Stroudsburg Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing 621 teachers and administrators with a salary range of $42,346 to $154,412. Additionally, the teachers and administrators receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days, and other benefits.

In 2007, the district employed 405 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $51,487 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.

Stroudsburg Area School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $739.84 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association 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. Eleven administrators earn more than $100,000 per year, in 2010. The superintendent contract includes 20 paid vacation days annually plus paid sick days which accumulate. The superintendent transferred 57 sick days from his previous employment. He will be paid for all unused sick days upon severance. He also receives 4 personal days per year which also accumulate without limitation. The school district pays for the superintendent's membership in the following groups:National School Board Association, the Pennsylvania School Board Association, the American Association of School Administrators, the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, the American Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Pennsylvania Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

In 2008, Stroudsburg Area School District Administration reported that per pupil spending was $12,725 which ranked 194th among Pennsylvania's 501 school districts. In 2010, the per pupil spending increased to $14,923.43 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.

Reserves In 2008, the district reported a balance of zero in an unreserved-designated fund. The unreserved-undesignated fund balance was reported as $2,202,409. In 2010, Stroudsburg Area Schools Administration reported an increase to $3,948,635.00 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The unreserved-designated fund remained at zero. 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 March 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the Stroudsburg Area School District. The findings were reported to the school board and administration.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax of 0.5%, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.5%, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. 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.