| Camp Hill School District | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 2627 Chestnut Street Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Cumberland, 17011 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Superintendent | David Reeder (June 2011) |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Kindergarten | 84 |
| Grade 1 | 94 |
| Grade 2 | 83 |
| Grade 3 | 83 |
| Grade 4 | 95 |
| Grade 5 | 89 |
| Grade 6 | 98 |
| Grade 7 | 88 |
| Grade 8 | 110 |
| Grade 9 | 79 |
| Grade 10 | 108 |
| Grade 11 | 72 |
| Grade 12 | 85 |
| Other | Enrollment projected to be 1215 in 2020.[2] |
| Mascot | Lions |
| Website | http://www.camphillsd.k12.pa.us/ |
The Camp Hill School District, is a diminutive, suburban public school district serving the Borough of Camp Hill in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. At just two square miles, Camp Hill is the smallest school district in the county and it is one of the smallest in the Commonwealth of state.[3] The district is so small it does not offer school bus transportation. According to the July 1, 2007 local tax rolls, it serves a resident population of 6,367. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income was $28,256, while the median family income was $61,578.[4] Per District officials, in school year 2007-08 the Camp Hill School District provided basic educational services to 1,137 pupils through the employment of 94 teachers, 81 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 6 administrators.
The district operates Camp Hill High School (9th-12th), Camp Hill Middle School (6th-8th) and two Elementary Schools (K-5th). Total enrollment as of 2005-06 is 1,127 students.[3] Camp Hill Middle School is the only public school in Pennsylvania to offer Open Campus Lunch.
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The district is governed by 9 individually elected board members (serve four year terms), the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania General Assembly.[5] The federal government controls programs it funds like Title I funding for low income children in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act which mandates the district focus resources on student success in acquiring reading and math skills.
The Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives Sunshine Review gave the Camp Hill School Board and school district administration a "D-" for transparency based on a review of "What information can people find on their school district's website". It examined the school district's website for information regarding; taxes, the current budget, meetings, school board members names and terms, contracts, audits, public records information and more.[6]
The district is served by the Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 which offers a variety of services including: a completely developed K-12 curriculum that is mapped and aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards (available online), shared services, a group purchasing program and a wide variety of special education and special needs services.
The Camp Hill School District was ranked 29th out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts, in 2011, by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic achievement on five years of PSSAs in: reading, writing, mathematics and three years of science.[8]
In 2009 the academic achievement of the pupils in the district was in the 85th percentile among Pennsylvanian's 500 school districts. Scale (0-99; 100 is state best) [11]
In 2010, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported an Overachievers Ranking for 498 Pennsylvania school districts. Camp Hill School District ranked 415th. In 2009 the district was 407th. The paper describes the ranking as: "a ranking answers the question - which school districts do better than expectations based upon economics? This rank takes the Honor Roll rank and adds the percentage of students in the district eligible for free and reduced lunch into the formula. A district finishing high on this rank is smashing expectations, and any district above the median point is exceeding expectations."[12]
US News and World Report ranked 21,000 public high schools, in the United States, based on three factors. First, the schools were analyzed for the number of students who achieved above the state average on the reading and math tests. Then they considered how the economically disadvantaged students performed against the state average. Finally, they considered the participation rate and the performance of students in college readiness by examining Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate test data. Camp Hill High School was ranked Silver. Seventy Pennsylvania high schools achieved ranking bronze, silver or gold rating. Fifteen Pennsylvania high schools achieved silver.[13] The High school was also listed as silver in 2010.[14]
In 2011, the graduation rate declined to 97%. [15] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Camp Hill High School's rate was 95% for 2010.[16]
In 2011 and 2010, the Camp Hill Senior High School achieved AYP status. [23]
11th Grade Math:
11th Grade Science:
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 24% of Camp Hill High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.[29] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[30] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.
By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.[31]
By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, for the graduating class of 2016, students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, English Composition, and Literature for which the Keystone Exams serve as the final course exams. Students’ Keystone Exam scores shall count for at least one-third of the final course grade.[32]
The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state funded program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[33] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[34] The Pennsylvania College Credit Transfer System reported in 2009, that students saved nearly $35.4 million by having their transferred credits count towards a degree under the new system. [35] For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $2,660 for its dual enrollment program.
Other students, that reside in the district, who attend a private nonpublic school, charter school or are homeschooled are eligible to participate in this program.[36]
In 2011 and 2010, the school achieved AYP status. [37] The attendance rate was 96% in 2011 and 97% in 2010. [38]
8th Grade Math:
8th Grade Science:
7th Grade Reading
In 2009, the district reported employing 109 teachers with a salary range of $41,000 to $141,500.[41] In 2009, the average teacher salary, in Pennsylvania was $58,122 which was 115% of the states' median income.[42]
In 2007, the district employed 90 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $53,491 for 180 days worked.[43] This is the second highest teacher salary in Cumberland County. In Pennsylvania, the average salary of the 124,100 public school teachers was $54,977. 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.[44] Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, personal days, sick days, and other benefits.[45] According to Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the state teacher retirement fund, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.[46]
Camp Hill School District administrative costs per pupil was $838.48 in 2008. This ranked 153rd out of 501 school district in PA. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[47] [48] In 2009, Camp Hill Superintendent, Connie R. Kindler renewed her five year contract with a base salary of $141,500. [49] In 2011, Kindler tendered her retirement resignation. [50] 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. [51] In June 2011, the board hired David Reeder as Superintendent at a starting salary of $130,000 a year plus an extensive benefits package. [52]
In 2008, the district reported a $3,096,776.00 in a unreserved-designated fund balance.[53]
The School Board adopted the 2010-2011 Preliminary Budget at the February 12, 2010 Board Meeting in the amount of $16,826,793.
The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax -2%, a per capita tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax, 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 and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax regardless of the individual's level of wealth.[54]
In 2011-12, the district will receive $1,227,652 in state Basic Education Funding. [55] [56] Additionally, the district will receive $18,306 in Accountability Block Grant funding. The enacted Pennsylvania state education budget includes $5,354,629,000 for the 2011-2012 Basic Education Funding appropriation. This amount is a $233,290,000 increase (4.6%) over the enacted State appropriation for 2010-2011. The highest increase in state basic education funding was awarded to [[Duquesne City School District which got a 49% increase in state funding for 2011-12.[57] Districts experienced a reduction in funding due to the loss of federal stimulus funding which ended in 2011.
In 2010, the district reported that 89 pupils received a free or reduced lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level.
In 2010-2011, Camp Hill School District received the highest increase in Cumberland County a 13.99% increase ($164,263) in Basic Education Funding for a total of $1,338,031.[58] Four county school districts received increases of less than 6% in Basic Education Funding in 2010-11. In Pennsylvania, 15 school districts received Basic Education Funding increases in excess of 10% in 2010. Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester County received the highest with a 23.65% increase in funding.[59] One hundred fifty school districts were allotted the base 2% state funding increase in 2010-11. The amount of increase each school district receives is determined by the Governor and the Secretary of Education through the allocation set in the state budget proposal made in February each year.[60]
In the 2009-2010 budget year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2.28% increase in Basic Education funding for a total of $1,172,769.[61] This was the lowest percentage point increase, in Basic Education Funding, for the school districts in Cumberland County. Two school districts, in Cumberland County, received increases of over 8% in Basic Education Funding in 2009. The state Basic Education funding to the district in 2008-09 was $1,147,618. Ninety school districts in the commonwealth were given the base 2% increase. Among the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania, Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received the highest with a 22.31% increase in funding.
Pennsylvania school districts also receive additional funding from the state through several other funding allocations including: Reimbursement of Charter School Expenditures; Special Education Funding; Secondary Career & Technical Education Subsidy; PA Accountability Grants - $47,495 to Camp Hill in 2010; and Educational Assistance Program Funding. Plus all Pennsylvania school districts receive federal dollars for various programs including Special Education and Title I funding for children from low income families. In 2010, Pennsylvania spent over $24 billion for public education - local, state and federal dollars combined.
Beginning in 2004-2005, the state launched the Accountability Block Grant school funding. This program has provided $1.5 billion to Pennsylvania’s school districts. The Accountability Block Grant program requires that its taxpayer dollars are focused on specific interventions that are most likely to increase student academic achievement. These interventions include: teacher training, All Day Kindergarten, lower class size K-3rd grade, literacy and math Coaching programs that provide teachers with individualized job-embedded professional development to improve their instruction, before or after school tutoring assistance to struggling students, For 2010-11 the Camp Hill School District applied for and received $49,686 in addition to all other state and federal funding. The district used the funding to reduce class size (less than 22 pupils) in K-3rd grade.[62][63]
The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. The School District received $29,603 in 2006-07. In 2007-08 it received a $250,000 grant. The district did not apply for funding in 2008-09.[64]
The Environmental Education Grant Program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates that 5 percent of all pollution fines and penalties collected annually by the Department of Environmental Protection be set aside for environmental education. In 2010, Camp Hill School District was awarded $3,000 for sixth grade students to participate in a hands-on outdoor education program focused on various environmental science topics, including energy and water conservation, alternative energy, ornithology, ecology, geology and more.[65]
The district received an extra $299,542 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.[66] This was the lowest amount received in Cumberland County. Carlisle Area School District received the most ARRA funding at $2,618,458.
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.[67] Participation required the administration, the school board and the local teachers' union to sign an agreement to prioritize improving student academic success. [68] In Pennsylvania, 120 public school districts and 56 charter schools agreed to participate.[69] Pennsylvania was not approved in the first round of the grant. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved. A second round of state RTTT application judging will occur in June 2010.[70]
The Camp Hill School District School Board chose to not participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Education Common Cents program. The program called for the state to audit the district, at no cost to local taxpayers, to identify ways the district could save tax dollars.[71] After the review of the information, the district was not required to implement the recommended cost savings changes.
Property tax rates in 2011–12 were set at 12.5925 mils. The district had just gone through a reassessment of property. Under the old assessment, the tax rate would have been 16.21 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. Property taxes, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, apply only to real estate - land and buildings. The property tax is not levied on cars, business inventory, or other personal property. Certain types of property are exempt from property taxes including: places of worship, places of burial, private social clubs, charitable and educational institutions and government property. Irregular property reassessments have become a serious issue in the commonwealth as it creates a significant disparity in taxation within a community and across a region. Additionally, service related, disabled US military veterans may seek an exemption from paying property taxes. Pennsylvania school district revenues are dominated by two main sources: 1) Property tax collections, which account for the vast majority (between 75-85%) of local revenues; and 2) Act 511 tax collections, which are around 15% of revenues for school districts. [72] Irregular property reassessments have become a serious issue in the Commonwealth as it creates a significant disparity in taxation within a community and across a region.
The Act 1 of 2006 Index regulates the rates at which each school district can raise property taxes in Pennsylvania. Districts are not allowed to raise taxes above that index unless they allow voters to vote by referendum, or they seek an exception from the state Department of Education. The base index for the 2011–2012 school year is 1.4 percent, but the Act 1 Index can be adjusted higher, depending on a number of factors, such as property values and the personal income of district residents. Act 1 included 10 exceptions including: increasing pension costs, increases in special education costs, a catastrophe like a fire or flood, increase in health insurance costs for contracts in effect in 2006 or dwindling tax bases. The base index is the average of the percentage increase in the statewide average weekly wage, as determined by the PA Department of Labor and Industry, for the preceding calendar year and the percentage increase in the Employment Cost Index for Elementary and Secondary Schools, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S. Department of Labor, for the previous 12-month period ending June 30. For a school district with a market value/personal income aid ratio (MV/PI AR) greater than 0.4000, its index equals the base index multiplied by the sum of .75 and its MV/PI AR for the current year.[77] With the 2011 state education budget, the General Assembly voted to end most of the Act 1 exceptions leaving only special education costs and pension costs. The cost of construction projects will go to the voters for approval via ballot referendum.[78]
The School District Adjusted Index for the Camp Hill School District 2006–2007 through 2011–2012.[79]
For the 2011–12 school year, the Camp Hill School Board applied for exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index for pension costs and special education costs. Each year the Camp Hill School Board has the option of adopting either 1) a resolution in January certifying they will not increase taxes above their index or 2) a preliminary budget in February. A school district adopting the resolution may not apply for referendum exceptions or ask voters for a tax increase above the inflation index. A specific timeline for these decisions is publisher each year by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.[80]
According to a state report, for the 2011–2012 school year budgets, 247 school districts adopted a resolution certifying that tax rates would not be increased above their index; 250 school districts adopted a preliminary budget. Of the 250 school districts that adopted a preliminary budget, 231 adopted real estate tax rates that exceeded their index. Tax rate increases in the other 19 school districts that adopted a preliminary budget did not exceed the school district’s index. Of the districts who sought exceptions 221 used the pension costs exemption and 171 sought a Special Education costs exemption. Only 1 school district sought an exemption for Nonacademic School Construction Project, while 1 sought an exception for Electoral debt for school construction.[81]
In 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Camp Hill School District was $113 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 2,236 property owners applied for the tax relief. In Cumberland County, the highest amount of tax relief in 2009, went to Mechanicsburg Area School District at $140. The highest property tax relief went to the residents of Chester Upland School District of Delaware County who received $632 per approved homestead.[82] The tax relief was subtracted from the total annual school property tax bill. Property owners apply for the relief through the county Treasurer's office. Farmers can qualify for a farmstead exemption on building used for agricultural purposes. The farm must be at least 10 contiguous acres (40,000 m2) and must be the primary residence of the owner. Farmers can qualify for both the homestead exemption and the farmstead exemption. In Cumberland County, 75.93% of eligible property owners applied for property tax relief in 2009.[83]
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is provided for low income Pennsylvanians aged 65 and older; widows and widowers aged 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 for homeowners. The maximum rebate for both homeowners and renters is $650. Applicants can exclude one-half (1/2) of their Social Security income, so people who make substantially more than $35,000 may still qualify for a rebate. Individuals must apply annually for the rebate. This can be taken in addition to Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief.
Property taxes in Pennsylvania are relatively high on a national scale. According to the Tax Foundation, Pennsylvania ranked 11th in the U.S. in 2008 in terms of property taxes paid as a percentage of home value (1.34%) and 12th in the country in terms of property taxes as a percentage of income (3.55%).[84]
A Standard and Poors study found that an optimal school district size, to conserve administrative costs, was 3000 pupils.[85] The Pennsylvania Department of Education projects enrollment at Camp Hill School District to remain low through 2019.[86] Consolidation of the administration with an adjacent school district would achieve substantial administrative cost savings for people in both communities.[87] According to a proposal made in 2009 by Governor Edward G Rendell, the excessive administrative overhead dollars could be redirected to improve lagging academic achievement and to enrich the academic programs or to substantially reduce property taxes.[88] Consolidation of two central administrations into one would not require the closing of any schools.[89]
Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of school districts in the nation. In Pennsylvania, 80% of the school districts serve student populations under 5,000, and 40% serve less than 2,000. This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity.[90] In a survey of 88 superintendents of small districts, 42% of the 49 respondents stated that they thought consolidation would save money without closing any schools.[91]
Camp Hill School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006 - Policy 246.[92] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 - 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006."
The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education and physical education that are aligned with the Pennsylvania State Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[93] The policy requires that the Superintendent or designee shall report to the Board on the district’s compliance with law and policies related to student wellness.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.
Varsity and junior varsity athletic activities are under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Eligibility to participate is set by school board policy.[94] [95]
By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[96] [97] [98]