West Shore School District - Budget

Budget

West Shore School District reported employing 667 teacher in 2012 with the average teacher salary being $61,020 and the highest being $139,256. In 2011, the average teacher salary in West Shore School District was $58,725 a year, while the cost of the benefits teachers receive was $14,179 per employee, for a total annual average teacher compensation of $70,905. 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 West Shore School District employed over 850 teachers with a starting salary of $46,522 for 191 contract days. The average teacher salary was $57,855 while the highest was $135,200. The school day is limited by the union contract to 7.5 hours. Additionally, West Shore School District teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, paid bereavement leave, professional development reimbursement, 2 paid personal days, 10 sick days and other benefits. Teachers are paid extra when they are required to work outside of the regular school day hours. The Board provides a substantial retirement incentive. The West Shore School Board agreed to provide the union with 20 paid employee days to conduct union business off campus. In 2010, the board approved a four year contract with annual raises averaging 3.056 percent over the next four years. 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 2007, the district employed 550 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $49,741 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.

West Shore School District administrative costs per pupil was $632.88 in 2008. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. Jemry Goodrich-Small was hired as superintendent in June 2008 with a four year contract that has a $125,000 initial salary. 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 West Shore School District was $95,417 which ranked seventh in York County. The Average School Administrator salary in Central York School District was $71,484 which ranked nearly last in York County. In 2011 the West Shore School District administrators agreed to a one year pay freeze.

The Administration reported that the per pupil spending was $10,498, which ranked 438th in the commonwealth. In 2010 the per pupil spending had increased to $11,467.03 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 $9,179,637.00 in an unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was repoted as zero. In 2010, West Shore School District Administration reported an increase to $14,937,949 in the unreserved-undesignated fund balance. 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 is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax, a local real property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.05%, and a per capita tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Grants 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 income level.