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State College Area School District Administrator Salaries 2012-2013

Posted March 19, 2013

Salary information was obtained by Watchdog using a Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Request.

School employee administrators consist of those employed using employment contracts (SCASD -- Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Business Administrator, and the Director of Human Resources) and staff that are members of the SCASD Act 93 Collective Bargaining Unit who do not have employment contracts (e.g. principals and other directors).

Figure 1 (below) compares employment contract employees with those employees in similar positions of seven demographically similar Pennsylvania school districts. The cohorts are selected by the SCASD and used by the recent Fact Finder Report to compare SCASD teacher salaries and benefits.

All seven cohort school districts approve administrator employment contracts and salaries in scheduled public sessions as required by the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. Most contracts are for five years.

However, the SCASD and one other cohort school district have a likely Sunshine Act violation. The school board is approving annual performance salary increases in executive session only. The district contends that since the base five year contract was approved in public session that year-to-year salary

increases for performance, merit, or bonus which require another board approval may be voted or agreed exclusively in executive session. That is not allowed. The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act requires that an open meeting must be conducted whenever a public board meets to vote on a decision. The public has a right-to-know which elected officials voted yes, no, abstain, or absent for a performance increase for any school board official (such as the superintendent) directly supervised by the school board. This has become a topic introduced on the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition Forum, http://www.pafoic.org/forum.html where the administrator reports at: Open Meetings: Salary Raises for Superintendents : “if an action by a public agency's board is required… if

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a vote must be taken by the board … then that vote must be taken in public. The law is clear on this point.” The SCASD practice is addressed specifically.

Chart 1Cohort School District Salary Contracts 2012-2013

Comparative School District Data for Seven Demographically Similar Pennsylvania School Districts

School District Superintendent Assistant Superintendent

Business Manager

Human Resources

Director

Salary and All Salary Increases

Approved in Scheduled Public

Meeting?Abington $302,5171 $192,4192 $151,0673 $156,2274 YESCumberland Valley $160,0005 $120,0606 $122,0007 $98,3818 YESLower Merion $224,0009 $184,30010 $174,00011 $149,00012 YESNorth Allegheny $190,00013 $127,62814 $120,39615 $114,74216 YESParkland $156,82517 $138,37518 $138,99019 $109,09520 YES

State College $173,22521 $124,72922 $111,00023 $104,00024 YES

Tredyffrin-Easttown $224,51525 $174,80026 $154,30927 $170,57028 YES

Notes: Includes performance or merit pay where applicable. Salaries not included in contracts. Some superintendent compensation not clarified upon request. Annual performance increases not voted in public. Employment contracts for school superintendents in particular, but others also, among the seven districts, vary widely with respect to benefits and perquisites. Contact webmaster@StateCollegeWatchdog.com for copies of contracts. A few positions on this chart, depending on district, are Act 93 Collective Bargaining positions and do not include employment contract positions.The business/finance and human resources managers/directors are usually the 3rd and 4th highest paid administrative employees, but not always.

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Chart 1 end notes# are at the end of the document.

CHART 2Comparative School District Data for Seven Demographically Similar Pennsylvania

School DistrictsSchool District2010-2011 PDE Data

WealthRank within Cohor

t1

Aid Ratio Rank2

Equalized Mills/Mills

Rank3

ADM(Enrollment)4

Cost Per Student = Total

Expenditures/ADM/State Rank

(cohort rank)5

Percent budget Paid

by Local Taxes6

Percent Budget Paid by

/State/Federal7

Abington 2 473 18.8 /178 8,858 $15,757 /95 (2nd) 80.4% 16.3 % /3.3%Cumberland Valley 7 446 13.9 /398 7,878 $12,634 /338 (7th) 75.7% 21.6% /2.8%Lower Merion 1 480 14 /395 7,155 $27,025 /3 (1st) 89.0% 9.7 % /1.3%North Allegheny 5 445 22.7 /74 8,258 $14,586 /161 (5th) 78.0% 18.3% /3.7%Parkland 6 463 15.1 /354 9,560 $13,771 /231 (6th) 81.8% 15.5% /2.7%State College 4 478 15.5 /332 7,125 $15,468 /112 (4th) 82.0% 15.0% /3.0%Tredyffrin/Easttown 3 480 11 /475 6,479 $15,642 /100 (3rd) 86.3% 11.9% /1.8%Notes:1. Wealth rank according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education based on income, property, and other sources of revenue.2. The Aid Ratio is the state subsidy provided to school districts calculated from community wealth. Of 500 school districts, rank #1 = most aid, rank #500 = lowest aid or most wealthy. 3. Equalized Mill, an archaic method used by Pennsylvania to “equalize” state subsidy to school districts expressed in tax mills. Determined same as note 1 above.4. The average daily enrollment (membership) (ADM) for each district as reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The ADM is divided into the district’s total expenditures to determine the average cost per student. The weighted average daily enrollment is not used for this purpose.5. Average cost per student (see note 3) and the state rank. Lowest state rank = highest cost per student among 500 school districts. At an average of 25 students per classroom, each classroom costs about $410,000 for this cohort of school districts. Lowest rank spends the most money per student. The cohort rank (# 1 is highest cost) is also shown.6. Percent of total school expenditures paid by local taxes.7. Percent of total school expenditures paid by state/federal governments.Source: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/financial_data_elements/7672

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Chart 3Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Results, 2012 SCASD Cohorts

District Cost per Student

Enrollment ADM

StudentsTested

AverageVerbal

AverageMath

AverageWritten

Abington $15,757 8,858 469 504 534 504Cumberland Valley $12,634 7,878 467 529 563 514Lower Merion $27,025 7,155 169 581 603 585North Allegheny $14,586 8,258 572 566 582 557Parkland $13,771 9,560 599 535 536 526State College Area $15,468 7,125 525 556 572 537Tredyffrin-Easttown $15,642 6,479 488 578 601 572

Source: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/data_and_statistics/7202/sat_and_act_scores/674663

Chart 4: 2012 Comparison Cohort Districts PSSA Tests for Math, Reading, Science, and Writing Results. http://www.statecollegewatchdog.com/pssa-cohort-results

This Excel document provides 2012 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test scores in all grades tested for math, reading, science, and writing for SCASD and six cohort Pennsylvania school districts. Cohort is defined as similar enrollment size, community wealth, aid ratio, equalized tax mill, percent funding by local taxes (80 to 90 percent), cost per student (total expenditures divided by ADM enrollment). PSSA data is 2011-12. School cost data is 2010-11. Pennsylvania has 500 school districts. The cohort schools rank from 445 to 480 most wealthy. Data is compared

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(reportedly) the wealthiest school district Forest Area (Forest County) and to Pennsylvania aggregated and disaggregated statewide average PSSA scores. Data is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education public documents. Cohort school districts are: Abington, Cumberland Valley, Lower Merion, North Allegheny, Parkland, State College Area, Tredyffrin-Easttown, and the wealthiest Pennsylvania school district, Forest Area. Conclusions and assessment are not provided.

Read more about the relationship of per student spending and PSSA and ACT achievement scores in a statistical analysis by Keith Knauss at http://www.statecollegewatchdog.com/performance-factors

End notes for Chart 1.1. 2011-12 base salary $263,058; annual salary increase per contract of not less than 5 percent. Plus an annual performance bonus of 5 to 10 percent which will not be part of the base pay for the subsequent year. Five percent base increase for 2012-13. Plus one-time payment 2012-13 of $26,306 (presumably the bonus). Total salary 2012-13 = $302,517 or 15 percent maximum increase. District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits contribute 7 percent of previous year’s salary to 403b or similar retirement accounts.2. 2011-12 base salary $187,360; 2012-13 2.7 percent increase plus one-time payment $5,000, District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits + $15,000 maximum contribution for his 403b plan.3. No employment contract, not Act 93 employee. 4. No employment contract, not Act 93 employee, $195,000.5. Base salary 2009-10 $150,000. Performance incentive maximum $15,000 per year. +6.7 percent increase since 2009 including +2.02 percent increase from 2011-12.6. +3.5 percent increase from 2011-12.7. +4.48 percent increase from 2011-12; no employee contract nor Act 93 collective bargaining.8. +2 percent increase from 2011-12; no employee contract nor Act 93 collective bargaining.9. Base salary $195,000 for 2008-09; + 3.5 percent annually through 2015-16 contingent upon satisfactory evaluation. Plus $15,000 annuity and supra district health and welfare benefits.10. Base salary $180,300 for 2011-12 + 2 percent annually through 2015-16 contingent upon satisfactory evaluation. Plus $10,000 annuity and health and welfare benefits.11. Base salary $165,000 for 2010-11 + 2 to 3 percent annually. District health and welfare benefits.12. Base salary $145,000 for 2011-12 + 2 to 3 percent annually. District health and welfare benefits.13. Base salary $190,000 August 2011 and each year for three years through 2014 then adjustments to be considered.14..Act 93 position, no employment contract; 2011-2012 salary $125,000; 2012-13 + 2 percent.15. Act 93 position, no employment contract; Director Finance, 2011-12 salary $118,753; 2012-14 + 1.4 percent16. Act 93 position, no employment contract; 2011-12 salary $113,099; 2012-13 salary + 1.5 percent17. 2011-12 salary $153,000; 2012-13 salary + 2.5 percent.18. 2011-12 salary $135,000; 2012-13 salary + 2.5 percent.

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19. 2011-12 salary $135,600; 2012-13 salary + 2.5 percent.20. Act 93 position, no employment contract. 21. 2011-12 salary base of $169,000 (+ one-time $20,000 relocation allowance); 2012-13 salary includes +2.5 percent increase (1.5% annual base increase + 1 percent of a 0 to 1.5 percent possible performance increase), District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits + $4,000 maximum matching contribution for 403b plan.22. 2012-13 salary includes + 2.67 percent increase (1.5% annual base increase + 0 to 1.16 of 1.5 percent performance increase), District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits. The Assistant Superintendent served as Acting Superintendent during 2011-12, his salary temporarily adjusted, and is not included here.23. Promotion to business administrator effective July 1, 2012. Resigning business manager was paid $113,000. Contract includes (1.5% annual base increase + 0 to 1.5 percent performance increase annually through 2016), District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits + $2,000 maximum matching contribution for 403b plan.

24. 2011-12 new employee; (a 1.5% annual base increase + 0 to 1.5 percent performance increase annually 2012 through 2015), District’s Act 93 collective bargaining health and welfare benefits + $2,000 maximum matching contribution for his 403b plan.25. Plus $35,000 and $5,000 retention bonuses. Request for clarification denied. 26. No assistant superintendent, this salary is for Director of Assessment, Accountability and Technology.27. Plus $5,000 retention bonus.28. Act 93 position, no employee contract.

END

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