Annville-Cleona School District


The Annville-Cleona School District is a small, public school district in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania It covers the Borough of Cleona and Annville Township, North Annville Township and South Annville Township in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximately. According to 2002 local census data, it serves a resident population of 11,876. In 2009, the district residents’ per capita income was $19,519, while the median family income was $36,276. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $52,381 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. Per School District officials, in school year 2005-06 the Annville-Cleona School District provided basic educational services to 1,650 pupils through the employment of 121 teachers, 56 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 11 administrators. The district students are 95% white, 1% Asian, 2% black and 2% Hispanic.
The district operates Annville-Cleona High School, Annville Elementary, and Cleona Elementary.

Governance

The district is governed by 9 individually elected at-large board members, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. 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 "F" 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.

High school

Annville Cleona Junior Senior High School is located at 500 S White Oak Street, Annville. In 2010, there were 798 pupils enrolled in grades 7th through 12th, with 122 pupils receiving a federal free or reduced-price lunch due to family poverty. The school employed 55 teachers. In 2011, Annville-Cleona Junior Senior High School was in Making Progress: in School Improvement II level. The school declined to School Improvement level II AYP status in 2010 due to low academic achievement of the special education students. In 2009, the school was in School Improvement level I AYP status.
;PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
;11th Grade Math:
;11th Grade Science:
;College Remediation
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 28% of Annville-Cleona 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.

SAT scores

From January to June 2011, 75 Annville-Cleona School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 496. The Math average score was 530. The Writing average score was 479. Pennsylvania ranked 40th among state with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479. In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.

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, including the graduation ceremony. 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 $6,454 for the program.

Graduation requirements

The Annville-Cleona School Board has determined that a student must earn 25 credits to graduate, including:
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.
By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, for the graduating class of 2016, students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, English Composition, and Literature for which the Keystone Exams serve as the final course exams. Students’ Keystone Exam scores shall count for at least one-third of the final course grade.

Junior high school

8th Grade Reading:
8th Grade Math:
8th Grade Science:
7th Grade Reading:
7th Grade Math:
In 2014, 81% of students were on grade level in the PSSA Mathematics test at Annville Elementary.
In June 2010, North Annville Elementary School was closed due to declining enrollment. The school had a steady decline in enrollment for more than 30 years, declining to 1,561 in 2010. The closure was estimated to save the district $160,000 annually The school had serious well water problem involving lead and copper contamination. North Annville Elementary School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009 , report Card 2010

Special education

In December 2008, the district reported that 227 pupils or 14.9% were receiving special education services. Annville-Cleona School District provides a wide spectrum of special education services. Services and programs available within the District include learning support, speech/language support, secondary life skills support, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision, adaptive physical education, ESL/LEP, job training, and alternative education programs at the secondary level. The District contracts with Intermediate Unit 13 to provide classes at various schools in Lebanon County to meet the educational needs of students requiring: life skills support, emotional support, sensory support, physical/MDS support, autistic support, basic occupational skills and transition/school-to-work support. Developmental delays are screened for beginning as early as age 3 by IU13 Early Intervention services. Parents request an evaluation for services by contacting the Supervisor of Special Education. The district is required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
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.
The IDEA 2004 requires each school entity to publish a notice to parents, in newspapers or other media, including the student handbook and website regarding the availability of screening and intervention services and how to access them.
In 2010, the state of Pennsylvania provided $1,026,815,000 for Special Education services. The funds were distributed to districts based on a state policy which estimates that 16% of the district's pupils are receiving special education services. This funding is in addition to the state's basic education per pupil funding, as well as, all other state and federal funding.
Annville-Cleona School District received a $815,463 supplement for special education services in 2010.
In 2006, the Annville-Cleona School District received a $20,000 Special Education Inclusive Practices mini-grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The grant was to be used for developing and expanding the effective instruction that encourages meaningful participation in regular education settings. Grants could be used to support the implementation of targeted instructional practices, supplementary aids and services, professional development, or related activities.

Gifted education

The District Administration reported that 72 student or 4.60% of its students were gifted in 2009. 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.

Bullying policy

In 2009, the administration reported there was one reported incident of bullying in the district.
The Annville-Cleona School Board adopted a policy which prohibits bullying by district students and the faculty. The policy defines bullying and cyberbullying. The Board directs that complaints of bullying shall be investigated promptly, and corrective action shall be taken when allegations are verified. No reprisals or retaliation shall occur as a result of good faith reports of bullying. The board expects staff members to be responsible to maintain an educational environment free from all forms of bullying. 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. 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.
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.

Budget

In 2009, the district reported employing over 130 teachers with a starting salary of $38,000 to $156,000 for a 190-day work year. The average teacher salary is $54,971. Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit lifetime pension, health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, college course reimbursement, 3 paid personal days, sick days - 10, a retirement bonus payment of unused sick days or a bonus lump sum of up to $8500 and other benefits, sabbatical leave. Teachers are paid for extra instructional services at an hourly rate.
In 2007, the district employed 107 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $48,427 for 180 days worked.
Annville-Cleona School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $732.55 per pupil. The district ranked 88th of 500 school districts for per pupil administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.
The district administration reported that per pupil spending in 2008 was $12,076 which ranked 264th in the state's 501 school districts.
In January 2009, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. The findings were reported to the administration and the school board.
The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax 0.5%, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of personal wealth.

State basic education funding

For the 2010-11 budget year, the Annville-Cleona School District was allotted a 5.06% increase in Basic Education Funding for a total of $4,670,645. Of the six school districts in Lebanon County, Lebanon School District received the highest a 14.46% increase. One hundred fifty Pennsylvania school districts received the base 2% increase. The highest increase in 2010-11 went to Kennett Consolidated School District in Chester County which received a 23.65% increase in state funding. The amount of increase each school district receives is set by the Governor and the Secretary of Education as a part of the state budget proposal given each February.
In the 2009-2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 3.04% increase in Basic Education funding for a total of $4,445,822. This was the second lowest percentage point increase, in Basic Education Funding, for the school districts in Lebanon County. Two county school districts received increases of over 11% in Basic Education Funding. The state Basic Education funding to the district in 2008-09 was $4,314,764.16. Ninety school districts received a base 2% increase. Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received a 22.31% increase in state basic education funding in 2009 which was the highest increase.

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 Annville-Cleona School District applied for and received $185,399 in addition to all other state and federal funding. The district used the funding to provide lower class size K-3rd grades, for tutoring before and after school, and to provide teacher training.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 203 students received free or reduced-price lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.

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 and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006-2009. Annville-Cleona School District received $229,645 funding in 2006-07. In 2007-08 it received $250,000. In 2008-09 it did not apply for funding. The district received a total funding of $479,645. Of the 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania, 447 of them received Classrooms for the Future grant awards

Federal Stimulus funding

The district received an extra $927,589 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money, in 2009-2010, to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low-income students. This money was in addition to all regular federal funding.

Race to the Top grant

School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant. When approved for the grant, the district would have received hundreds of thousands of 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. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved.

Common Cents state initiative

The Annville-Cleona 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

The school board levied a real estate tax of 100.9440 mills in 2010-11. 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. On the local level, Pennsylvania district revenues are dominated by two main sources: 1) Property tax collections, which account for the vast majority Act 511 tax collections, which are around 15% of revenues for school districts.
The district provides an opportunity for eligible residents aged 60 or older to earn a $500 discount on their property tax bill.

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 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 Annville-Cleona School District 2006-2007 through 2011-2012.
The Annville-Cleona School Board applied for multiple exceptions to exceed the Act 1 index for the budget in 2011. They sought an exception for: maintenance of local revenue, pension obligations, and maintenance of selected revenues. They were approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for all three exemptions. 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 2010, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Annville-Cleona School District was $83 per approved permanent primary residence. In the district, 3,083 property owners applied for the tax relief. The highest tax relief provided in Lebanon County went to the Lebanon School District at $397 per homestead/farmstead. The property tax 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 and must be the primary residence of the owner. Farmers can qualify for both the homestead exemption and the farmstead exemption. Pennsylvania awarded the highest property tax relief to residents of the Chester-Upland School District in Delaware County at $641 per homestead and farmstead in 2010. CUSD was given $632 in 2009. This was the second year they were the top recipient.
A special investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania Auditor General found that 76% of homeowners in Lebanon County had 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 of their Social Security income, consequently individuals who have income substantially greater than $35,000, may still qualify for a rebate. Individuals must apply annually for the rebate. This can be taken in addition to Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief.
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 and 12th in the country in terms of property taxes as a percentage of income.

Enrollment

Annville-Cleona School District is experiencing low enrollment in K-12. The Pennsylvania Department of Education projects the district's enrollment will decline to 1200 pupils through 2018. Shifting population trends across the U.S. and Pennsylvania are affecting school enrollment and may impact the building needs of school districts in the years to come. 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.
A study done by Standard and Poors in 2007 examined whether the consolidation of small school district's administrations would yield saving where the resulting district had approximately 3000 pupils. Superintendent were asked about savings, if their district were to merge with another district at the administrative level only, but not close any of their schools. It found 42% of survey respondents thought consolidation could achieve cost reductions. Additionally, 63% of responding superintendents believed that consolidation with another district would help provide additional academic enrichment opportunities for the students. In March 2011, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Fiscal Responsibility Task Force released a report which found that consolidating school district administrations with one neighboring district would save the Commonwealth $1.2 billion without forcing the consolidation of any schools.
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.

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility for participation is determined by the 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.