Big Beaver Falls Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 210 teachers and administrators with an average salary of $51,064 and a top salary of $110,188. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, and other benefits. In 2011, the average teacher salary BBFASD was $60,499.81 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $17,568.50 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $88,068.31. 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 144 teachers with the average teacher salary in the district at $47,830 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.

In 2008, Big Beaver Falls Area School District administration reported that per pupil spending was $12,596 which ranked 212th among Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In 2010 the per pupil spending had increased to $13,408.55. 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 district administrative costs in 2008 were $830.02 per pupil. This ranked 159th among Pennsylvania's 500 school public school districts. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association keeps statistics on salaries of public school district employees in Pennsylvania. According to the association, 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, the district reported a balance of zero in an unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $1,456,293.00. In 2010, Big Beaver Falls Area Administration reported an increase to $1,923,248.00 in the unreserved-undesignated fund while the unreserved-designated fund had a balance of zero. 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 January 2012, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. The findings were reported to the school board and 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. Grants can provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless the of income level.