As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 643 students and 59.2 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.[1]
The district was classified by the
New Jersey Department of Education as being in
District Factor Group "GH", the third-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]
In 2019, in the wake of declining enrollment and state aid, the district announced that it would close Liberty Elementary School to consolidate into the two other schools located on a single campus.[10]
Core members of the district's administration are:[18][19]
Michael Mai, superintendent
Amanda Kinney, business administrator and board secretary
Board of education
The district's
board of education, comprised 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 2013) 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.[20][21] Seats on the board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with six from Independence Township and three from Liberty Township, who are elected to office on a staggered basis with one seat from Liberty Township and two from Independence Township up for election each year.[22] A member represents the Board on the Hackettstown Board of Education to deal with issues pertaining to Hackettstown High School and the Hackettstown School District.
^Great Meadows Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Great Meadows Regional School District. Accessed April 14, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through eight in the Great Meadows Regional School District. Composition: The Great Meadows Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Great Meadows."
^Great Meadows Regional School District 2014 Report Card Narrative,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 16, 2017. "Great Meadows Regional is a K-8 school district with an enrollment of approximately 900 students. High school students attend Hackettstown High School as part of a sending/ receiving agreement. Great Meadows Regional consists of the contiguous townships of Independence and Liberty, is located in central Warren County and encompasses 32.35 square miles."
^Novak, Stephen J.
"State court says Liberty Township cannot withdraw from Great Meadows school district"Archived 2011-07-13 at the
Wayback Machine, The Express-Times, April 2, 2009. Accessed June 6, 2013. "Formed in 1993, Great Meadows has three schools: Liberty Elementary, Independence Township Central School and Great Meadows Regional Middle School. Both townships send students to Hackettstown High School for grades nine through 12. Liberty Township sought to break from Independence Township in 2004 after a contentious budget season."
^Novak, Steve.
"Great Meadows is closing an elementary school. A petition wants them to reconsider which one.", The Express-Times, May 2, 2019. Accessed October 4, 2023. "The Great Meadows Regional School District decided in March that Liberty Elementary in Liberty Township should be the one to shut down at the end of the school year. Its 207 students will instead go the district’s other elementary school three miles away. That school, Central Elementary, shares a campus with the district’s middle school in Independence Township.... Great Meadows has contemplated streamlining its facilities since at least 2017, when declining enrollment and tax revenue led to studies of its operations, according to Superintendent David Mango, whom the district shares with neighboring Hackettstown. It became more urgent when the state recently proposed aid cuts, Mango said in a December newsletter."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Great Meadows Regional School District,
New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed April 12, 2024. "The District is a Type II District located in the County of Warren, 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 elected to three-year-terms. The purpose of the District is to educate students in Grades K-8. The District also has a sending/receiving relationship with Hackettstown School District for Grades 9-12. The District serves the communities of the Township of Independence and the Township of Liberty."