Brigantine Community School: Where Innovation Meets Excellence in K-8 Education

text KRISTEN DOWD photos KELLY & CRAIG PHOTOGRAPHY

“Brigantine wants the best for their kids."

That was the advice the outgoing Brigantine Public Schools superintendent gave Glenn Robbins when he was hired to take the helm of the district in 2020. In fact, it was some variation of this sentiment that Glenn kept hearing from all sorts of community members - and still does to this day, five years into his tenure as superintendent.

"That's always been Brigantine's motto," Glenn said. "What is the best thing for the kids?"

The motto must work, because Brigantine Community School has established itself as a standout K-8 school, even being honored by the White House and U.S. Department of Education this past year for its technology plan and flexible scheduling.

"We're trying to give the kids a preliminary jump so when they go to high school they're already ahead of their game, and that's what makes them so successful," Glenn said.

But it's not just the academics that helps Brigantine Community School shine - it's the entire school culture.

"This school is special for its warmth, compassion and empathy," Glenn said.

"There are some really great-hearted people in this community and this school who treat every kid as their own."

Last year, more than 100 districts from across the country visited Brigantine Community School. During the summer, Glenn leads tours, but during the school year, a student usually brings guests around the building.

"Kids will tell you the truth," Glenn said. "They stop in different classrooms unannounced, and teachers are always warm and compassionate."

The success of Brigantine Community School is not thanks to any one person or group, but instead thanks to the entire community that supports the school and its students. It's thanks to the city council, the mayor, the board of education, the administrators and, of course, the teachers.

"It's an amazing teaching staff. These teachers are wonderful," Glenn said.

In large part due to the support from kindergarten onward, Brigantine Community School students don't only excel at the school - they excel beyond.

"Our kids usually end up in the top 10 in every high school that they go to. They go on to have successful careers," Glenn said. "They're getting hands-on technology and training that they might not get elsewhere."

To that end, Brigantine accepts out-of-district tuition-based students. Tuition is $5,000, and students can hail from any town. Families can fill out an online application to request enrollment for their child. This arrangement isn't only good for the incoming student, but for Brigantine taxpayers.

"It actually helps the tax base. When we have an empty seat, we do not receive any state money. If a child comes in before Oct. 15 - the deadline for state enrollment - we would get the $5,000 for tuition plus an additional $16,000, or whatever the current pricing may be for the state's student cost," Glenn explained. "So we are actually keeping the taxpayer money down.

"We want to make sure they're exposed to eight-plus hours of awesomeness and they're learning at the same time, not realizing it, and they have a safe, happy place they can come to."

"We haven't raised taxes in the school building since I've been here," he continued. "That doesn't happen in many hometowns."

While the out-of-district application process used to take 6 months, Glenn now has it down to a month max. He suggests applying by early August at the latest since each student application has to be approved by the board of education before they can be enrolled.

Glenn brought his love of social media to his role at Brigantine Community School, always a believer in showcasing the great things going on at a school. And in Brigantine, that's a lot of things.

Brigantine students can take advantage of the school's media interactive studio. There are opportunities to learn about podcasting, cyber security and social media. Coding starts in kindergarten. A new Al class was added for the eighth grade this year, too.

"Al is already infused in the other classes, but this breaks it down even more as an elective class. That's usually not something you get until high school," Glenn explained. "These are projects and classes that are not being offered to traditional eighth grade and lower kids."

There are flexibility periods for students to work on their passion projects that are not graded. A leadership class is held once a month for seventh and eighth grade students.

"We want them to feel warm, supported and loved," Glenn said of the students. "We want to make sure they're exposed to eight-plus hours of awesomeness and they're learning at the same time, not realizing it, and they have a safe, happy place they can come to."

Article made possible by Ralph Paul Busco of Soleil Sotheby's.