Titusville Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reports employing over 190 teachers with a starting salary of $39,705 for 180 days for pupil instruction and an additional 5 for teacher inservice. The average teacher salary was $54,940 while the maximum salary is $106,019. 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 school day is limited by the union contract to 37.5 hours per week. Special Education teachers receive additional compensation. Teachers receive a paid lunch time of 30 minutes. Additionally, Titusville Area School District teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, 2 paid personal days, 10 sick days, paid bereavement days and other benefits. Teachers are paid extra when they are required to work outside of the regular school day hours. Severance includes payment for unused sick days. Additionally, teacher receive $72.50 for each year they have been a full-time teacher in Pennsylvania. The union receives 12 full days of paid leave to use for union business 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 June 2011, the union and board agreed that the teachers would forego a salary increase for the 2011‑2012 school year. The administration reported this would save $380,423.

In 2007, the district employed 154 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $48,979 for 180 school days worked.

Titusville Area School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $909.33 per pupil. The district is ranked 96th out of 500 in Pennsylvania for administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

In 2008, Titusville Area School District reported spending $12,067 per pupil. This ranked 267th in the commonwealth.

Reserves

In 2009, the district reported $1,866,942 in an unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was reported as $2,124,809. PA 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 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Significant findings were reported to the administration and school board.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local 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. 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.