Port Allegany School District
Encyclopedia
Port Allegany School District is a Public school district located in McKean County, Pennsylvania
, United States. Geographically the district is situated in the north-central-west part of the state. The district bridges two counties: McKean and Potter. The offices for the school system are in Port Allegany High School, which is in the borough of Port Allegany. Port Allegany School District encompasses an area of about 169 mi2.
The residents of Roulette, PA, Roulette Township, Pleasant Valley Township in neighboring Potter County
, send their children to Port Allegany Schools. There are two buildings housing all of the students comprising the Port Allegany Schools: the High School and the Elementary School. The district is part of the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 which provides services for special education students, curriculum development and teacher training.
The district employs 78 teachers and 39 full time and part time support staff work for the school.
2009 - 436th
2008 - 399th based on three years of student achievement results on the PSSAs for: reading, writing, mathematics and science (1 year).
2007 - 446th out of 501 school districts.
Graduation Rate
2010 - 93%
2009 - 97%
2008 - 97%
PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
2010 - 57% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 64%, State - 65%
2008 - 58%, State - 65%
11th Grade Math:
2010 - 56% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 50%, State - 56%
2008 - 48%, State - 56%
11th Grade Science:
2010 - 35% on grade level. State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 35%, State - 40%
2008 - 20%, State - 39%
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education
study released in January 2009, 27% of the Port Allegany School District 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. 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. 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.
8th Grade Reading:
2010 - 77% on grade level. State - 81% of 8th graders were on grade level
2009 - 72%, State - 80.9%
2008 - 74%, State - 78%
8th Grade Math:
2010 - 69% on grade level. State: 75% of 8th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 72%, State: 71%
2008 - 61%, State -70%
8th Grade Science:
2010 - 64% on grade level. State - 57% of 8th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 64%, State - 55%
2008 - 62%, State - 50%
7th Grade Reading:
2010 - 68%, State - 73% on grade level. (68 pupils)
2009 - 58%, State - 71%
2008 - 65%, State - 70%
2007 - 71%, State - 66%
7th Grade Math:
2010 - 73%, State - 77% on grade level.
2009 - 65%, State - 75%
2008 - 62%, State - 70%
2007 - 69%, State - 67%
6th Grade Reading:
2010 - 76%, State - 68% on grade level. (60 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 67%
2008 - 57%, State - 67%
2007 - 74%, State - 63%
6th Grade Math:
2010 - 85%, State - 67% on grade level.
2009 - 74%, State - 75% on grade level.
2008 - 71%, State - 72%
2007 - 85%
5th Grade Reading:
2010 - 50%, State - 64% on grade level. (60 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 64%
2008 - 54%, State - 61%
2007 - 41%, State - 60%
5th Grade Math:
2010 - 66%, State - 73% on grade level.
2009 - 77%, State - 73%
2008 - 61%, State - 73%
2007 - 69%, State - 71%
4th Grade Reading:
2010 - 61%, State - 72% on grade level. (70 pupils)
2009 - 77%, State - 72%
4th Grade Math:
2010 - 75%, State - 84% on grade level.
2009 - 88%, State - 82%
4th Grade Science:
2010 - 80%, State - 81%
2009 - 81%, State - 83%
3rd Grade Reading:
2010 - 67%, State - 75% on grade level. (49 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 77%
3rd Grade Math:
2010 - 71%, State - 84% on grade level.
2009 - 85%, State - 86%
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.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.
, there are 957 students enrolled in K-12. There were 96 students in the Class of 2009. The senior class of 2010 has 71 students. Enrollment in Port Allegany School District is projected to continue to sharply decline losing 200 more students by 2019. Port Allegany School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $781 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. In 2009, Governor Edward Rendell proposed the consolidation of the administrations with adjacent school districts in order to achieve substantial administrative cost savings for people in both communities. These excessive administrative overhead dollars could be redirected to improve lagging academic achievement, to enrich the academic programs or to substantially reduce property taxes. Consolidation of central administrations into one would not necessitate the closing of any schools.
Over the next 10 years, rural Pennsylvania school enrollment is projected to decrease 8 percent. The most significant enrollment decline is projected to be in western Pennsylvania, where rural school districts may have a 16 percent decline. More than 40 percent of elementary schools and more than 60 percent of secondary schools in western Pennsylvania are projected to experience significant enrollment decreases (15 percent or greater).
Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of school districts in the nation. In Pennsylvania, 80% of the school districts serve student populations under 5,000, and 40% serve less than 2,000. This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity. In a survey of 88 superintendents of small districts, 42% of the 49 respondents stated that they thought consolidation would save money without closing any schools.
In 2008, per pupil spending at Port Alleghany School District was $11,695. It ranked 314th in the state for per pupil spending.
According to [Standard and Poor's], the local community is challenged by a limited local economy with elevated unemployment and rapidly decreasing enrollment. The district's residents have low property wealth, and moderately high overall net debt burden measured as a percentage of market value.
- Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.
federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.
The district is funded by a combination of local earned income tax, property taxes, a real estate transfer tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. In Pennsylvania, both Social Security income and pension income is exempted from personal income tax and local earned income tax regardless of the individual's wealth.
Property tax rates in 2008-2009 was 37.0900 mills for property owners in Potter County. Property owners in McKean County pay 15.4800 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
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.
The School District Adjusted Index for the Port Allegany School District 2006-2007 through 2011-2012.
2006-07 - 5.9%, Base 3.9%
2007-08 - 5.1%, Base 3.4%
2008-09 - 6.7%, Base 4.4%
2009-10 - 6.2%, Base 4.1%
2010-11 - 4.4%, Base 2.9%
2011-12 - 2.1%, Base 1.4%
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. In 2010, the Port Allegany School Board sought no exceptions, budgeting within the Act 1 limit.
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.
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%).
(boys and girls), cheerleading, cross country, football, golf (boys and girls), soccer, softball
, track and field, volleyball, wrestling.
. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Berrettini died at the age of 52 after voluntarily leaving his post at the Port Allegany High School in the winter of 2007. Berrettini was a medical officer who was critically injured when his humvee was struck by an IED
. After the military flew him to a Texas
hospital, he died from his injuries. This occurred days before he was to be returning to his post with the Port Allegany School District.
Pennsylvania°N date=June 2009°W
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States. Geographically the district is situated in the north-central-west part of the state. The district bridges two counties: McKean and Potter. The offices for the school system are in Port Allegany High School, which is in the borough of Port Allegany. Port Allegany School District encompasses an area of about 169 mi2.
The residents of Roulette, PA, Roulette Township, Pleasant Valley Township in neighboring Potter County
Potter County, Pennsylvania
Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Plateau region. As of 2010, the population was 17,457. Its county seat is Coudersport. Potter County was named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the...
, send their children to Port Allegany Schools. There are two buildings housing all of the students comprising the Port Allegany Schools: the High School and the Elementary School. The district is part of the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 which provides services for special education students, curriculum development and teacher training.
The district employs 78 teachers and 39 full time and part time support staff work for the school.
Academic achievement
In 2010, the district ranked 433rd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts for student academic achievement as demonstrated by four years of PSSA results in reading, writing, math and two years in science.2009 - 436th
2008 - 399th based on three years of student achievement results on the PSSAs for: reading, writing, mathematics and science (1 year).
2007 - 446th out of 501 school districts.
Graduation Rate
2010 - 93%
2009 - 97%
2008 - 97%
PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
2010 - 57% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 64%, State - 65%
2008 - 58%, State - 65%
11th Grade Math:
2010 - 56% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 50%, State - 56%
2008 - 48%, State - 56%
11th Grade Science:
2010 - 35% on grade level. State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 35%, State - 40%
2008 - 20%, State - 39%
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...
study released in January 2009, 27% of the Port Allegany School District 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
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...
or community colleges. 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. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...
, 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 project
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.8th Grade Reading:
2010 - 77% on grade level. State - 81% of 8th graders were on grade level
2009 - 72%, State - 80.9%
2008 - 74%, State - 78%
8th Grade Math:
2010 - 69% on grade level. State: 75% of 8th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 72%, State: 71%
2008 - 61%, State -70%
8th Grade Science:
2010 - 64% on grade level. State - 57% of 8th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 64%, State - 55%
2008 - 62%, State - 50%
7th Grade Reading:
2010 - 68%, State - 73% on grade level. (68 pupils)
2009 - 58%, State - 71%
2008 - 65%, State - 70%
2007 - 71%, State - 66%
7th Grade Math:
2010 - 73%, State - 77% on grade level.
2009 - 65%, State - 75%
2008 - 62%, State - 70%
2007 - 69%, State - 67%
6th Grade Reading:
2010 - 76%, State - 68% on grade level. (60 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 67%
2008 - 57%, State - 67%
2007 - 74%, State - 63%
6th Grade Math:
2010 - 85%, State - 67% on grade level.
2009 - 74%, State - 75% on grade level.
2008 - 71%, State - 72%
2007 - 85%
5th Grade Reading:
2010 - 50%, State - 64% on grade level. (60 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 64%
2008 - 54%, State - 61%
2007 - 41%, State - 60%
5th Grade Math:
2010 - 66%, State - 73% on grade level.
2009 - 77%, State - 73%
2008 - 61%, State - 73%
2007 - 69%, State - 71%
4th Grade Reading:
2010 - 61%, State - 72% on grade level. (70 pupils)
2009 - 77%, State - 72%
4th Grade Math:
2010 - 75%, State - 84% on grade level.
2009 - 88%, State - 82%
4th Grade Science:
2010 - 80%, State - 81%
2009 - 81%, State - 83%
3rd Grade Reading:
2010 - 67%, State - 75% on grade level. (49 pupils)
2009 - 72%, State - 77%
3rd Grade Math:
2010 - 71%, State - 84% on grade level.
2009 - 85%, State - 86%
Wellness policy
Port Allegany School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006 - Policy 246. 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 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.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.
Enrollment
According to the Pennsylvania Department of EducationPennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...
, there are 957 students enrolled in K-12. There were 96 students in the Class of 2009. The senior class of 2010 has 71 students. Enrollment in Port Allegany School District is projected to continue to sharply decline losing 200 more students by 2019. Port Allegany School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $781 per pupil. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. In 2009, Governor Edward Rendell proposed the consolidation of the administrations with adjacent school districts in order to achieve substantial administrative cost savings for people in both communities. These excessive administrative overhead dollars could be redirected to improve lagging academic achievement, to enrich the academic programs or to substantially reduce property taxes. Consolidation of central administrations into one would not necessitate the closing of any schools.
Over the next 10 years, rural Pennsylvania school enrollment is projected to decrease 8 percent. The most significant enrollment decline is projected to be in western Pennsylvania, where rural school districts may have a 16 percent decline. More than 40 percent of elementary schools and more than 60 percent of secondary schools in western Pennsylvania are projected to experience significant enrollment decreases (15 percent or greater).
Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of school districts in the nation. In Pennsylvania, 80% of the school districts serve student populations under 5,000, and 40% serve less than 2,000. This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity. In a survey of 88 superintendents of small districts, 42% of the 49 respondents stated that they thought consolidation would save money without closing any schools.
Budget
In 2007, the average teacher salary in the district was $50,804 for 180 days worked. The district ranked second in McKean County for average teacher salary in 2007.In 2008, per pupil spending at Port Alleghany School District was $11,695. It ranked 314th in the state for per pupil spending.
According to [Standard and Poor's], the local community is challenged by a limited local economy with elevated unemployment and rapidly decreasing enrollment. The district's residents have low property wealth, and moderately high overall net debt burden measured as a percentage of market value.
Stimulus ARRA funding
The district received an extra $1,261,792 in ARRAArra
Arra is a census town in Puruliya district in the state of West Bengal, India.-Demographics: India census, Arra had a population of 19,911. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Arra has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the...
- Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.
Race to the Top Grant
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the TopRace to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...
federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.
The district is funded by a combination of local earned income tax, property taxes, a real estate transfer tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. In Pennsylvania, both Social Security income and pension income is exempted from personal income tax and local earned income tax regardless of the individual's wealth.
Real Estate Taxes:
Property taxes were set by the school board at 35.4100 mills for residents in Potter County for 2010-11. McKean County residents paid - 15.4800 mills.Property tax rates in 2008-2009 was 37.0900 mills for property owners in Potter County. Property owners in McKean County pay 15.4800 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
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 StatisticsBureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
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.
The School District Adjusted Index for the Port Allegany School District 2006-2007 through 2011-2012.
2006-07 - 5.9%, Base 3.9%
2007-08 - 5.1%, Base 3.4%
2008-09 - 6.7%, Base 4.4%
2009-10 - 6.2%, Base 4.1%
2010-11 - 4.4%, Base 2.9%
2011-12 - 2.1%, Base 1.4%
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. In 2010, the Port Allegany School Board sought no exceptions, budgeting within the Act 1 limit.
Property Tax Relief
In 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling, for the Port Allegany School District, was $216 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 1501 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 tax assessment office. Farmers 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, 68% of McKean County property owners applied for the property tax relief.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.
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%).
School activities
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.Athletics
Baseball, basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(boys and girls), cheerleading, cross country, football, golf (boys and girls), soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, track and field, volleyball, wrestling.
Clubs
Computer club, drama club, French club, peer helpers, SADD, Spanish club, academic team and student council.Current events
In January 2008 the Port Allegany School District made national headlines when their school nurse died due to injuries suffered after a roadside bomb exploded on him while he was serving his country in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Berrettini died at the age of 52 after voluntarily leaving his post at the Port Allegany High School in the winter of 2007. Berrettini was a medical officer who was critically injured when his humvee was struck by an IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
. After the military flew him to a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
hospital, he died from his injuries. This occurred days before he was to be returning to his post with the Port Allegany School District.
External links
Pennsylvania°N date=June 2009°W