Dallastown Area School District - Budget

Budget

The district employs 30 administrators, 437 instructional staff and 281 support staff. The district's average teacher's salary range was $78,237 with a top salary of $146,000. The current teacher contract is July 1, 2010-June 30, 2013. The work year is 193 days of service with 182 student days. The teachers work 7 hours 45 minutes each day with a 30 minute duty free lunch and a daily preparation period. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, professional development reimbursement, 3 paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, up to 3 paid bereavement leave days per year, and other benefits.

In 2007, Dallastown Area School District employed 385 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $65,647 for 180 days worked. The average teacher salary in York County was $53,918. In 2007, the district's starting salary was $40,800 and the top teacher salary was $81,962 which was the highest in York County. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, life insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, paid sick days, a retirement severance, and other benefits.

Dallastown Area School District administrative costs was $601 per pupil in 2008. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 in 2008. In 2004, the Dallastown School Board awarded a four year contract to Stewart Weinberg as superintendent with an initial salary of $130,000 and an extensive benefits package including: a defined benefits pension, health insurance, life insurance, and much more. The Pennsylvania School Board Association tracks salaries for Pennsylvania public school employees. It reports that in 2008 the average superintendent salary in Pennsylvania was $122,165. In 2007, the Average District Administrator salary in Dallastown School District was $98,274 which ranked fourth in York County. The Average School Administrator salary in Dallastown School District was $84,105 which ranked second in York County. In January 2008, the school board voted 5–4 to approve a new employment contract for Superintendent Weinberg. The basic package includes a base salary of $139,000 with a potential good will incentive of $19,000. The incentive includes a quarterly evaluation process which is a fairly innovative concept in the state. The three year contract begins July 1, 2008. Superintendent of school, Dr. Stewart Weinberg received an annual salary of $146,000 in 2009. In January 2012, Dr Weinberg was unexpectedly asked to resign by the Dallastown Area School Board after a lengthy executive meeting.

Reserves – In 2008, the district reported $8,797,476.00 in an unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was reported as $3,371,834.00. In 2010, the school board voted to use $1 million of the undesignated fund balance to balance a $90.9 million 2010 final budget. Additionally, the board designated $500,000 be reserved to cover future pension costs and $800,000 be reserved for increasing energy costs. In 2009 the district reported it had accumulated over $14 million in reserves. In 2010, Dallastown Area Administration reported $11,741,530 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance and $2,505,627 in its 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.

The district administration reported that per pupil spending in 2008 was $12,645 which ranked 206th in the state' 501 school districts. In 2010, the per pupil spending had increased to $13,730.23 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.

In April 2009, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the school board and administration.

According to an extensive study of York County school districts conducted by APA Associates in 2008, Dallastown Area School District achieved a −1 rating based on Performance and Relative Efficiency. Central York School District and Northeastern York School District ranked +10 and 11 of 16 York County district achieved a positive rating.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local income tax - 1% revenues shared with some local municipalities, a local property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.50%, 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 income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of the individual's level of wealth.