Palmyra Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 336 teachers and administrators with a salary range of $38,835 to $133,903.

In 2007, the district employed 196 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $48,932 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, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, a retirement bonus and other benefits. According to Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the state teacher retirement fund, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.

Palmyra Area School District administrative costs per pupil were $556.07 in 2008. The administrative spending totaled $1,787,218.66. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

The district administration reported that per pupil spending in 2008 was $10,483 which ranked 440th in the state's 501 school districts.

Reserves - In 2008, the district reported $1,968,992.00 in an unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was repoted as $19,747.00. In 2010, Palmyra Area School District Administration reported an increase to $2,587,862 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance and $666,747.00 in the designated fund. 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.

Students who live in Palmyra Area School District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. Or a student living in a neighboring public school district may seek admission to Palmyra Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each public school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter school and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend Palmyra Area School District. The 2012 tuition rates are Elementary School - $7,393, High School - $8,592.

In 2008, the District reported Total Expenditures of $34,462,806.58. Of that $21,830,221.90 was in Actual Instructional Expense. The District is funded by a combination of local taxes coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. The Pennsylvania Auditor General regularly audits the school district. The reports are public information and are posted online at the Auditor General's website.

The school board levies the following local taxes: a property tax, a local earned income tax 1% and a real estate transfer tax 0,50%. By Pennsylvania law, pension income and social security income are exempted from both state personal income tax and local earned income regardless of the level of wealth.