Upper Darby School District - Budget

Budget

In 2011, the average teacher salary in Upper Darby School District was $59,534.90 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $17,637.37 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $77,172.28. 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 2009, the district reported employing 1,272 teachers and administrators with a median salary of $61,505 and a top salary of $185,000. The teacher’s work day begins 20 minutes before students arrive and ends 20 minutes after dismissal with 188 days in the contract year. Teachers receive a 30 minute duty free lunch and a planning period each school day. Teachers receive extra pay for any extra duty or additional hours worked. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, and other benefits. Retirees receive health insurance at taxpayer expense until the age of 65 years plus a retirement bonus.

Upper Darby School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $570.95 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association collects and maintains 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 offered to the district's teachers' union.

In 2008 the district administration reported that per pupil spending was $11,441 which ranked 220th among Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In 2010 the per pupil spending had increased to $12,501.23 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.

Reserves In 2008, the district reported a balance of $4,598,798 in a unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $5,363,244. In 2010, Upper Darby School District Administration reported an increase to $8,342,416 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance and $4,539,979 in a 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 2010, 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. Interest earnings on accounts also provide nontax income to the district. 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.