Boyertown Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2011, the average teacher salary in Boyertown Area School District was $66,637 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $15,204 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $81,841.

In 2009, the Boyertown Area School District employed over 500 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $64,000 for 192 days worked. The starting salary was reported as $48,741. In Pennsylvania the average teacher salary for Pennsylvania's 124,100 public school teachers was $54,977 in 2008. 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 (employee pays 10% of premium), professional development reimbursement, 3 paid personal days and 10 sick days, long term disability insurance, retirement bonus ($275 for each year worked up to 35 years), life insurance and other benefits. According to State Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board, 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 $724.69 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. In 2009 the superintendent's salary was $185,618. The Pennsylvania School Board Association tracks salaries for Pennsylvania public school employees including administrators. It reports that in 2008, the average superintendent salary in Pennsylvania had risen to $122,165. According to District officials, in school year 2007-08 the Boyerstown Area School District had 23 administrators.

Per pupil Spending Boyertown Area School District reported spending $11,402 per pupil in 2008. This ranked 352nd among PA school districts. In 2010, the per pupil spending had increased to $12,362.08. 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.

Tuition rate Students who live in the District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Boyertown Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend Boyertown Area School District's schools. The 2012 tuition rates are Elementary School - $8,717.55, High School - $9,401.15.

Reserves In 2008, the Boyertown Area School District reported an unreserved designated fund balance of zero and an unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $7,918,875. In 2010, Boyertown Area Administration reported $5,966,843 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The unreserved designated fund balance was reported as $2,000,000. 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.

Audit The Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district in September 2010. Multiple findings were reported to the school board and administration.

In 2004, Boyertown Area School Board invested nearly $10 million dollars in bonds used to develop a golf course. The Harrisburg Authority defaulted leaving the district to sell the golf course in an effort to recoup the losses.

According to district officials, the school board has obligated the district's reserves in interest swap investment programs. The Superintendent for Business Affairs reported that the district is earning $200,000 annually on an obligation which began in 2005 and runs until 2015. According to Auditor General Jack Wagner, about one-fifth of Pennsylvania's school districts have recently been involved with the swaps.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax, investment income, 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 of the income level.