers ceetaeens tse i (oie Weuleltl | seabonooonpsnponnnoocdonseconcoconear 1 REQUIREMENTS and STIPULATIONS ............00000020005 3 BACKGROUND, HISTORY and CONTEXT . The Company Study Teams . Professional Principles . METHODOLOGY UTILIZED IN STUDY Guide to Simulation Process Planning Objective .... : Enrollment Data and Projections . . Five and Ten Year Projections . Projection Methodology ..... OPERATIONS and FINDINGS OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS Community Concerns . Methodologies Used . Data Collection Process . Major Findings . Educational Concerns | . . Regionalized Desegregation Plan Implementation . - Needs Assessment Update . . . Regionalized Study/Desegregation Planning . . Plan Elements of an Effective Cerrar Plan Local Districts Educational Plan Desegregation through Regionalization . Checklist - Desegregation/Regionalization . Demographics Facility .... ; Facility Update - +1995 Summary Facility Data . . Detailed Facility Update - Core Districts Summary 3 : School/Student Safety Summary/Highlights of Assessment .; Highlights/NASS Findings . . ; Governance/Law ... : Desegregation Public Schools - Legal Context’. . | Regionalization and Desegregation Introduction to Regionalization re Desegregation Regionalization vs NJ State Statute ......... Formation and Operation- Regional BOE . Impact on Local School Districts . Impact on District Personnel ... . Impact on Acquisition and/or Sale of Land or * Equipment. PEPRRRO"K Pee BFSr Suse ars sage ss Fiscal 7 Regional Design ETCALG 7 Narrative Description - Financial Tables . 7 Pierced TRE es se ee 7-1 Fegiotal Down EVGA 2s. «5... s ac een es ss 7-4! Narrative Description - Financial Tables 7-4 Financial Tables ..........-.--.-+-5 7-5: GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHYFinal Report - Volume | Organization ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT Applied Data Services, having successfully completed the New Jersey Department of Education Regionalization Study, is pleased to present the results of that study in a three volume report. The report is organized as follows: * The Executive Summary is a synopsis of the complete study, discussing the background of the study, with emphasis on the judicial impetus, the Department of Education’s requirements for the configurations to be developed, Applied Data Services’ approach and methodology, the major findings of the study, the simulation results and an overview of the seven selected desegregation and regionalization components. * The first volume of the Final Report details results of each of the seven components, with a thorough analysis of regionalization’s effects on the community, fiscal considerations, the educational process, school staff and facilities, demographics and student safety. * Finally, the sizable loose-leaf binder (Volume II of the Final Report), Demographics, presents specific, in-depth data on the sixteen required configurations and an additional configuration, the Regional Magnet School District. This volume presents the supporting data in the form of current and projected enrollment statistics, and computer-generated color maps outlining the present and potential demographics of the regional designs. The content and location of specific information for each of the three volumes is outlined in the paragraphs below. The Executive Summary is organized into: ¢ An Introduction reviewing the mandate for the Regionalization Study * The NJDOE’s requirements for the seven regionalization configurations,Regionalization Study NJ Department of Education including the major findings * The background, history and content for the study © Ananalysis for the components that presents the important concerns of all individuals and organizations affected by the study's findings * A complete’ description of the methodology employed * A summary of the approach to and results of the evaluation of the more substantive components. Volume | comprises the surveys to collect pertinent background data, the approach employed when appropriate, and the findings and recommendations that evolved from the detailed surveys and analyses. The seven components in the Regionalization Study are: 1. Community Concerns 2. Educational Concerns 3. Demographics 4. Facilities 5. School Safety 6. Governance/Law 7. Fiscal Volume Il, Demographics, presents extremely detailed data on the educational structure, computer simulation exercises and the sixteen plans for each of the required regionalization configurations and the design for the Regional Magnet School District. The regional designs and the magnet school district can be distinguished by the blue color tab separating the sections.Final Report - Volume | Organization For each of the required regional designs, this volume contains: . An introduction and simulation description * District profiles giving summary statistics and base enrollment data, both existing and projected * Comprehensive projections for the simulated configurations, for each of the plans within each Regional Design. * A thorough treatment of a regional magnet school district design. To further aid the reader in pinpointing specific information, each of the sections in the loose-leaf volume contain tables of contents and indexes to the maps and tables therein.Final Report - Volume | Introduction Introduction The mandate for this “study of Alternative Configurations to reduce the ‘imbalance of racial and national origin groupings at the Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood New Jersey’ “ comes from a combination of directives: the first is a decision of the Superior Court Appellate Division of New Jersey made on June 15, 1992, wherein the New Jersey State Department of Education was specifically directed to conduct the study, the court notes; ” We are, however, in no position to assess, at this point, the extent of the study necessary or to place specific time limits on the completion of this difficult task.” The court then goes on to note that “if it appears that further unreasonable delay is occurring in the implementation of the study, a more definitive timetable could be obtained from the court". In any case the court simply then states its desire to have the study carried out: “we affirm the order for a regionalization study.” The second directive comes from the State Board of Education's resolution acting on the Commissioner of Education's recommendation for the carrying out the regionalization study. Both directives employ language that is clear and to the point regarding the purpose of the study, specifically noting in the RFP that: The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals for the Purpose of contracting with a consultant to conduct the Department of Education's regionalization study of Alternative Configurations to reduce the “imbalance of racial and national origin groupings at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey.” (AFP page 10) The RFP goes on to note the background for the request and to take great care to reinforce the statement of purpose: ‘The language of the resolution and the court decision specifies that the rationale for the study is to correct “the imbalance of the racial and national origin groupings at Dwight Morrow High School . . .” in the most reasonable, feasible and workable manner possible consistent with sound educational values and procedures. (RFP page 10)Regionalization Study NJ Department of EducationFinal Report - Volume | Requirements and Stipulations Requirements and Stipulations To ensure that there is no misunderstanding about the specific area(s) of study the contractor is to address, the New Jersey Department of Education carefully delineates the main function of the study in explicit terms: The study must explore the potential for establishing a regional school district within all or any part of the municipalities in ATTACHMENT A, (RFP page 33) herein and include all potential configurations K-12, 7-12, and/or 9-12 which will achieve the State’s policy on racial balance by correcting, among other things, the imbalance of racial and national origin groupings at Dwight Morrow High School. (AFP page 10). However, the Department, ever mindful of the fact that its public schools by their very nature affect far more people in many more ways than just about any of our democratic institutions, wisely recognized the need for new and different possibilities emerging from the study itself. Thus, with foresight on one hand, and informed sensitivity to community concerns on the other, the Department allowed for an appropriate mechanism for responding to the communities’ concerns, and at the same time, addressing the need for both accountability and creativity the Department states: It is expected that the study be completed within six months. In order to ensure an objective decision based on valid data which is compatible, consistent and current, the study must include but is not limited to the specifications contained in this RFP. (RFP page mm) Hence, there is clear provision for ensuring the orderly formatting of the study findings, while equally providing for the expression of concerns, suggestions and initiatives by the study area communities. In the Scope of Work for the RFP the Department straightforwardly sets forth the specifics regarding the required configurations: