Altoona Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2011, the average teacher salary in Altoona Area School District was $51,631.82 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $12,470.59 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $64,102.41. According to a study conducted at the American Enterprise Institute, in 2011, public school teachers’ total compensation is roughly 50 percent higher than they would likely receive in the private sector. The study found that the most generous benefits that teachers receive are not accounted for in many studies of compensation including: pension, retiree health benefits and job security.

In 2009, the district reported employing 564 teachers and administrators with a median salary of $53,867 and a top salary of $179,026. The teacher’s work a 7.5 hour day (30 minute duty free lunch included) with 190 days in the contract year (180 teaching days). Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, dental insurance, 2 emergency leave days, 3–5 days bereavement leave, professional development reimbursement (75% of costs), paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, and other benefits. A teacher with ten (10) or more years service, at least five (5) in the District is eligible for a sabbatical leave subject to the conditions of the School Code.

In 2007, the Altoona Area School District employed 515 teachers working 180 days of pupil instruction. The average teacher salary in the district was $50,134. This was the highest average teacher salary in Blair County. As of 2007, Pennsylvania ranked in the top 10 states in average teacher salaries. When adjusted for cost of living Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the nation for teacher compensation. Employee benefits are rising by $800,000 to $10 million in 2012-13,

In 2008, per pupil spending at Altoona Area School District was $10,148 for each child. This ranked 467th among Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. n 2010 the per pupil spending had increased to $10,414.36 Among the states, Pennsylvania’s total per pupil revenue (including all sources) ranked 11th at $15,023 per student, in 2008-09. In 2007, the Pennsylvania per pupil total expenditures was $12,759. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Pennsylvania spent $8,191 per pupil in school year year 2000-01.

Altoona Area School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $684.14 per pupil. This is ranked 337th among in the 500 school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association collects and maintains statistics on salaries of public school district employees in Pennsylvania. According to the association's report, the average salary for a superintendent, for the 2007-08 school year, was $122,165. Superintendents and administrators receive a benefit package commensurate with that offered to the district's teachers' union.

Reserves In 2008, Altoona Area School District reported a balance of $17,817,294 in an unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $8,044,875. For a total of $25,862,169 in reserves. In 2010, Altoona Area Administration reported an increase to $14,577,049 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The unreserved-designated fund was $22,133,736. The total reserves was $36,710,785. Pennsylvania public school district reserve funds are divided into two categories – designated and undesignated. The undesignated funds are not committed to any planned project. Designated funds and any other funds, such as capital reserves, are allocated to specific projects. School districts are required by state law to keep 5 percent of their annual spending in the undesignated reserve funds to preserve bond ratings. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, from 2003 to 2010, as a whole, Pennsylvania school districts amassed nearly $3 billion in reserved funds.

In May 2011, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the District. The findings were reported to the School Board and the District’s administration.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.5%, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Interest earnings on accounts also provide nontax income to the district. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of the level of the individual’s personal wealth.