Shamokin Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, Shamokin Area School District reported employing over 200 teachers and administrators with a salary range of $32,000 to $106,400. The median teacher salary was $43,431. Teachers have a 7 hours and 35 minutes work day. The school year is 180 days with teachers scheduled for 183 days. All teachers have a duty-free lunch period of a minimum of thirty minutes as scheduled. Teachers are scheduled one preparation period per day to plan lessons and perform grading. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, and other benefits. Designees of the local teacher's union are granted leave for an aggregate total of ten cumulative school days per school year without loss of pay or benefits for the purpose of attending PSEA or NEA conferences, conventions or other PSEA or NEA meetings directly related to the welfare of the Association.

In 2007, the district employed 158 teachers with the average teacher salary in the district at $36,450 for 180 days worked.

In 2008, per pupil spending at Shamokin Area School District was $10,475 for each child. This ranked 494th among Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. In 2010, the per pupil spending had increased to $11,782.84 which ranked 397th. 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 district administrative costs in 2008 were $489.30 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. The Pennsylvania School Board Association tracks salaries for Pennsylvania public school employees. It reports that the average superintendent salary in Pennsylvania was $122,165, in 2008.

In 2010, the Shamokin Area School District reported an unreserved designated fund balance of $1,800,000 and an unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $7,067,872. 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 June 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit on the district. The findings were reported to the school board and administration. The auditors noted that Board members had failed to file Statements of Financial Interests in violation of the Pennsylvania Public Official and Ethics Act.

In April 2012, the Shamokin School Board voted to eliminate 21 positions due to a large budget shortfall. The staffing cuts saved the District $1.3 million. Art, music and physical education lessons will be taught by classroom teachers in kindergarten through 8th grade, instead of hiring extra teachers to teach them. Nine elementary teacher positions were cut, as were two art teachers, two gym teachers, four music teachers, a library teacher, computer teacher as well as a school counselor and school nurse. One Board member called for cuts in administration. The curriculum coordinator position was eliminated.

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. 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 the of income level.