Susquenita School District

Susquenita School District
Address
1725 Schoolhouse Road Duncannon, Pennsylvania, Perry, 17020 United States
Information
School board	9 regionally elected members
Superintendent	Daniel W. Sheats
Grades	K-12
Kindergarten	148
Grade 1	148
Grade 2	139
Grade 3	137
Grade 4	144
Grade 5	145
Grade 6	139
Grade 7	135
Grade 8	144
Grade 9	177
Grade 10	184
Grade 11	159
Grade 12	162
Other	Enrollment projected to decline to 1960 in 2019[1]
Website	http://www.susq.k12.pa.us/

Susquenita School District is located in Perry County, Pennsylvania and includes one township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Susquenita School District encompasses approximately 87 square miles. The District encompasses the boroughs of Marysville, New Bufallo, and Duncannon. It also serves the townships Watts, Wheatfield, Penn, and Rye, as well as Reed Dauphin County. According to a 2009 local census data, it serves a resident population of 13,634. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income was $19,511, while median family income was $50,887. ^[2] Per school district officials, in school year 2007–08, Susquenita School District provided basic educational services to 1,964 pupils through the employment of 175 teachers, 207 full time and part time support personnel, and 15 administrators.

Contents 1 Governance 2 Academic achievement 2.1 Graduation rate 2.2 High school 2.2.1 Graduation requirements 2.2.2 Dual enrollment 2.3 Middle school 2.4 Susquenita Elementary School 3 Special Education 3.1 Gifted Education 4 Bullying policy 5 Budget 5.1 State basic education funding 5.1.1 Accountability Block Grants 5.1.2 Classrooms for the Future grant 5.1.3 Education Assistance Grant 5.2 ARRA 5.2.1 Race to the Top Grant 5.2.2 School Improvement Grant 5.3 Common Cents initiative 5.4 Real Estate Taxes 5.4.1 Act 1 Adjusted Index 5.5 Property tax relief 6 Extracurricular 7 References 8 External links

Governance

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 "C-" 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]

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.

Academic achievement

In 2011, Susquenita School District was ranked 322nd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance on five years of PSSA results in: reading, writing, mathematics and three years of science. ^[5]

• 2010 – 312th ^[6]
• 2009 – 325th
• 2008 – 363rd
• 2007 – 362nd out of 501 Pennsylvania school districts by the Pittsburgh Business Times.^[7]

In 2011, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported an Overachievers Ranking for 498 Pennsylvania school districts. Susquenita School District ranked 441st. The publication 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]

• 2010 – 457th
• 2009 – 477th

In 2009, the academic achievement of the students attending Susquenita School District was in the 29th percentile among Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. Scale – (0–99; 100 is state best). ^[9]

Graduation rate

In 2007, Johns Hopkins University reported that Susquenita High School was among 47 Pennsylvania schools and 1700 nationwide high schools with high drop out rates. ^[10]

In 2011, the school had a 94% graduation rate. ^[11] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Susquenita School District's rate was 91% for 2010.^[12]

According to traditional graduation rate calculations:

• 2010 – 93%
• 2009 – 86% ^[13]
• 2008 – 86% ^[14]
• 2007 – 86% ^[15]
• 2006 – 75% ^[16]

High school

In 2009, Susquenita High School ranked 467th out of 666 Pennsylvania high schools for the reading and mathematics achievement of its students.^[17] In 2011 and 2010, the school achieved AYP status. ^[18]

PSSA Results:

11th Grade Reading

• 2011 - 78% on grade level, (8% below basic). 69.1% of 11th graders are on grade level.^[19]
• 2010 – 58%, State – 67%^[20]
• 2009 - 57%, State – 65%^[21]
• 2008 - 67%, State – 65%^[22]
• 2007 - 66%, State – 65%^[23]

11th Grade Math

• 2011 - 67%, on grade level (10% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 60.3% of 11th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 - 58%, State – 59%
• 2009 - 49%, State – 56% ^[24]
• 2008 - 49%, State – 56%
• 2007 - 44%, State – 56%

11th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 42% on grade level (11% below basic). State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
• 2010 – 40%, State – 39%
• 2009 – 49%, State – 40%
• 2008 – 39%, State – 39%

College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 35% of Susquenita 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.^[25] 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.^[26] 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.

Graduation requirements

To graduate from the Susquenita School District a student is required to earn 27 credits.^[27] Beginning with the class of 2012, students are required to earn the following: English 4 credits, Math 4 credits, Science 4 credits, Social Studies 4 credits, Physical Education 1.5 credits, Health 0.5 credits, and 9 electives.^[28]

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.^[29]

Beginning with the class of 2015, students must take the Keystone Exams in Literature and Algebra 1.^[30][31]

Dual enrollment

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 count towards 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.^[32] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.^[33]

For the 2009–10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $3,488 for the program.^[34]

Middle school

Susquenita Middle School provides grades 5th through 8th. In 2011 the attendance rate was 94% while in 2010 the attendance rate was 95%. ^[35]

The middle school achieved AYPstatus in 2011. ^[36] In 2010, the middle school achieved AYP using the Safe Harbor with Confidence Interval.^[37] The middle school was in Making Progress: in Corrective Action II in 2009. The school is especially lagging in reading for economically disadvantaged students and for special education students. The middle school's combined 7th and 8th grades ranked 447th out of 829 Pennsylvania middle schools for student academic achievement in 2008–2009.^[38]

8th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 77% on grade level (12% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 81.8% of 8th graders on grade level.
• 2010 – 80%, State – 81%^[39]
• 2009 – 80%, State – 80%^[40]
• 2008 – 77%, State – 78%
• 2007 – 77%, State – 75%

8th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 80% on grade level (7% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 76.9% of 8th graders are on grade level
• 2010 – 82%, State – 75%
• 2009 – 72%, State – 71%
• 2008 – 69%, State – 70%^[41]

8th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 59% on grade level (18% below basic). State – 58.3% of 8th graders were on grade level.
• 2010 – 61%, State - 57%
• 2009 – 58%, State - 54%
• 2008 – 53%, State – 52%^[42]

7th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 74% on grade level (9% below basic). State – 76%
• 2010 – 70%, State – 73%^[43]
• 2009 – 76%, State – 71%
• 2008 – 67%, State – 70%
• 2007 – 71%, State – 66%

7th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 76% on grade level (6% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 69.9% of 6th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 – 87% on grade level. State – 77%^[44]
• 2009 – 67%, State – 75%
• 2008 – 64%, State – 70%^[45]
• 2007 – 71%, State – 67%

6th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 58% on grade level (16% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 69.9% of 6th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 – 64%, State – 68%
• 2009 – 67%, State – 67%
• 2008 – 64%, State – 67%
• 2007 – 56%, State – 63% ^[46]

6th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 78% on grade level (7% below basic). State - 78.8%
• 2010 – 76%, State – 78%
• 2009 – 74%, State – 75%
• 2008 – 71%, State – 72%
• 2007 – 60%, State – 69%

5th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 70% on grade level (17% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 67.3% of 5th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 – 58%, State – 64%
• 2009 – 57%, State – 64%
• 2008 – 54%, State – 61%
• 2007 – 59%, State – 60%

5th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 72% on grade level (8% below basic). State - 74%
• 2010 – 68%, State – 74%
• 2009 – 67%, State – 73%
• 2008 – 74%, State – 73%
• 2007 – 65%, State – 70%^[47]

Susquenita Elementary School

Susquenita elementary school was in Making Progress: in School Improvement II level. ^[48] The elementary school declined to School Improvement II status due to low reading skills in 2010. It was cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as a candidate for a School Improvement intervention. The school was eligible for extra funding from the state and federal government. ^[49] The elementary school was in Making Progress: in School Improvement I for low reading skills for special education students in 2009.

4th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 68% (12% below basic), State – 73.3%
• 2010 – 76%, State – 72%^[50]
• 2009 – 74%, State – 72%
• 2008 – 73%, State – 70%^[51]
• 2007 – 2007 – 74%, State – 70%

4th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 76% (9% below basic), State – 85.3%
• 2010 – 91%, State – 84%
• 2009 – 89%, State – 81%
• 2008 – 92%, State – 79%
• 2007 – 83%, State – 77%

4th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 88%, (0% below basic), State – 82.9%
• 2010 – 87%, State – 81.4%
• 2009 – 91%, State – 83%
• 2008 – 87%, State – 81%

3rd Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 78%, (10% below basic), State – 77.2%
• 2010 – 71%, State – 75%
• 2009 – 81%, State – 77%
• 2007 – 77%, State – 72%
• 2006 – 73%, State – 69%

3rd Grade Math:

• 2011 - 79%, (2% below basic), State – 83.5%
• 2010 – 81%, State – 84.5%
• 2009 – 87%, State – 81%
• 2008 – 84%, State – 80%
• 2007 – 82%, State – 78% ^[52]

2006 – 88%, State – 82%^[53]

Special Education

In December 2009, the district administration reported that 361 pupils or 18% of the district's pupils received Special Education services.^[54]

The 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. 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 Instructional Support Team or Student Assistance Team. 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 Department of Special Education.^[55]

Gifted Education

The District Administration reported that 81 or 4.19% of its students were gifted in 2009.^[56] By law, the district must provide mentally gifted programs at all grade levels. The primary emphasis is on enrichment and acceleration of the regular education curriculum through a push in model with the gifted instructor in the classroom with the regular instructor. This approach permits such specialized instructional strategies as tiered assignments, curriculum compacting, flexible grouping, learning stations, independent projects and independent contracts. Students identified as gifted attending the High School have access to honors and advanced placement courses, and dual enrollment with local colleges. 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.^[57]

Bullying policy

The school district administration reported there were 3 incidents of bullying in the district in 2009. ^[58][59]

The Susquenita School Board has provided the district's antibully/cyberbullying policy online.^[60] All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the district must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.^[61] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.^[62]

Education standards relating to student safety and antiharassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education. ^[63]

Budget

In 2009, the district administration reports employing 181 teachers with an average salary of $49,333.^[64] The salary range was $39,191 to $87,290.^[65]

In 2007, the district employed 149 teachers who earned an average teacher salary of $48,089 for 180 days worked.^[66] 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.^[67] Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, paid personal days, paid sick days, a retirement bonus and other benefits.^[68] For the 2008–09 and 2009–10 school years, teachers paid a contribution towards their employer based health insurance.^[69] According to State Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.^[70] In April 2010 the board and union agreed to a fact finder report which called for: 3.10 percent salary increase inclusive of step retroactive for 2009–10, and a 3 percent step-inclusive increase for 2010–11 and 2011–12, a step for Master’s Degree plus 30 credits be added to the schedule, and a three-year contract.^[71][72]

The district administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $753.76 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.^[73]

In 2008, the district reported spending $13,226 per pupil which ranked 161st in the commonwealth.^[74]

Fund Balance Reserves – In 2008, district officials reported an unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $5,545,468.00.^[75]

In May 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the school board members and the administration.^[76]

The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income 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 wealth.^[77]

State basic education funding

For the 2011-12 school year, the district received $7,745,178 in state Basic Education Funding. ^{[78] [79]} Additionally, the district will receive $160,336 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.^[80] Districts experienced a reduction in funding, due to the loss of federal stimulus funding, which ended in 2011.

In 2010, the district reported that 558 pupils received a free or reduced lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level.

For the 2010–11 school year, the state provided Susquenita School District with a 2% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $8,404,930. Among Perry County school districts the highest funding increase went to West Perry School District at 5.14%. One hundred fifty school districts in Pennsylvania received a base 2% increase in state basic education funding. The highest increase of state funding in 2010–11 was 23.65% which went to Kennett Consolidated School District of Chester County.^[81] 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.^[82]

In the 2009–2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 6.39% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $8,240,128. This was the highest funding increase in the county. The state Basic Education funding to the district in 2008–09 was $7,745,178.40. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 508 students received free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007–2008 school year.^[83] 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. The highest state funding increase was 22.31% to Muhlenberg School District in Berks County.^[84]

The Susquenita School District reported that in 2009, 508 pupils qualified for the free and reduced lunch program due to low family income.

Accountability Block Grants

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 district applied for and received $435,193 in addition to all other state and federal funding. The Susquenita School District uses the funding to provide reduced class size K-3rd (3rd year) and for full day Kindergarten (1st year – 2009).^[85][86][87]

Classrooms for the Future grant

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.^[88] The program was funded from 2006 through 2009. Susquenita School District received funding in 2008 of $268,410.^[89] In 2009 the district received $48,973.^[90]

Education Assistance Grant

Susquenita School Administration did not apply for the state's Education Assistance Grant. 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. ^{[91] [92]}

ARRA

The district received an extra $1,598,172 in ARRA – Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 school years.^[93] This was in addition to all regular, annual state and federal funding.

Race to the Top Grant

School district officials chose to 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.^[94] 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.^[95] 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.^[96]

School Improvement Grant

In the summer of 2011, the district administration did not apply for School Improvement Grant funding, from the federal government (over $9.9 million available). Susquenita Elementary School was eligible for funding. The grant stipulates the funds be used for improving student achievement using one of four federally dictated strategies. The strategies are: transformation, turnaround, restart with new faculty and administration or closure of failing schools. Transformation calls for a change in faculty and administration evaluations, mandated training in proven teaching techniques and rigorous curriculum change that focuses on student achievement. The Pennsylvania Education Secretary awarded $66 Million to reform Pennsylvania's lowest achieving schools^[97]

For 2010-11, Susquenita School District did not apply for a School Improvement Grant. It was eligible for funding due to the chronic, low achievement at the elementary school. ^[98]

In 2010, Pennsylvania received $141 million from the federal department of education, to turn around its worst-performing schools. The funds were dispersed via a competitive grant program. ^[99] The Pennsylvania Department of Education has identified 200 Pennsylvania schools as "persistently lowest achieving," making them eligible for this special funding. ^[100] Pennsylvania required low performing schools to apply or provide documentation about why they had not applied. The funds must be used, by the district, to turn around schools in one of four ways: school closure, restart - close the school and reopen it as a charter school. The other two options involve firing the principal. One would require at least half the faculty in a chronically poor performing school be dismissed. The second involves intensive teacher training coupled with strong curriculum revision or a longer school day. ^[101]

Common Cents initiative

The school board elected 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.^[102] After the review of the information, the district was not required to implement the recommended cost savings changes.

Real Estate Taxes

For the 2011-12 school year, the Susquenita School Board levied real estate taxes on district property owners, in Dauphin County, at 20.7950 mills. Property taxes for district residents, in Perry County, were set at 12.2000 mills. 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. The school district includes several municipalities in two counties, each of which has different rates of property tax assessment, necessitating a state board equalization of the tax rates between the counties.^[103]

• 2010-11 - Dauphin County – 20.3740 mills. Perry County – 17.00 mills.
• 2009–10 – Dauphin County – 20.7530 mills. Perry County – 16.9900 mills. ^[104]
• 2008–09 – Dauphin County – 21.0930 mills. Perry County – 17.0000 mills. ^[105]
• 2007–08 – Dauphin County – 22.0300 mills. Perry County – 17.0000 mills.

Act 1 Adjusted Index

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.^[106]

The School District Adjusted Index for the Susquenita School District 2006–2007 through 2011–2012.^[107]

• 2006–07 – 5.2%, Base 3.9%
• 2007–08 – 4.6%, Base 3.4%
• 2008–09 – 5.9%, Base 4.4%
• 2009–10 – 5.5%, Base 4.1%
• 2010–11 – 3.9%, Base 2.9%
• 2011–12 – 1.9%, Base 1.4%
• 2012-13 - 2.3%, Base 1.7% ^[108]

The Susquenita School Board applied for several exceptions to exceed the Act 1 index for the budget in 2011 including: special education costs, maintenance of local effort, and pension costs.^[109] 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.^[110]

Property tax relief

For 2010, the residents will receive $180 in property tax relief. The relief was subtracted from the total annual school property tax bill. In the district, 4184 property owners applied for the tax relief. 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 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Susquenita School District was $182 per approved permanent primary residence. This was among the lowest amounts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the district, 4143 property owners applied for the tax relief. The relief was subtracted from the total annual school property tax bill. Property owners apply for the relief through the county Treasurer's office.

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.^[111]

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%).^[112]

Extracurricular

The district offers a variety of: clubs, sports and activities. Eligibility to participate is set by the school board.^[113]

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. ^[114]

The drama department was nominated for two Hershey Apollo awards (best pit band and best play) and won the award for 2011 best pit band.

References

External links

• Susquenita School District website