| Neshaminy School District | |
|---|---|
| Type and location | |
| Type | Public |
| Country | USA |
| Location | Langhorne, Pennsylvania |
| District Info | |
| Superintendent | Dr. Louis T. Muenker |
| Students and staff | |
| Other information | |
| Website | District Website |
Neshaminy School District serves the municipalities of Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville, and Lower Southampton Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Students from the Middletown divisions of Levittown also attend these schools. Neshaminy School District encompasses approximately 28 square miles. According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 69,638. Per District officials, in school year 2007-08 the Neshaminy School District provided basic educational services to 8,963 pupils through the employment of 723 teachers, 521 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 52 administrators. In 2010, enrollment in the district's schools had declined to 8,712 pupils. According to Pennsylvania Department of Education the enrollment is projected to decline by several hundred children to 8,394 pupils by 2019.[1][2]
More than 1000 students, who live in the district, attend private elementary schools, not including day care centers, and about 1500 students attend private high schools in various other areas. These students are bused by the Neshaminy School District.
The Neshaminy School District serves a large and diverse student population. Students comprise many different racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The municipalities that are served range from having lower middle-class families to highly affluent families. The school district is also a Blue-Ribbon awarding school district, with Maple Point Middle School having received the award, as well as Neshaminy High School.
In June 2006, the Neshaminy School District began a massive $82 million renovation of Neshaminy High School, which was originally constructed as a combination high school and junior high school in the 1950s. Most of the original structure had been demolished and was completely rebuilt. All that remained were two gymnasiums and the circular library, however all three received extensive renovations. The construction was mostly complete for the 2009-2010 school year, with a few remaining projects to be complete. It was also the first year that ninth-graders attended the high school. [1]
Neshaminy School District like many school districts across the country has been experiencing the troubles of decreasing enrollment, even though the surrounding areas continue to grow. Most of Neshaminy facilities were constructed during the fifties and sixties after the construction of Levittown and its ensuing development. Families then usually had five or more children, compared to the two child average now. The school district has thus been combining schools, and shutting others down. The first significant example was the merger of Neshaminy Middle with Maple Point Middle. Maple Point was the larger and more efficient facility than Neshaminy. Maple Point was constructed in the late 1970s and has been routinely maintained. It contains air-conditioning, a very modern look, a larger structure, and large expanses of land, and thus was chosen as the school to keep. Neshaminy which was constructed in the 1960s and in dire need of renovations was shut down, with the land possibly being sold to the ever-growing needs of St. Mary's hospital across the street. The only asset to Neshaminy was its swimming pool, which Maple Point lacks. Now only two other schools in the district have a pool, and those are Carl Sandburg Middle, which serves the Levittown sections, and Poquessing Middle School. The same process is projected for the elementary schools.
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Neshaminy School District was ranked 184th out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance over five years of the PSSAs for: reading, writing, mathematics and three years of science.[3]
In 2009, the academic achievement, of the students in the Neshaminy School District, was in the 74th percentile among all 500 Pennsylvania school districts Scale (0-99; 100 is state best) [6]
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Neshaminy High School's rate was 90% for 2010.[7]
According to traditional graduation rate calculations:
Neshaminy High School's academic achievemenet declined to Corrective Action II 4th Year AYP status due to chronically low student achievement, in several sub groups, in 2010.[11] In 2009, the high school was in Corrective Action II 3rd Year. The district administration was required to draft a school improvement plan which it submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. A school or district is categorized in Corrective Action I when it does not meet its AYP for four consecutive years. At this level, schools are eligible for various levels of technical assistance and are subject to escalating consequences (e.g., changes in curriculum, leadership, professional development).
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 41% of Neshaminy 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.[16] 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.[17] 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.
Is an alternative middle school/high school. Concerns have arisen regarding the prohibitive costs of running the school. In 2008, 54 students were enrolled in Tawanka. The budget was approximately $1.6M. The total staff was over 17 which equates to approximately 1 staff per every 3 students. This amounts to approximately $29,600 per year, per student compared to $14,000 per student in the regular Neshaminy schools. The program at Tawanka incorporates social development activities, educational support groups, counseling and a modified core academic program. Student participate in school-to-work and community service learning activities. Also housed in the same building facility is the Alternative to Suspension Program (ATS) an individually run program, which provides an alternative to out-of-school suspension to Neshaminy School District’s Elementary and Secondary students.
In 2009 and 2010 the school achieved AYP status. The attendance rate was 95% in 2010 and 96% in 2009.[18]
PSSA Results:
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In 2009 and 2010 achieved AYP status.[25] The attendance rate was 95% in both 2010 and 2009.[26]
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In 2010 the school achieved AYP status. In 2009 the school was in Making Progress: in School Improvement I due to chronic, low student achievement.[32] The attendance rate was 95% in both 2010 and 2009.[33]
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In December 2009, the district administration reported that 1,708 pupils or 19% of the district's pupils received Special Education services.[35][36]
In order to comply with state and federal laws, the school district engages in identification procedures to ensure that eligible students receive an appropriate educational program consisting of special education and related services, individualized to meet student needs. At no cost to the parents, these services are provided in compliance with state and federal law; and are reasonably calculated to yield meaningful educational benefit and student progress.[37] To identify students who may be eligible for special education, various screening activities are conducted on an ongoing basis. These screening activities include: review of group-based data (cumulative records, enrollment records, health records, report cards, ability and achievement test scores); hearing, vision, motor, and speech/language screening; and review by the Special Education administration. When screening results suggest that the student may be eligible, the District seeks parental consent to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation. Parents who suspect their child is eligible may verbally request a multidisciplinary evaluation from a professional employee of the District or contact the Coordinator of Special Education.
In 2010, the state of Pennsylvania provided $1,026,815,000 for Special Education services. The funds were distributed to districts based on a state policy which estimates that 16% of the district's pupils are receiving special education services. This funding is in addition to the state's basic education per pupil funding, as well as, all other state and federal funding.[38]
Neshaminy School District received a $5,975,986 supplement for special education services in 2010.[39]
For the 2011-12 school year, all Pennsylvania public school districts received the same level of funding for special education that they received in 2010. This level funding is provided regardless of changes in the number of pupils who need special education services and regardless of the level of services the respective students required.[40]
The District Administration reported that 519 or 5.62% of its students were gifted in 2009.[41] By law, the district must provide mentally gifted programs at all grade levels. The referral process for a gifted evaluation can be initiated by teachers or parents by contacting the student’s building principal and requesting an evaluation. All requests must be made in writing. To be eligible for mentally gifted programs in Pennsylvania, a student must have a cognitive ability of at least 130 as measured on a standardized ability test by a certified school psychologist. Other factors that indicate giftedness will also be considered for eligibility.[42]
In 2009, the district employed 741 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $80,142 for 180 days worked. The beginning salary was $40,950, while the highest salary was $144,572.[43] In addition to salary the teachers receive taxpayer funded health insurance, life insurance, paid personal days, 10 paid sick days which accumulate, paid leave for death in the family and many other benefits. According to Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.[44][45]
In 2011, the school board and teachers union are engaged in the 4th year of a contract negotiation. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Education Committee conducted a hearing at the Neshaminy High School to discuss the impasses in the district's contract negotiations and issues surrounding teacher union strikes.[46]
In 2007, the Neshaminy School District employed 620 teachers working 180 days of pupil instruction. The average teacher salary in the district was $81,816. This was second only to Council Rock School District.[47] 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.[48]
In 2008, per pupil spending at Neshaminy School District was $16,947 for each child. This ranked 31st among Pennsylvania's 500 school districts.[49] Neshaminy School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $933.60 per pupil. This is ranked 85th among in the 500 school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[50]
In 2008, the Neshaminy School District reported an unreserved designated fund balance of zero and a unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $4,128,618.[51]
In December 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit on the district. Several findings were reported to the school board and administration.[52]
The district is funded by a combination of: a local tax on income, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.5%, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Grants have provided an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In Pennsylvania, pension income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of the level of wealth.[53]
In 2011-12, the district will receive $12,188,271 in state Basic Education Funding.[54][55] Additionally, the district will receive $286,334 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.[56]
In 2010, the district reported that 1,277 pupils received a free or reduced lunch due to their family meeting the federal poverty level.
For the 2010-11 budget year the Neshaminy School District received a 2% increase in state Basic Education Funding for a total of $12,680,677. Central Bucks School District received 3.36% which was the highest increase, in state funding, among Bucks County school districts. One hundred fifty school districts in Pennsylvania received the 2% base increase for budget year 2010-11. The highest increase in the state was awarded to Kennett Consolidated School District of Chester County which was given a 23.65% increase in state basic education funding.[57]
In the 2009-2010 budget year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $12,432,036. Nearly all county school districts received increases of the base 2% in Basic Education Funding in 2009-10. Bristol Borough School District received an 4.25% increase. In Pennsylvania, 15 school districts received Basic Education Funding increases in excess of 10% in 2009. Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received the highest with a 22.31% increase in funding. The state's Basic Education Funding to the Neshaminy School District in 2008-09 was $12,188,270.61.[58] 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.[59]
In 2008, the district reported that 1,174 pupils received a free or reduced lunch due to their family meeting the federal poverty level.
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. Neshaminy School District uses its $777,181 to increase instructional time for struggling students, and to provide services to students. These annual funds are in addition to the state's basic education funding.[60] Schools Districts apply each year for Accountability Block Grants.[61] In 2009-10, the state provided $271.4 million dollars in Accountability Block grants $199.5 million went to providing all day kindergartens.[62]
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 teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Neshaminy School District did not apply in 2006-07. In 2007-08 the district received $501,051 in funding. For the 2008-09, school year the district received a final $88,225 for a total funding of $589,276. Of the 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania, 447 of them received Classrooms for the Future grant awards.[63]
The Neshaminy School District received over $2,394,000 in ARRA - Federal stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students. The funding was for 2 years ending in the 2010-11 school year.
Neshaminy School District officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant which would have brought the district up to million additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.[64] Several Mercer County school districts applied for funding.[65] 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. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved.[68]
The Neshaminy 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 report found multiple opportunities for savings.
In 2011, the Neshaminy School Board set the property taxes rate at 152.0000 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]
The Act 1 of 2006 Index regulates the rates at which each school district can raise property taxes in Pennsylvania. Districts are not permitted to raise taxes above that index, unless they allow voters to vote by referendum, or they seek an exception from the Pennsylvania 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.[76] 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.[77]
The School District Adjusted Index for the Neshaminy School District 2006-2007 through 2011-2012.[78]
For the 2011-12 school year, the Neshaminy School Board applied for several exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index inclduing: Maintenance of Local Tax Revenue, Health Care-Related Benefits costs, and future teacher pension obligations. Each year the Neshaminy 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.[79]
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.[80]
Neshaminy School Board also applied for exceptions to exceed the Act 1 index for the budget in 2010-11. Specifically they sought pension costs and maintenance of local revenue exceptions.[81] In 2009, the board applied for two exceptions: special education costs and maintenance of selected revenue sources.[82] 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.[83]
In 2011, property tax relief for 17,209 approved residents of Neshaminy School District was set at $209.[84] 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 and must be the primary residence of the owner. Farmers can qualify for both the homestead exemption and the farmstead exemption.[85]
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 have income 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.[86]
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%).[87]
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