99.5% River Dell Students Graduate From High School

For three years in a row, more seniors have graduated from River Dell High School than the state average. With approximately 985 students from River Edge and Oradell combined attending the regional high school, 99.5% have graduated from the district. On the state level, 93% of high school seniors will graduate.

With the large number of students graduating from River Dell, the majority then head to either a two- year college (11.6%), a four-year college (85.3%), the work force (.5%), or were undecided at the time of graduation (2.6%).

One reason for the large percentage is the variety of 16 Advanced Placement Courses students take advantage of. In 2008-2009, 311 River Dell students were enrolled in an AP class with 226 receiving a score of 3 or higher at the end f  year AP test. River Dell juniors and seniors who participated in an AP class outnumbered the state average, 35.8% to 19%.

When it comes to years of experience for teachers in the district, the faculty is on par with the state average of 9 years, with the administrators also on par with the state average of 19 years.

Administrative and faculty pay also exceed the state averages due to the initiative taken by employees to further their own education. An administrator in the district earns upwards of $130,000 (state average is $107,000), while teachers make $71,000 (state average is $58,900).

When the Regional district's budget in 2008-09 was voted down by residents in both towns, the school system has had to find a way to run a tighter ship without hurting taxpayers. In 2008-09, the district's presented a budget for $24,862,438, which failed at the polls due to the controversial one-to-one laptop initiative. The following year, the budget was increased to $25,737,448 and barely avoided the elimination of several athletics by implementing a user fee for sports and clubs. But the 2000-10 budget year was the worst according to district officials, as state aid was slashed out of the picture. River Dell lost $1 million in state aid, resulting in a $25,775,797 budget that included the elimination of 8 personal and middle school sports. The middle school sports were later added back into the budget after additional teachers retired early.

The majority of the River Dell School District budget has predominately been funded through local taxes (92%), while state aid covers 5 percent, federal aid 1 percent and additional revenue makes up 2 percent. The bulk of a school budget goes toward salaries, benefits and pensions, and even with the loss of some state aid last year, the district's spending costs per pupil are below the state averages. The state averages total comparative cost per pupil ($13,359) and total cost per pupil ($15,601), while the district's costs per pupil are $13,981 for a comparative cost, and $15,588 for a total cost.