Keansburg School District is a public school district based in Keansburg, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.Keansburg Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Keansburg School District, adopted January 22, 2008. Accessed October 10, 2025. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Keansburg School District. Composition: The Keansburg School District comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Keansburg." The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. BurkeWhat We Do: History, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022. "In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke case that the State must provide 100 percent funding for all school renovation and construction projects in special-needs school districts. According to the Court, aging, unsafe and overcrowded buildings prevented children from receiving the "thorough and efficient" education required under the New Jersey Constitution.... Full funding for approved projects was authorized for the 31 special-needs districts, known as 'Abbott Districts'." which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2022.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,565 students and 130.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1.District information for Keansburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
History In May 2008, Governor Jon Corzine attempted to reduce a $740,000 retirement payout to outgoing superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski. The package included nearly $185,000 for some 250 unused sick and vacation days, plus $555,000 in severance pay. The severance package, negotiated in a 2003 contract, awarded Trzeszkowski a payout calculated by multiplying her monthly salary by the 38 years she worked in the Keansburg district, that would be paid over a five-year period, on top of Trzeszkowski's estimated $120,000 annual pension. Corzine aimed to eliminate the $555,000 severance payout as being "an outrageous abuse of the state's publicly funded school system".McNichol, Dunstan. "Corzine seeks to trim $740K deal for Keansburg schools chief", The Star-Ledger, May 22, 2008. Accessed October 10, 2025. "The package, awarded to Keansburg Superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski in a 2003 contract, includes $184,586 for 235.5 unused sick days and 20 vacation days, and another $556,290 in severance pay calculated by multiplying her monthly salary by the number of years she has worked in Keansburg. It is the $556,290 severance payment that Corzine is trying to stop. 'This extraordinary payment is an outrageous abuse of the state's publicly funded school system at a time when schools are struggling to make the best use of every dime they have,' Corzine said in a statement announcing the legal action."
At the start of the 2016–17 school year, the Port Monmouth Road School (which had 501 students in grades PreK–2) was closed with the opening of the new Joseph C. Caruso School for grades K–4. The school was constructed at a cost of $51 million.Spahr, Rob. "Officials help break ground for new $51 million Keansburg elementary school", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 17, 2014. Accessed October 10, 2025. "Schools Development Authorities CEO Charles McKenna, state legislators, local officials and Keansburg School District administrators helped break ground for the future Joseph C. Caruso Elementary School on Tuesday. The new 122,000 square-foot school is expected accommodate 750 kindergarten through fourth grade students and feature 28 general use classrooms, eight kindergarten classrooms, self-contained special education classrooms, a media center, a gymnasium and a cafetorium."
The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "A", the 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.District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
Schools Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsSchool Data for the Keansburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.) are:County School List H-K, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2024.School Performance Reports for the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Primary schools Keansburg Early Learning CenterKeansburg Early Learning Center, Accessed October 10, 2025. with 161 students in grade PreK Anne Hazeldine, Principal Joseph C. Caruso SchoolJoseph C. Caruso School, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 638 students in grades K–4 Elyse McMahon, Principal Joseph R. Bolger Middle SchoolJoseph R. Bolger Middle School, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 347 students in grades 6–8 Joseph Larocca, Principal High school Keansburg High SchoolKeansburg High School, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025. with 385 students in grades 9–12 Sean Brophy, Principal
Administration Core members of the district's administration are:Chain of Command, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025.New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024. Kathleen O’Hare, superintendentOffice of the Superintendent, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025. Lindsey Case, business administratorBusiness Office, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025. Michael Sette, board secretary
Board of education The district's board of education, composed of nine members, sets policy and oversees 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.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.Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Keansburg School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2025. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grades levels Preschool through 12th grade." See "Roster of Officials" on page 20. 2024–25 Board of education members are Christopher J. Hoff (president), Michael Mankowski (vice president), Matthew C. Kitchen, Brooke Clayton, Kenneth Cook, Judy Ferraro, Kim Kelaher-Moran, Patricia Frizell and Catherine Ryan.Board of Education, Keansburg School District. Accessed October 10, 2025.
References
External links Keansburg School District
School Data for the Keansburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics