| Central Columbia School District | |
|---|---|
| Map of Columbia County, Pennsylvania School Districts, with Central Columbia School District in blue in the center of the county. | |
| Address | |
| 4777 Old Berwick Road Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Columbia, 17815 United States |
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| Information | |
| Superintendent | Harry Mathias |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 2037 |
| Kindergarten | 161 |
| Grade 1 | 154 |
| Grade 2 | 153 |
| Grade 3 | 146 |
| Grade 4 | 162 |
| Grade 5 | 150 |
| Grade 6 | 159 |
| Grade 7 | 170 |
| Grade 8 | 167 |
| Grade 9 | 160 |
| Grade 10 | 164 |
| Grade 11 | 159 |
| Grade 12 | 152 |
| Mascot | Fighting Bluejay |
| Website | http://www.ccsd.cc/ |
The Central Columbia School District is a small, rural, public school district that covers the Borough of Orangeville and Mifflin Township, Mount Pleasant Township, North Centre Township, Orange Township, Scott Township and South Centre Township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 14,107. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income was $20,989, while the median family income was $47,805. [1] School district officials, in school year 2007-08, reported the Central Columbia School District provided basic educational services to 2,128 pupils. The district employed: 154 teachers, 112 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 13 administrators. Central Columbia School District received over $9.6 million in state funding during the school year 2007-08.
The district operates Central Columbia High School (9th-12th), Central Columbia Middle School (5th-8th) and Central Columbia Elementary School (K-4th).
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According to the 2003 data collected by Standard & Poor's, 18.4% of students are economically disadvantaged, 13.1% receive special education services and 71.1% of students pass the state-mandated testing. The district spent about $6,999 per student.[2]
The middle school was renovated in 2006 to 2007.
The school 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.[3] 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 school board and 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.[4]
In 2011, the Pittsburgh Business Times ranked the district 168th out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts based on five years of PSSAs scores in: reading, writing, mathematics and three years in science. [5]
In 2010, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported an Overachievers Ranking for 498 Pennsylvania school districts. Central Columbia School District ranked 383rd. In 2009, the district was 427th. The paper describes the ranking as: "the 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."[8]
In 2011, the graduation rate declined to 94%. [9] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Central Columbia High School's rate was 80% for 2010.[10]
Former AYP graduation rate:
Central Columbia High School was ranked 76th out of 609 Pennsylvania high schools for combined 2006 PSSA scores for 11th graders. <[12] In 2010 and 2011 the school achieved AYP status. [13]
2007: 76%, State - 65%[18]
2009 - 61%, State - 40% 2008 - 54%, State - 35.5% [23]
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 14% of Central Columbia 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.[24] 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.[25] 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.
In 2011 the school has declined to 'Warning Status due to declining student achievement. In 2010 the school was in AYP status. The attendance rate was 96% in 2011 and was 95% in 2010. [26]
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2010 - 62%, State - 57% 2009 - 69%. State - 55% 2008 - 72%, State - 52%
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7th Grade Reading
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7th Grade Math:
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6th Grade Reading:
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6th Grade Math:
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5th Grade Reading:
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5th Grade Math:
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In 2011, the school declined to School Improvement I AYP status due to significantly declining student achievement. The school administration was required, by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to prepare and submit for approval a School Improvement Plan. In 2010, the school was in Warning status due to low student achievement. [36] The attendance rate was 96% in both 2010 and 2011.
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Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in English, mathematics, history and science. In 2005 70 students took courses and 140 tests were taken.
English - 74.2% earned a 3 or better, State - 67.2%
Mathematics - 78% earned a 3 or better, State - 72.3%
History - 68.4% earned a 3 or better, State - 66.9%
Science - 73.3% earned a 3 or better, State - 64.8% [38]
The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state 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 do not count towards high school graduation requirements, but only towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities and programs at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate to a pre-determined number of students. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[39] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[40] 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.[41] In previous years, students have been allowed to enroll in daytime college classes, the administration eliminated this freedom based on the poor judgement of several dually-enrolled students.
For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $4,908 for the program.
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.[42]
Central Columbia School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006 - Policy 246.[43] 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." However, it must be noted that the only observable change that has come out of this "plan" is that students are now denied the privilege of bringing food into class for any reason, be it holiday, birthday, etc. However, the school's lunch menu continues to include unhealthy items such as pizza, hamburgers, french fries, and cake. Arguably the most unhealthy lunch is one that consists of a ham slices and American cheese squeezed between a full-sized bagel, complimented by three butter-soaked pierogis and cooked apples.
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, physical activity, 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.[44]
The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.
In 2007, the district employed 138 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $51,143 for 180 days worked. The district's average teacher salary was the second highest of all the Columbia County school districts in 2007.[45]
The district administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $612.80 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[46] In 2005, the school board awarded a five year contract to Harry C Mathias Jr. with an initial salary of $95,500; and an annual raise of $3,000 - $5,000. Additionally, Mathais receives an extensive benefits package. Mathais pays 5% of the cost of his health insurance.[47] On July 20, 2009 the school board voted to extend Mathias' contract beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2015.[48]
Reserves - In 2008, the district reported an unreserved designated fund balance of $703,500.00 and a unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $5,215,089.00.[49]
The district is funded by a combination of: a local income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax - 0.5%, grants, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. In Pennsylvania, pension income and social security income is exempt from both: state income tax and local earned income taxes, regardless of income level.[50]
In 2011-12, the district will receive $6,023,487 in state Basic Education Funding. [51] [52] Additionally, the district will receive $96,858 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.[53] Districts experienced a reduction in funding due to the loss of federal stimulus funding which ended in 2011.
In 2010, the district reported that 446 pupils received a free or reduced lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level.
For the 2010–11 school year, Central Columbia School District received a 4.90% increase in state basic education funding for a total of $6,610,621. One hundred fifty Pennsylvania school districts received the base 2% increase. The highest increase in Columbia County was awarded to Southern Columbia Area School District at 7.38%. Among Pennsylvania school districts, the highest increase in 2010–11 went to Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester County which received a 23.65% increase in state funding.[54] 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.[55]
In the 2009-2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 4.62% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $6,301,630. The state Basic Education Funding to the district in 2008-09 was $6,023,486.79. Among Columbia County school districts, the largest increase a 6.11%, went to Berwick Area School District. In Pennsylvania, fifteen school districts received basic education funding increases over 10% in 2009. The largest increase went to Muhlenberg School District of Berks County which received 22.31% increase in 2009-10.[56] The amount of increase each school district receives is set by the Governor and the Secretary of Education as a part of the state budget proposal given each February.[57]
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 446 students received free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.[58]
The state provides additional education funding to schools in the form of Accountability Block Grants. The use of these funds is strictly focused on specific state approved uses designed to improve student academic achievement. Central Columbia School District uses its $262,897 to fund: extension of the school day/year, literacy and math instruction coaching for teachers and for tutoring before/after school, weekends. These annual funds are in addition to the state's basic education funding and all federal funding. [59] School Districts apply each year for Accountability Block Grants. [60] In 2009-10, the state provided $271.4 million dollars in Accountability Block grants $199.5 million went to providing all day kindergartens. [61]
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, Mathematics) and paid for mandatory teacher training to optimize the computers' use in the classroom for improving instruction. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Central Columbia School District administration did not apply for the grant in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the district received $203,921 in funding. For the 2008-09, school year the district received a final $45,413 for a total funding of $249,334. Of the 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania, 447 of them received Classrooms for the Future grant awards. [62]
The state's EAP funding provides for the continuing support of tutoring services and other programs to address the academic needs of eligible students. Funds are available to eligible school districts and full-time career and technology centers (CTC) in which one or more schools have failed to meet at least one academic performance target, as provided for in Section 1512-C of the Pennsylvania Public School Code. In 2010-11 the Central Columbia School District did not apply for funding. [63]
The Central Columbia School District received an extra $1,228,778 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.[64] The funding is for the 2009-2011 school years.
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant. When approved for the grant, the district would have received hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement. [65] Several Lackawanna County school districts applied for funding. Participation required the administration, the school board and the local teachers' union to sign an agreement to prioritize improving student academic success.[66] In Pennsylvania, 120 public school districts and 56 charter schools agreed to participate. [67] Pennsylvania was not approved for the grant. According to then Governor Rendell, failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved. [68]
The Central Columbia 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.[69] After the review of the information, the district was not required to implement the recommended cost savings changes.
The Central Columbia School Board set the property taxes rate at 37.5231 mills for the 2011-12 school year. [70] 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. [71] 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 2010-2011 school year is 2.9 percent, but it 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, increasing rising health care 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.[76]
The School District Adjusted Index for the Central Columbia School District 2006-2007 through 2012-2013.[77]
For the 2011-12 school year, the Central Columbia School Board applied for two exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index: pension costs and special education costs. Each year the Central Columbia 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. [78]
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. [79]
In the Spring of 2010, 135 Pennsylvania school boards asked to exceed their adjusted index. Approval was granted to 133 of them and 128 sought an exception for pension costs increases.[80]
In 2010, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Central Columbia School District was $90 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 4,026 property owners applied for the tax relief. In Columbia County, Benton Area School District received the highest relief at $225 for 2010. In 2009, Central Columbia School District was allotted $91 for 3,951 homesteads/farmsteads. The 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 Columbia County 71% of eligible property owners applied for tax relief in 2009.[81] Pennsylvania awarded the highest property tax relief to residents of the Chester-Upland School District in Delaware County at $632 per homestead and farmstead in 2010.[82] This was the second year they were the top recipient.
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, consequently individuals who make substantially more than $35,000 may still qualify for a rebate. Individuals must apply annually for the rebate.
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%).[83]
Central Columbia High School offers many extracurricular activities to its students. It has many clubs, including foreign language clubs, band, chorus, and community service clubs. Students may participate in a variety of athletic teams throughout the school year. The district is a member of the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference for all athletics and participates under the rules and guidelines of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The school's mascot is a Blue Jay. The official colors for the school are red, white, and blue, however red has been substituted across the board by silver/grey, such as the football team's helmets, which are a silver.
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.[84]