Wellsboro Area School District - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Wellsboro Area School District is the public school district in Tioga County

Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Tioga County was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for the Tioga River. Its county seat is Wellsboro....

. The school is centred on the borough of Wellsboro

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, 52 miles northwest of Williamsport. Early in the twentieth century, Wellsboro was the shipping point and trade center for a large area...

and also serves: Middlebury Township, Charleston Township, Delmar Township, Duncan Township, and Shippen Township

Shippen Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Shippen Township is a township in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 472 at the 2000 census. Two Pennsylvania state parks, Colton Point and Leonard Harrison are in Shippen Township at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon...

. Pine Township

Pine Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Pine Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 329 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

-Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the...

, which is not connected to the rest of the district, is also served. Wellsboro Area School District encompasses approximately 330 square miles. According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 11,689. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

was $17,091, while the median family income was $39,850.
Per District officials, in school year 2007-08 the Wellsboro Area School District provided basic educational services to 1,655 pupils through the employment of 134 teachers, 92 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 9 administrators. Wellsboro Area School District received more than $8.5 million in state funding in school year 2007-08.

The district operates four schools: Charlotte Lappla Elementary (K-1), Don Gill Elementary (3 & 4), Rock Butler Middle (5 -8 grades), and Wellsboro Area High Schools (9-12).

Governance

The Wellsboro Area School District is governed by 9 individually elected board members (serve four year terms), the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education

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...

and the Pennsylvania General Assembly

Pennsylvania General Assembly

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...

. The federal government controls programs it funds like Title I funding for low income children in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act , is a United States federal statute enacted April 11, 1965. It was passed as a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" and has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by Congress...

and the No Child Left Behind Act

No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...

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 "D" 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.

Academic achievement

Wellsboro Area School District was ranked 307th out of the 498 ranked Pennsylvania school districts in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in five years of PSSA

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...

results in: reading, writing, math and three years of science.

2010 - 230th
2009 - 218th
2008 - 218th
2007 - 218th out of 501 districts

Graduation rate
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Wellsboro Area School District's rate was 92% for 2010.

2010 - 89%
2009 - 91%
2008 - 95%
2007 - 95%

High school

PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading

2010 - 67% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 67% of 11th graders on grade level.
2009 - 78%, State - 65%
2008 - 68%, State - 65%
2007 - 69%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

2010 - 63.7% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 67.5%, State - 56%
2008 - 69%, State - 55%
2007 - 47%, State - 53%

11th Grade Science:

2010 - 36% on grade level. State: 39% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2009 - 47%, State - 40%
2008 - 54%, State - 39%

Graduation requirements

The Wellsboro School Board requires students to earn 25 credits to graduate. The following credits are required of all students for graduation:
English 4 credits, Social Studies 4 credits, Mathematics 4 credits, Science 4 credits, Arts & Humanities 2 credits, Health 0.5 credit, Physical Education 2 credits, Driver Education .25 credit, Computer 0.5 credit, Career Pathway Electives 3.50 credits and the Graduation project .25 credit.

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.

College remediation

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 16% of Wellsboro Area 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

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

, 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.

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 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. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.

For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $11,588 for the program.

Rock L. Butler Middle School

In 2010, the school is in "Making Progress: School Improvement Level 1". The administration was required to write a school improvement plan, make it public and submit it to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The school was in School Improvement I due to chronic, low student achievement in 2009. In 2010 and 2009 the attendance rate was 95%. In 2011, the school board revised the attendance policy to permit 10 days of absence without a doctor's note. Previously the policy had permitted 20 sick days without a note.
8th Grade Reading:

2010 - 81% on grade level., State - 81% (96 pupils)
2009 - 80%, State - 80%
2008 - 80%, State - 78%
2007 - 82%, State - 67%

8th Grade Math:

2010 - 57% on grade level, State - 75%
2009 - 73%, State - 71%
2008 - 67%, State - 70%
2007 - 71%, State - 74%

8th Grade Science:

2010 - 62% on grade level. State - 57%
2009 - 64%, State - 54%
2008 - 59%, State - 52%

7th Grade Reading:

2010 - 76% on grade level., State - 73% (109 pupils)
2009 - 66%, State - 71%
2008 - 74%, State - 70%
2007 - 76%, State - 66%

7th Grade Math:

2010 - 71% on grade level., State - 77%
2009 - 67%, State - 75%
2008 - 69%, State - 70%
2007 - 65%, State - 67%

6th Grade Reading:

2010 - 74% on grade level, State - 68% (111 pupils)
2009 - 75%, State - 67%
2008 - 76%, State - 67%
2007 - 79%, State - 63%

6th Grade Math:

2010 - 81% on grade level, State - 78%
2009 - 77%, State - 75%
2008 - 73%, State - 72%
2007 - 73%, State - 69%

5th Grade Reading:

2010 - 53% on grade level. State - 64% (100 pupils)
2009 - 57%, State - 64%
2008 - 54%, State - 61%

5th Grade Math:

2010 - 67% on grade level. State - 74%
2009 - 68%, State - 73%
2008 - 70%, State - 73%

Don Gill Elementary School

In 2010, the school was in Warning status due to not making AYP under No Child Left Behind]]. In 2009, the school achieved AYP. The attendance rate in 2010 and 2009 was 95%.
4th Grade Reading:

2010 - 70% on grade level. State - 72% (105 pupils)
2009 - 70%, State - 72%
2008 - 69%, State - 70%

4th Grade Math:

2010 - 82% on grade level. State - 84%.
2009 - 77%, State - 81%
2008 - 85%, State - 79%

4th Grade Science:

2010 - 84% on grade level. State - 81%
2009 - 87%, State - 83%
2008 - 89%, State - 81%

3rd Grade Reading:

2010 - 71% on grade level. State - 75% (118 pupils)
2009 - 76%, State - 77%
2008 - 78%, State - 77%

3rd Grade Math:

2010 - 84% on grade level. State - 84%
2009 - 88%, State - 81%
2008 - 83%, State - 80%

Wellness policy

Wellsboro Area 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 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act

National School Lunch Act

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act is a United States federal law signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1946. The act created the National School Lunch Program , a program to provide low-cost or free school lunch meals to qualified students through subsidies to schools...

(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 hat are aligned with the Pennsylvania State Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education, 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 its approval.

Special Education

In December 2008, the district reported that 15% of the students received special education services. The district currently employs 16 certified special education teachers. The district also contracts for speech support, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision support and music therapy. Parents, guardians, teachers, counselors may identify students in need of services. Parents make a written request for evaluation.

Budget

In 2009 the district reported that it employed over 130 teachers with a salary range of $38,428 to $101,000. The teachers also receive a benefits package which includes: pension

Pension

In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...

, health insurance, life insurance, reimbursement for college credits, 10 paid sick days which accumulate, 3 paid personal days, and paid bereavement leave of absence. The teachers receive extra duty compensation and payment for work beyond the regular school day and school year. The district also offers a retirement incentive to teachers of $1,000 to $10,000. The district gives the union 6 paid days to use for conducting union business.

In 2007, the Wellsboro Area School District employed 119 teachers and the average teacher salary in the district was $51,718 for 180 days worked. In 2009, salaries for 115 professional staff range between $38,428 to $91,000. Fifty two teachers earned over $60,000 in 2009. The superintendent earned $101,000. The superintendent also receives an extensive benefits package including: health insurance, life insurance, the taxpayer pays for conferences, dues, up to $500/month to rent for one year and $6,000 for moving and a defined benefit pension.

The district administrative costs per pupil were $922 in 2008. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil. This was 91st out of 500 school districts for administrative spending.

The district ranked 144th in Pennsylvania for per pupil spending at $13,365 in 2008.

In 2009, the district reported having an unreserved-undesignated fund balance of $1,710,155.00.

The Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the school district in January 2010. It was noted that district personnel should improve controls over remote access to its computers.

The district conducts an annual audit. The reports are posted in the district's website after review by the school board.

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. By Pennsylvania law, pension income and social security income are exempt from Pennsylvania personal income tax and from local earned income tax, regardless of the individual's level of wealth.

State basic education funding

For the 2010-2011 school year, the state provided 2% increase in state basic education funding for $6,087,259. Among Tioga County public school districts, the highest increase went to Southern Tioga School District

Southern Tioga School District

Southern Tioga School District is a system of public schools located in northern Central Pennsylvania covering parts of Tioga County, PA and Lycoming County. It encompasses 485 square miles. The district operates schools in Mansfield, PA, Liberty, Tioga County, PA, and Blossburg, PA. In 2009, the...

which received a 3.23% increase. In the state the highest increase went to Kennett Consolidated School District

Kennett Consolidated School District

The Kennett Consolidated School District,or KCSD for short, is a public school district serving portions of Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is centered on the borough of Kennett Square and also incorporates Kennett Township, New Garden Township, and the southern portion of East Marlborough Twp....

in Chester County

Chester County, Pennsylvania

-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

which was given a 23.65% increase in state funding.

In the 2009-2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 4.74% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $5,967,902. The state Basic Education funding to the district in 2008-09 was $5,697,891.20. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pennsylvania Department of Education

, 679 students received free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year. 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. In Pennsylvania, the highest state funding increase was 22% to Muhlenberg School District

Muhlenberg School District

The Muhlenberg Area School District is a public school district serving parts of Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. It encompasses the borough of Laureldale and the Muhlenberg Township. The district encompasses approximately 13 square miles. Per the 2000 federal census data it serves a resident...

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, and before or after school tutoring assistance to struggling students. For 2010-11 the district applied for and received $246,936 in addition to all other state and federal funding. The district used the funding to provide Full Day Kindergarten for the past 5 years.

Classrooms for the Future

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Wellsboro Area School District was denied funding in 2006-07. In 2007-08 the district received $161,987. The district received $45,413 in 2008-09.

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. In 2010-11 the Wellsboro Area School District did not apply for funding.

Federal Stimulus

The district received $1,314,561 in ARRA

Arra

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. This was in addition to a regular annual state and federal funding.

Race to the Top Grant

Wellsboro School District officials did not apply for the Race to the Top

Race 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 to one million additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement. 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. Pennsylvania was not approved for the grant. According to then Governor Rendell, failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved.

Wellness fitness grant

Wellsboro Area School District was awarded a $342,457 federal grant in 2010, for its Wellsboro Fitness for Life program to reform and develop physical education (PE) and nutrition programs that are in alignment with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and PE and to address gaps identified in the School Health Index self assessment. With a 65% overweight student population, reform is desperately needed to save lives! The level of reform required for the district to go from sports-center PE to a fitness-centered focus with nutrition elements requires a system wide, coordinated approach to include fitness and nutrition assessments, equipment, curriculum, professional development, evaluations, and extensive community partnership support. The primary goal of the program is to help students achieve lifelong fitness and health habits, the school district plans a comprehensive, integrated program providing state-of-the-art fitness equipment, consistent fitness assessments, student fitness planning and portfolio development, daily physical activities meeting all student interests, and providing nutritional information, activities, with active monitoring of individual dietary improvement plans; improved curriculum; and staff development opportunities.

Common Cents state initiative

The Wellsboro Area School Board did 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. After the review of the information, the district was not required to implement the recommended cost savings changes.

Real estate taxes

In 2010 the school board set real estate taxes at 16.0827 mils for residents in Tioga County. District residents living in Lycoming County had property taxes set at 14.2752 mills. A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. The school district includes 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. 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.

2009-10: 15.4430 mills in Tioga County. Lycoming County 14.6757 mills.

2008-09: 15.4435 mills in Tioga County. Lycoming County 14.6984 mills.

According to a report prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the total real estate taxes collected by all school districts in Pennsylvania rose from $6,474,133,936 in 1999-00 to $10,438,463,356 in 2008-09.

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

Bureau 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 Wellsboro Area School District 2006-2007 through 2011-2012.

2006-07 - 5.1%, Base 3.9%
2007-08 - 4.5%, Base 3.4%
2008-09 - 5.8%, Base 4.4%
2009-10 - 5.4%, Base 4.1%
2010-11 - 3.8%, Base 2.9%
2011-12 - 1.8%, Base 1.4%

For the 2011-12 school year, the Wellsboro Area School Board applied for several exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index. This included: Pension costs, Maintenance of Selected Revenue and Maintenance of Local Tax Revenue. Each year the Wellsboro Area 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

Pennsylvania Department of Education

.

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. In June of 2011, the Commonwealth's General Assembly passed an Omnibus Education Bill House Bill 1326 which repealed several Act 1 Index exceptions except: pension costs, special education costs and building costs that have already been approved by voter referendum.

In 2010, the Wellsboro Area School Board did not apply for an exception to exceed the index. 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.

Property tax Relief

In 2011, the property tax relief was set at $119 for 3,174 eligible properties that applied. In 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling, for the Wellsboro Area School District, was $123 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 3088 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. 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.

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%).

Enrollment

Enrollment in Wellsboro Area School District is projected to decline by 100 students by 2015. 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. As the enrollment declines, per pupil administrative costs of the schools will continue to rise.

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. Less than 95 of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts have enrollment below 1250 students, in 2007.
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.

Extracurriculars

The district offers an extensive extracurricular program including clubs, arts and interscholastic athletics. Eligibility to participate is determine by school board policy.

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.

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