Upper St. Clair and the Mount Lebanon School District, No. 2 on the list, are not only the top in southwestern Pennsylvania, but they're also No. 1 and No. 2 in the entire state in the Pittsburgh Business Times' rankings.
While the top of the list remains the same, the Mount Lebanon School District has narrowed the gap considerably with its consistency across grade levels and improvement at the elementary school level.
These rankings are based on three years of PSSA scores. Those snacks, games and exercises for the students are paying off. Looks like 20 administrators are getting their raises again this year.
Read more: Inside the 2013 Guide to WesternPennsylvania Schools
24 comments:
I'd think that the following would be cause for celebration for anyone who claims to want the best for the kids of Mt. Lebanon, no?
"While the top of the list remains the same, the Mount Lebanon School District has narrowed the gap considerably with its consistency across grade levels and improvement at the elementary school level."
Is #2 in the entire Commonwealth of PA not good enough? Good gracious.
1:17, I think you're missing the point of concern that was raised, which, I believe, is whether the test was taught or not.
Reviewing information learned is one thing; teaching the answers is something else.
I have no idea what happened.
It's tough to follow the point when the goalposts are constantly moved.
If Lebo would have dropped on this list, the headline would have been "The leadership is failing the students!" Lebo makes the list and it's "who cares...it's just based on standardized tests!"
And yes, if Lebo is moving up in what are accepted by a lot of people to be meaningful rankings (people move into districts strictly because the schools are "Top X in the state"), the administrators most definitely deserve raises.
3:20 PM, what would you have liked me to do? I put up the announcement. I gave the link. I included that we were number 2 in Southwest PA and in the state. I announced it before our school district did. Was that not good enough? Good gracious.
Elaine
No more raises! Is there no one who understands that the taxpayers have to foot the bills for EVERYONE?
No one is underpaid in this district.
Raises have something to do with the PBT rankings... really!!!
Then by all means let's learn from the #1 district -
freeze the superintendents and finance directors pay raises and get the teachers to give something back!
Hell, we can't even suggest they pay $50 for a parking permit!
I just can't wait for next year's USC vs Lebo varsity basketball game. As these historic rivals meet once again on the court our little cake eaters still perplexed as to why their wallet is $100 liighter, puff out their chests and beaming with great pride thrust two fingers in the air and taunt the USC student body with "We're #2, we're #2 and our parents pay more taxes than yours do too!"
The imagine just warms the heart, don't it!
I expect the USC students, not wanting to be shown up will probably have a cheer of their own ready... "Dumb asses!"
Mt. Lebanon makes #2 in this list, too:
Cost per student, 2012 - 2013
#1: North Allegheny - $15,386
#2: Mt. Lebanon - $15,297
#3: USC - $14,873
#4: South Fayette - $14,743
#5: Hampton Township - $13,909
It's interesting to note that on the MLSD website the cost per student for the 2012-2013 year is listed as $15,202. The figures shown above came from the Pittsburgh Business Times' cost comparisons amongst 105 Western Pennsylvania School Districts; and the Times claims they got their financial and student population numbers from each District. As it happens, I agree with the Times' figures, as I had gleaned the same numbers for Mt. Lebanon during my research of financial documents posted on the District's website, and which I used in the "resident's comments" I submitted to the District a couple of weeks ago. Next school year, using the fake budget numbers and a decline in enrollment, the cost per student in Mt. Lebanon will be just north of $16,000 (subject to the final budget figures, of course). To put this in perspective, a class of 20 kids will have a mean cost of $320,000. Using current figures (the 2012-2013 school year) the same 20 kids cost $305,940 - for one year.
PS: Before someone writes to say Bethel Park is more expensive than the schools I listed keep in mind that the subject of this thread is the top school districts in Western Pennsylvania as compiled by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The top five are:
#1: Upper St. Clair School District
#2: Mount Lebanon School District
#3: North Allegheny School District
#4: Hampton Township School District
#5: South Fayette Township School District
My price comparisons were for these top five schools.
Thanks to Mr. Gideon for this important information. The numbers are absolutely appalling. When will residents wake up around here?
Mr. Gideon, if you look at page 116 of 130 in the 2012-13 CAFR Report available on the district web site you will see a page titled:
SCHEDULE OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES PER PUPIL
For 2012 (which includes HS Renovation)
Expenditures: $90,560,219
Enrollment: 5,297
Cost per Pupil: $17,078
These figure aren't from the Business Times, but from the districts own financial report.
Put the new bond issue into the formula and Mount Lebanon will be the most expensive district on RG's cost list.
Also note North Allegheny is only $89 per student more expensive and they have expensive bussing. Where did the bussing money go?
Let's share a principal at the middle schools to reduce cost.
The second bond float will add $550 to the cost per student.
Let's eliminate an assistant superintendent first. Then tell Dr. S that lunches with the kids isn't part of a superintendents job description.
I think the teachers should eat lunch with the kids. Put one teacher at each student table.
6:40 PM I think busing costs about an average of $1,000 per student per school year nowadays.
Really???? our little darlings can't sit in a lunchroom together and not bully each other because someone doesn't have the latest Vera Bradley back pack.
Better train those little buggers well while their in middle school 'cause by time they reach high school that pesky parking permit will be up to $400 or so.
An unknown person has pointed to page 116 of 130 in the "2012-13" CAFR Report (actually page 108 of the report - page 116 is the Adobe Reader's page count) for a cost per Mt. Lebanon student of $17,078 instead of the $15,297 figure I derived from the 2012 - 2013 budget. This is indeed what is listed on that page; however, the document so referenced is not for 2012 - 2013 but rather the "Fiscal year ended June 30, 2012" as stated on page 1. There could not be a 2012-2013 CAFR, as the fiscal year isn't over until 30 June 2013.
I don't dispute the unknown person's reference, but that person and I are looking at two different periods.
Thank you Richard.
I erroneously wrote that the CAFR was for 2012-13 and is indeed an error as you point out seeing as how the 2012-13 fiscal year obviously ends June 30,2013.
The info for 2012 Cost Per Pupil (CPP), I would imagine still is correct though in the period covered by that Financial Report.
it will be interesting to see what the actual CPP is in the 2013 CAFR.
I wonder if once the districts' CAFR reports are delieverd in June will the Business Times report any discrepencies between the CAFR CPP and Budget CPP?
Attn sniper: does it really matter if I don't post your out-of-line opposing comment? You got this one in the bag too. Do you not realize that I know your identity? Keep at it.
Elaine
Has anyone looked at the total households in each of these districts? Reason I ask is, from what I can tell, of the top 5 Lebo is the only one where additional hosing is not possible. Every day in the other 4 districts another house goes up. We cant build much more if at all. If we are maxed out on the number of homes we have it seems to me that we will continue to have to pay more because we dont have new homes to share the cost with us. Now that does not mean we shouldnt find ways to save money where we can, but unless we find land to build on we will continue to have a tax problem.
Not necessarily 10:46 if you as Mr. Copper suggested to the school board you keep pace with inflation.
But if the local governing bodies continue to far outpace earned income and CPI we will continue to have tax problems.
Now it's not quite true that we have no land to build on.
There is plenty of land between the Castle Shannon post office and the Rite-Aid and at the corner of Washington & Bower Hill.
Want to speculate why $500,000 condos didn't move at Washington & Bower Hill or why businesses weren't interested in the cleared property at Castle Shannon & MT Lebanon?
Think hitting landlords up for apartment inspection fees is inviting anyone to build mote, for instance?
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