Derry Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 268 teachers and administrators with a median salary of $55,441 and a top salary of $132,117. Teachers work 188 days with 180 days of student instruction. The work day is 7 hours forty minutes witha duty free lunch and a daily preparation period. In addition to salary, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, professional development reimbursement, 2 paid personal days, 2 paid emergency days, 10 paid sick days (which infinitely accumulate), 5 bereavement days, and other benefits. The Board provides the Union with 6 days leave without loss of pay to conduct Union business. Thirty year or more employees who retire receive health insurance until they reach the age of 65 years. In 2011, the average teacher salary in DASD was $51,427.78 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $14,708 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $66,135.77. 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, Derry Area School District employed 160 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $49,803 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.

Derry Area School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $712.55 per pupil. 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'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 provided to the district's teachers' union including the state's school employee pension.

In 2008 the district administration reported that per pupil spending was $11,221 which ranked 337th among Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In 2010 the per pupil spending had increased to $12,390.53 which raked 329th in the state. 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.

Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center and Derry Area School District have an agreement for supervision of school health services.

Reserves In 2008, the district reported a balance of zero in its unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $2,264,948.00 In 2010, Derry Area Administration reported an increase to $3,171,713 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance and $910,000.00 in its unreserved-designated 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 September 2009, 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. 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.