Littlestown Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 175 teachers. The average salary was $54,954 for 186 days with 181 pupil instruction days. The highest salary was $131,500 and the beginning salary was over $41,000. The teacher union president is given one paid day per week to conduct union business and the union is also provided with 5 paid days per year, for other members to engage in union business. The work day is 7 hours 30 minutes including a 30 minute period for duty free lunch. Teachers receive planning periods each week. Benefits for teachers include 3 paid bereavement days, 10 paid sick days, 3 personal days and reimbursement for professional development. After ten years of service, teachers are eligible for a sabbatical leave (up to one year) at 50% to 70% of their salary plus continued health insurance benefits. In 2007-08 through 2010-11 the teachers received a 4.% raise in salary plus step increases. 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.

In 2007, the district employed 144 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $44,732 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.

The district's administrative costs per pupil was $716.36 in 2008. The district is ranked 298th out of 500 in Pennsylvania for administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

In 2008, Littlestown Area School District reported spending $10,556 per pupil. This ranked 434th in the commonwealth.

Reserves

In 2009, the district reported a $2,366,881 in a unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was reported as zero.

In August 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the administration and school board.

The school board established a $25.26 million budget for fiscal year 2011-12. It included programming changes to eliminate teaching and staff positions coupled with cuts in spending including extracurriculars and outdoor camp. It also preserved 2.7% raise for teachers. The district has a contract with the teachers' union that includes annual raises through 2016-16.

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 of the individual's wealth.