Beaver Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 216 teachers and administrators with a median salary of $58,394 and a top salary of $120,745. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance (taxpayers pay 98%), professional development reimbursement up to 75% of cost, $65,000 life insurance, 2 paid personal days, 10 paid sick days (which accumulate), up to 5 paid days of bereavement leave, $4000 retirement bonus plus pay for unused sick days and other benefits. The teachers work 188 days with (181 pupils instruction days). In 2011, the average teacher salary in BASD was $56,695 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $16,215 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $72,910. 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 2007, the district employed 124 teachers with the average teacher salary in the district at $51,804 for 180 days worked. 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. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, personal days, sick days, and other benefits. According to Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.

The district administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $810.41 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

Reserves In 2008, the district reported a balance of zero in its unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $1,014,508.00. In 2010, Beaver Area Administration reported an increase to $1,161,621.00 in the unreserved-undesignated fund. Pennsylvania 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 2008 the district administration reported that per pupil spending was $10,851 which ranked 407th among Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In 2010, the per pupil spending had increased to $11,364.73. 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.

In January 2012, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the District. The findings were reported to the Beaver Area 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, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Grants can provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless the of income level.