IN Peters Township Spring 2014 | Page 33

• Counseling Department: High School The High School counselors will receive two iPads to update their College Resource Center (CRC) to make the student use of the Naviance software and other college and career research tools easier to use. • Ashley Vollmer and Kelly Hruby: High School, Social Studies Ashley and Kelly will receive five iPads for their social studies classes in 10th and 11th grade. These teachers will utilize these tools to enhance research skills, to challenge students to create original works on historical topics, analyze and evaluate collaborative work, and to promote student creativity at the Academic History level. Since its inception just three years ago, the Foundation has provided more than $23,000 in funds to support education at all levels in Peters Township. If you would like more information on the Foundation, or if you would like to make a donation to further support education in our community, please visit the PTEF website at www.pt-educationfoundation.org. Peters Township School District Preliminary In January, the Peters Township Board of School Directors approved a preliminary budget for the 2014-2015 school year. In keeping with its history of prudent fiscal management, Peters Township School District is positioned to maintain its standing as having the second lowest millage rate in Washington County. The District will continue to achieve outstanding academic results while operating on one of the lowest per pupil costs in the state of Pennsylvania. The numbers outlined below are preliminary and will be revised over the coming months prior to a final approval by the School Board in June. PROPOSED DISTRICT BUDGET Expenditures: $56,969,422 Like other districts, the primary factors driving expenditure increases are increased mandated retirement costs ($1.5 million), increased contractual staff costs ($2.9 million) and the nonreimbursable costs of providing quality special education services. The District has been working hard to gain efficiencies through position consolidation, improved contract management, and long term capital projects and maintenance planning. The District has also undergone an Energy Audit and is in the process of implementing recommended changes. Revenues: $56,154,519 Overall 76% of District revenues come from local sources. State and federal revenue sources have remained flat over the past few years. Our State Basic Education Funding is approximately $1,180 per student, well below the per student funding for other districts in Washington County. Without the proposed millage increase, the District would be facing a more than $2.2 million shortfall in revenues to meet expenses. Fund Balance: $10,381,492 Fund balance is a part of the General Fund that is kept in reserve to be used for unexpected costs or needs. The District’s history of multi-year budget planning has resulted in a positive fund balance. Approximately $8 million of the current fund balance has been earmarked for retirement expenses and debt service reduction. Unlike many Districts that are cutting staff and programs, Peters Township is able to maintain a well-rounded, quality educational experience for our students through planning and prudent use of our fund balance. Enrollment: 4,280 students Enrollment remains fairly level into next year. Overall, the District’s enrollment is projected to decline slightly through 2020-2021. P E TE RS TOWN SHI P SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS The Peters Township Education Foundation announced the winners of the 2014 GEO (Granting Educators Opportunities) Grants. This year, the PTEF will provide a total funding of more than $6,700 to support education in classrooms across Peters Township School District. The Foundation received a total of 14 grant proposals and thanks to the generous support of the staff, parents and business community, the PTEF was able to fulfill five of those proposals. While all of the proposals were worthwhile and showed the tremendous dedication of the Peters Township staff to improving education in our classrooms, the competition was tough and the PTEF Board faced the difficult tasks of selecting the best of the best. The winners are: • Colleen Rooney: Pleasant Valley, Instructional Support Colleen will receive an iPad for her elementary classroom to assist and motivate struggling learners in math and reading. • Linda Diesing: McMurray Elementary, Classroom Support Teacher Linda will receive three iPads to use in her classroom to help students with difficulty reading through programs designed to building comprehension and reading fluency. • Renee Brown: Middle School, Language Arts Renee will receive an iPad for her classroom to more fully integrate the flipped classroom environment for her students. Using the video capabilities of the iPad, she will be able to create interactive videos for the students that will enable her customize classroom time in areas that need additional review. Teacher Renee Brown assists a student on the iPad in class at the Middle School. 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