| Lower Dauphin School District | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Dauphin County, Pennsylvania United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public school district |
| Established | 1952 |
| School board | Board of School Directors[1] |
| Superintendent | Dr. Sherri L. Smith[2] |
| Faculty | 269.4 (on FTE basis)[3] |
| Grades | K to 12 |
| Enrollment | 3880 (2009-10) |
| Kindergarten | 255 |
| Grade 1 | 279 |
| Grade 2 | 278 |
| Grade 3 | 277 |
| Grade 4 | 314 |
| Grade 5 | 302 |
| Grade 6 | 313 |
| Grade 7 | 300 |
| Grade 8 | 335 |
| Grade 9 | 299 |
| Grade 10 | 323 |
| Grade 11 | 307 |
| Grade 12 | 298 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.8[3] |
| District size | 90 sq mi (230 km2) |
| Website | www.ldsd.org |
| [4] | |
Lower Dauphin School District is a midsized, suburban public school district located in central Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximately 89 square miles. According to 2000 federal census data it serves a resident population of 22,546. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income was $23,890 a year, while the median family income was $58,643.[5] According to District officials, in school year 2007-08, the Lower Dauphin School District provided basic educational services to 4,008 pupils through the employment of 315 teachers, 187 full-time and part-time support personnel and 20 administrators. The Lower Dauphin School District spans Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, East Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, South Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, and Conewago Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
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Lower Dauphin Area 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.[6] The federal government controls programs it funds like Title I funding for low income children in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and President George W. Bush's 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 "F" 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.[7]
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 High School building is located in Hummelstown, as well as its administrative building, its correctional education building, and one of the elementary schools.
The school district was first established in the early 1950s.
In 2011, the Lower Dauphin School District ranked 106th out of 497 Pennsylvania school districts, by the Pittsburgh Business Times for student academic achievement as reflected by five years of student results on: math, reading, writing and three years of science PSSAs.[8]
In 2011, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported an Overachievers Ranking for 498 Pennsylvania school districts. Lower Dauphin ranked 327th. The paper describes the ranking as: "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."[10]
In 2011, the Lower Dauphin School District graduation rate was 96%.[12] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Lower Dauphin School District's graduation rate was 95% for 2010.[13]
In 2011 and 2010, the school achieved AYP status.[18]
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 27% of Lower Dauphin 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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]
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.[29]
The Lower Dauphin School District does not offer the state's 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 count towards both high school graduation requirements and 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. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[30] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[31]
In 2011, the Lower Dauphin Middle School achieved AYP status.[32] The attendance rate was 94%.[33] In 2010, the attendance rate was 95%.[34]
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In 2007, the district employed 280 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $52,152 for 180 days worked.[37]
Lower Dauphin School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $750.69 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[38] The Pennsylvania School Boards Association keeps 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.[39] In November 2009, the school board extended the contract of Superintendent Sherri L. Smith for another five years. Smith will receive a $126,000 salary starting in the 2008-09 school year and a 3.5 percent increase each of the next four years. She will also continue to receive an extensive benefits package.[40][41]
In 2008, the district reported an unreserved designated fund balance of $1,800,000.00 and a unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $5,732,868.00.[42]
Pennsylvania Auditor General has conducted several audits of the Lower Dauphin School district. In 2005 there were multiple findings.[43] In 2010, the certification issue was cited again.[44]
In 2008, the Lower Dauphin School District per pupil spending was $11,584. This ranked 330th in the commonwealth.[45]
The district levies the following taxes: a property tax, a local earned income tax and a real estate transfer tax. Pennsylvania exempts pension and social security income from state income tax and local earned income tax. By Pennsylvania law, pension income and social security income are exempt from state personal income tax and local earned income regardless of the level of wealth.[46]
In 2011-12, the district will receive $8,970,099 in state Basic Education Funding.[47] Additionally, the district will receive $164,878 in Accountability Block Grant funding.
For the 2010-11 budget year the Lower Dauphin School District received a 5.58% increase in state basic education funding for a total of $9,903,093. In Dauphin County, the highest increase went to Susquehanna Township School District which received an 15.89% increase in state funding. One hundred fifty school districts in Pennsylvania received a 2% base increase for budget year 2010-11. The highest increase in the state was given to Kennett Consolidated School District of Chester County which was given a 23.65% increase in state funding.[48]
In the 2009-2010 budget year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 4.85% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $9,379,533 to the Lower Dauphin School District. The state Basic Education Funding to the district in 2008-09 was $8,946,077.37. The district also received supplemental funding for: Title I (federal funding for low income students), for district size, a poverty supplement from the Commonwealth and more. Three school districts in Dauphin County received an increase in excess of 5%. In Dauphin County, the highest 2009 state funding increase was 10.66% for Susquehanna Township School District. Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received the highest increase in the commonwealth at 22.31%.[49] 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.[50]
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 588 students qualified for free or reduced lunch due to low family income in 2008.[51] As of December 2008, the district reported that 17% of its pupils received special education services.[52]
The state provides supplemental funding in the form of accountability block grants. The use of these funds is strictly focused on specific state approved student educational achievement uses. Lower Dauphin School District uses its $447,521 to fund: increasing instructional time, to pay teachers to develop new curriculum, to lower class size for K-3rd grades and to provide Professional Development to teachers. These annual funds are in addition to the state's basic education funding.[53] Schools Districts apply each year for Accountability Block Grants.[54] In 2009-10 the state provided $271.4 million dollars in Accountability Block grants.[55]
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. Lower Dauphin School District received $168,763 for funding in 2006-07. In 2007-08 the district received $300,000. For the 2008-09, school year the district received $67,347 for a total of $536,110. Of the 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania, 447 of them received Classrooms for the Future grant awards.[56]
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, Low Dauphin School District was awarded $3,000 to enhance an on-site rain garden by installing rain barrels and coordinating a composting program.[57]
The district received an extra $2,199,655 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.[58] This funding was for 2009-2011 school years.
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant which would have brought the district over one million additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.[59] Participation required the administration, the school board and the local teachers' union to sign an agreement to prioritize improving student academic success. In Pennsylvania, 120 public school districts and 56 charter schools agreed to participate.[60] Pennsylvania was not approved for a grant. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved.[61]
The school board levies a 18.4200 mill tax on real estate in 2011-12.[62]
A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. 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. On the local level, Pennsylvania 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.[63] in 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. In 2008, the total amount of property tax collected by Pennsylvania public school districts collected statewide declined for the first time since 1980.[64]
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.[69]
The School District Adjusted Index for the Lower Dauphin School District 2006-2007 through 2010-2011.[70]
The Lower Dauphin School Board did not apply for exceptions to exceed the Act 1 index for the budgets in 2009-10 or in 2010-11.[71][72]
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.[73]
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.[74]
In 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Lower Dauphin School District was $211 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 6,380 property owners applied for the tax relief. In Dauphin County, the highest amount of tax relief in 2009, went to Harrisburg School District at $446.[75] 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 and must be the primary residence of the owner. Farmers can qualify for both the homestead exemption and the farmstead exemption. In Dauphin County, 68.71% of eligible property owners applied for property tax relief in 2009.[76] 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.[77]
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 whose income is 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.[78]
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%).[79]
Lower Dauphin School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006 - Policy 246.[80] 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, 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.[81] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for PDE approval.
The district is most notable for its sports teams, including Field hockey team, football team, and wrestling team.[82]
The school district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility to participate is determined by the school board in policy.[83][84]
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.[85][86][87]