Susquenita School District - Budget

Budget

In 2011, the average teacher salary in Susquenita School District was $49,913 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $15,742 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $66,656.

In 2009, Susquenita School District administration reported employing 181 teachers with an average salary of $49,333. The salary range was $39,191 to $87,290.

In 2007, Susquenita School District employed 149 teachers who earned an average teacher salary of $48,089 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. For the 2008–09 and 2009–10 school years, teachers paid a contribution towards their employer based health insurance. 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 April 2010 the board and union agreed to a fact finder report which called for: 3.10 percent salary increase inclusive of step retroactive for 2009–10, and a 3 percent step-inclusive increase for 2010–11 and 2011–12, a step for Master’s Degree plus 30 credits be added to the schedule, and a three-year contract.

Susquenita School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $753.76 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

Per pupil spending In 2008, the district reported spending $13,226 per pupil which ranked 161st in the commonwealth. In 2010, the per pupil spending had increased to $15,299.29 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.

Fund Balance Reserves In 2008, district officials reported an unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $5,545,468.00. In 2010, Susquenita School District Administration reported $4,794,124 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance and a reserved-undesignated fund balance of $5,000,000 for total reserves of $9,794,124. 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 In May 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the school board members and the administration.

Tuition 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 Susquenita 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 the District's schools. The 2012 tuition rates are Elementary School - $8,695.88, High School - $10,437.95.

Susquenita School District is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax 1.8%, 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 and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax regardless of the individual wealth.