- Northgate School District
-
Northgate School District 
Address 591 Union Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Allegheny, 15202
United StatesInformation Superintendent Dr. Reggie Bonfield Grades K-12 Kindergarten 93 Grade 1 114 Grade 2 98 Grade 3 105 Grade 4 93 Grade 5 85 Grade 6 97 Grade 7 90 Grade 8 119 Grade 9 114 Grade 10 104 Grade 11 95 Grade 12 106 Other Enrollment is projected to decline to 1200 by 2015 and to remain there for 10 years. Website http://www.northgate.k12.pa.us/ Northgate School District is diminutive, suburban, public school district located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It serves the communities Bellevue and Avalon, Pennsylvania. Northgate School District encompasses approximately 1 square mile. According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 13,113. In 2009, the district residents' per capita income was $19,001, while the median family income was $41,896. [2] Per school district officials, in school year 2007-08 the Northgate School District provided basic educational services to 1,333 pupils through the employment of 121 teachers, 63 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 8 administrators.
Northgate School District operates three schools: Bellevue Elementary, Avalon Elementary, and Northgate Junior - Senior High School. The district has approximately 1,200 students enrolled. Bellevue Elementary and Avalon Elementary are K-6 while the Jr./Sr. High is 7-12. Enrollment is projected to decline to 1200 by 2015 and to remain there for 10 years.[3]
Contents
Academic achievement
Northgate School District was ranked 259th out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on five years of student academic performance based on the PSSAs for: reading, writing, math and three years of science. [4]
- 2010 - 240th
- 2009 - 203rd [5]
- 2008 - 184th out of 498 Pennsylvania School Districts
- 2007 -166th of 500 school districts in 2007.[6]
In 2009, the academic achievement, of the students in the Northgate School District, was in the 59th percentile among all 500 Pennsylvania school districts Scale (0-99; 100 is state best) [7]
Northgate School District was ranked 51st out of 105 western Pennsylvania school districts in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on three years of student academic performance on the PSSAs on: math, reading, writing and one year of science.[8] Northgate School District was ranked 47th out of 105 western Pennsylvania school districts.
Graduation rate
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Northgate Senior High School's rate was 86% for 2010.[9]
According to traditional graduation rate calculations: 2010 - 91% 2009 - 90% 2008 - 89% 2007 - 89% [10]
Graduation Requirements
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.[11]
By Pennsylvania State School Board regulations, for the graduating classes of 2015 and 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.[12]
11th Grade
In 2010, the high school's 11th grade ranked 91st out of 122 western Pennsylvania high schools based on five years of results in PSSAs on: reading, math writing and three years of science. [13] In 2010 - 71st out of 105 schools. [14] In 2009, the school ranked 64th out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools [15]
- 11th Grade Reading
- 2010 - 59% on grade level (22% below basic). State - 66% of 11th graders were on grade level. [16]
- 2009 - 61% (29% below basic), State - 65% [17]
- 2008 - 69%, State - 64% [18]
- 2007 - 66%, State - 65% [19]
- 11th Grade Math
- 2010 - 33% on grade level (42% below basic). State - 59% of 11th graders were on grade level.
- 2009 - 51% (28% below basic). State - 55%
- 2008 - 60%, State - 56%
- 11th Grade Science
2010 - 26% on grade level (22% below basic). State - 39% of 11th graders were on grade level. 2009 - 26% (21% below basic), State - 40% 2008 - 28%, State - 39% [20]
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 41% of Northgate 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.
Dual enrollment
The school district 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.[23] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[24] Over 400 school districts in Pennsylvania offer a dual enrollment program in 2009. The Pennsylvania College Credit Transfer System reported in 2009, that students saved nearly $35.4 million by having their transferred credits count towards a degree under the new system.[25]
For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $1,476 for the program.[26]
Eighth Grade
In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 94th out of 141 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on three years of student academic achievement in PSSAs in: reading, math writing and one year of science.[27] (Includes schools in: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Westmoreland County, and Washington County
8th Grade Reading:
2009 - 74% on grade level. State: 80.9% of 8th graders were on grade level.[28]
2008 - 79%, State - 78%[29]8th Grade Math:
2009 - 67% on grade level. State: 71% of 8th graders were on grade level.[30]
2008 - 60%, State -70%8th Grade Science:
2009 - 56% on grade level. State: 55% of 8th graders were on grade level.
2008 - 47%, State - 50%Budget
In 2007, the district employed 106 teachers with the average teacher salary in the district at $48,325 for 180 days worked.[31]
The district administrative costs in 2008 were $937.72 per pupil. The district ranked 82nd out of 500 school district for administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[32]
In August 2010, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the administration and school board.[33]
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. Grants provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of the individual's level of wealth. [34]
State basic education funding
In the 2009-2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 4.53% increase in Basic Education funding for a total of $3,930,440. This was a mid level percentage point increase, in Basic Education Funding, for the school districts in Allegheny County. Many districts received the minimum 2% increase. Four county school districts received increases of over 6% in Basic Education Funding in 2008-10. Chartiers Valley School District received an 8.17% increase. In Pennsylvania, over 15 school districts received Basic Education Funding increases in excess of 10% in 2009. Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received the highest with a 22.31% increase in funding. The state's Basic Education Funding to the Northgate School District in 2008-09 was $3,760,081.99.[35] The amount of increase each school district receives is determined by the Governor and the Secretary of Education through the allocation made in the budget proposal made in February each year.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 563 students received free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.[36]
Federal Stimulus
The district received $995,601 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students.[37] This funding is for 2009-2011.
Race to the Top
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.[38] 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.[39] Pennsylvania was not approved in the first round of the grant. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved. A second round of state RTTT application judging will occur in June 2010.[40]
Consolidation
A proposal was made, by David Wassel, a prominent citizen, to consolidate Allegheny County school districts to save tax dollars, focus dollars on student achievement, and improve student services. The plan calls for a proposed district that includes: Avonworth School District and Northgate School District. The proposed district would serve the communiities of: Avalon, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Emsworth and Kilbuck.[41]
Governor Edward Rendell proposed a consolidation of Pennsylvania's 500 school district to 100 with adjacent school districts, in each county. He suggested that the administrative cost savings be redirected to improving lagging reading, math and science achievement, to enriching the academic programs or to reducing residents' property taxes.[42] A study of Pennsylvania public school spending, conducted by Standard and Poor's, found that consolidation of the administration with an adjacent school district would achieve substantial administrative cost savings for people in both communities.[43]
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.[44] This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity.[45] In a survey of 88 superintendents of small districts, 42% of the respondents stated that they thought consolidation would save money without closing any schools.[46]
References
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Enrollment and Projections by school district January 2009
- ^ American Fact Finder, US Census Bureau, 2010
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Enrollment and projections for Northgate School District, January 2009
- ^ Pittsburgh Business Times (April 2011). "Statewide Honor Roll Information.". http://www2.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/events/pennsylvania_schools/statewiderank.html.
- ^ Pittsburgh Business Times (April 2009). "Northgate School District Ranking". http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/feature/schools/statewide_rankings.html.
- ^ "Three of top school districts in state hail from Allegheny County,". Pittsburgh Business Times,. May 23, 2007. http://www.wtae.com/education/13346734/detail.html.
- ^ "2009 PSSA RESULTS Northgate School District,". The Morning Call. http://projects.mcall.com/PSSA-results/district/103026873/NORTHGATE%20SD/. Retrieved March 2011.
- ^ Western Pennsylvania School District Rankings, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 15, 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (March 15, 2011). "New 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Calculation Now Being Implemented". http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_department_of_education/7237/info/757639.
- ^ Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. "High School Graduation rate 2007". http://www.scribd.com/doc/23571629/PA-High-School-Graduation-Info-by-School-District-2007. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Code §4.24 (a) High school graduation requirements". http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter4/s4.24.html.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 2011). "Pennsylvania Keystone Exams Overview". http://www.scribd.com/doc/47925315/Pennsylvania-Keystone-Exams-Overview-Sept-2010.
- ^ Pittsburgh Business Times, (April 2011). "Northgate School District ranking". http://www2.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/events/pennsylvania_schools/schooldetails.html?DistrictNumber=103026873&SchoolNumber=53.
- ^ Pittsburgh Business Times, (April 2010). "Northgate School District ranking 2010". http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/feature/schools/northgate_school_district.html..
- ^ The Rankings: 11th grade, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 15th, 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "Northgate Junior Senior HIgh School Academic Achievement Report card". http://paayp.emetric.net/Content/reportcards/RC10S103026873000000053.PDF.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 14, 2009). "Reading, Math, Science and Writing PSSA Results 2009". http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/7442.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2009). "Northgate Junior- Senior High School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2009". http://www.scribd.com/doc/30131198/Northgate-Junior-Senior-High-School-Academic-Achievement-Report-Card-2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (August 2007). "Math and Reading PSSAs Results by School District and School 2007". http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/7442/2006-2007_pssa_and_ayp_results/507511.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (August 2008). "Science PSSAs Results by School District and School 2008". http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/7442/2007-2008_pssa_and_ayp_results/507514.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (January 2009). "Pennsylvania College Remediation Report". http://www.scribd.com/doc/23970364/Pennsylvania-College-Remediation-Report.
- ^ National Center for Education Statistics
- ^ 2010-2011 Pennsylvania Department of Education - Dual Enrollment Guidelines.
- ^ Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement. site accessed March 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education. (April 29, 2010). "Report: PA College Credit Transfer System Makes Higher Education More Affordable, Accessible". http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=7201&PageID=510952&mode=2&contentid=http://pubcontent.state.pa.us/publishedcontent/publish/cop_hhs/pde/single_web/newsroom_press_releases/news_releases/report__pa_college_credit_transfer_system_makes_higher_education_more_affordable__accessible.html.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Dual Enrollment Fall Grants 2009-10. August 2009
- ^ The Rankings: Eighth grade, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 15th, 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education - Reading, Math, Science and Writing PSSA Results 2009
- ^ Northgate Junior-Senior High School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
- ^ Northgate Junior-Senior High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
- ^ Fenton, Jacob,. "Average classroom teacher salary in Allegheny County, 2006-07.". The Morning Call. http://projects.mcall.com/teacher_pay/county/ALLEGHENY/ave_salary/1/. Retrieved March 2011.
- ^ Fenton, Jacob. Pennsylvania School District Data: Will School Consolidation Save Money?, The Morning Call, Feb 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Auditor General (August 2010). "Northgate SCHOOL DISTRICT ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT". http://www.auditorgen.state.pa.us/Reports/School.html#Allegheny.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (October 2010). "Personal Income Tax Information". http://www.revenue.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/personal_income_tax/11409.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Funding by school district October 2009
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Funding Report by LEA 2009.
- ^ Allegheny County ARRA FUNDING Report. Accessed April 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support, Governor's Press Office. January 20, 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support
- ^ Race to the Top Fund, U.S. Department of Education, March 29, 2010.
- ^ Wassel, David, The Next Page: For a New Allegheny County -- 26 school districts, 26 municipalities. The PostGazette.com. June 21, 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Public School Enrollments by Local Education Agency, January 2009
- ^ Study of the cost-effectiveness of consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts, Standard and Poor's School Evaluation Services, 2007.
- ^ Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, Study of the Cost Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts, 2007.
- ^ Rendell, E. & Soderberg, M. (2009). Pennsylvania school district consolidation. 2009-10 Executive Budget Fast Facts. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor.
- ^ Study of the cost-effectiveness of consolidating Pennsylvania districts. New York: Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services. 2007, p. 6.
External links
Categories:- School districts in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
- Education in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area
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