above and beyond winter 2009
DESCRIPTION
Above and Beyond Winter 2009TRANSCRIPT
Inside: Report Card to the Community
MISSION STATEMENTThe Penn Manor School District shall strive for academic and personal excellence by fostering a democratic environment which motivates students, teachers, admin-istrators, and parents to work collaboratively to improve the instructional program.
Winter 2009
High School Newspaper Goes PaperlessPenn Manor High School recently launched an online school newspaper. The site's launchmarks the end of printed editions and opens the newspaper to a world-wide audience.Based on our research, Penn Points appears to be the first Lancaster County high schoolstudent newspaper to cease printed publications and move to 100% web-based delivery.The site is www.pennmanor.net/pennpoints/. Check it out!
Penn ManorMathematicians Excelat CompetitionOn Friday, October 30, eight Penn Manor High School stu-dents along with math teachers Liz Chismar and KathyGrenier, traveled to George Washington University inWashington, D.C. to compete in the Colonial Math Challengeand the Colonial Bowl. Over 200 students took the individualColonial I exam with the top 50 students moving on to takethe Colonial II exam. Individually, Ben Clark, Grant Elledge,and Dan Gochnauer all placed in the top 50 scores on theColonial I exam. Ben Clark scored in the top 5 of all students on the Colonial I exam. Ben Clark and GrantElledge both scored in the top 10 of all scores on the Colonial II exam. Each was awarded a $20,000/year - 4year scholarship to George Washington University totalling $80,000.
Penn Manor Blue Team (1st row): Penn Manor Gold Team (2nd row):Ben Clark Shannon NitroyDaniel Gochnauer Tyler NewswangerGrant Elledge Aaron GochnauerHelen Hutchens Will Shipley
Students also competed on teams of 4 in the Colonial Bowl with a format similar to a Quiz Bowl competition butstrictly about mathematics.The Penn Manor Blue team won the 32 team Colonial Bowl Competition. They com-peted against teams from Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. For both the exams and theteam competition no calculators were allowed. Penn Manor was well-represented by both teams.
What letter grade would you give the public schools in your communi-ty? Every year the Gallup poll asks that identical question to individu-als across the nation. The majority of respondents consistently givetheir community schools an ‘A’ while rating overall education in theUnited States as a ‘C.’ In this issue of Above and Beyond we give youa report on the academic and financial status of Penn Manor SchoolDistrict. It is our hope that this information will help you to form yourown opinion in case you are asked by someone to rate the schools inyour community.
Knowing that not all taxpayers send children to our schools one of theprimary objectives of the Penn Manor School Board is to provide tostudents the best possible education that parents might expect, whileresponding to the expectation of our community that this quality edu-cation be provided at a reasonable cost. We continually strive to hitboth of these targets. Penn Manor students continue to be recognizedlocally as well as nationally for success in academic and co-curricularprogramming. Additionally, since 2006 the school district has main-tained the second lowest tax rate in Lancaster County with no increasein the current year.
As the new Superintendent of Penn Manor, I am very proud of the hardwork of all of our students, teachers, and staff. I trust that you willfind this edition of Above and Beyond to be helpful in rating the suc-cess of our district. A review of this data provides good evidence thatPenn Manor, as it has done for many years, does an excellent job ofproviding the educational programming that parents expect at a costthat taxpayers can endorse.
Michael G. Leichliter, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools
Welcome from the Superintendent
Penn Manor Philosophy
The Penn Manor School district recognizes, develops, and nurtures the intelli-gence and sensitivities of its children and adults. It provides a positive and sup-portive atmosphere where staff and students work collaboratively to define andaccomplish goals. A great school district emphasizes academic achievement,promotes cultural awareness, and offers opportunities for personal growth; it is aplace where teachers enjoy teaching and students enjoy learning.
Report Card to the Community
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District Snapshot
The Penn Manor School District covers 113 square miles and with 5,276 stu-dents, has the fourth largest enrollment in Lancaster County.
School Grades 2009-10 EnrollmentCentral Manor Elementary K-6 576Conestoga Elementary K-6 295Eshleman Elementary K-6 306Hambright Elementary K-6 439Letort Elementary K-6 299Martic Elementary K-6 355Pequea Elementary K-6 380Manor Middle 7-8 512Marticville Middle 7-8 343Penn Manor High School 9-12 1771
Graduating Class of 2009 487Current Kindergarten Class 359Number of teachers 393Number of administrators 27Number of support staff 320
Market Value Aid Ratio .47132009-2010 Budget $64,930,175Per Pupil Expenditures $12,307Tuition Rate – Elementary (09-10) $8,041Tuition Rate – Secondary (09-10) $8,108Teacher Salary – Starting $40,541Teacher Salary – Average $58,928Community Population (2000 census) 37,290Total Assessed Value of Property $2,223,252,7382009-2010 Millage Rate 15.91 millsDistrict Square Miles 113 Bus Miles per Day 5,250 miles
Twilight students volunteer their help topilot the Power Pacprogram hosted byHambright Elementary.The students helped toload the food for distri-bution as well as sortand bag the food fordeserving families.
The 2009 graduation rate is determined by dividing the number of graduates, bythe number of graduates plus the number of dropouts for four years. PennManor’s graduation rate of 97.4% exceeds the county average of 92.2% and iscurrently the top graduation rate in the county.
Graduation Rate
P.S.S.A. Reading and Math Proficiency
The federal No Child Left Behind legislation currently mandates that studentsmeet the performance targets of at least 56% proficiency for mathematicsand 63% proficiency for reading. In 2009 Penn Manor’s average districtscores of 79.4% for mathematics and 72.6% for reading exceeded the feder-al targets.
5th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
75.7
67.973.6
64.7
56.0
63.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
8th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
77.583.6
71.6
80.9
56.063.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
7th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
80.975.375.5
71.7
56.063.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
3rd Grade PSSA Scores 2009
81.9 79.081.877.1
56.063.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
For more detailed information on all ten of Penn Manor’s schools and their per-formance on the PSSA tests, please visit the Pennsylvania Department ofEducation - Academic Achievement Report website at www.paayp.com.
4th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
81.9
72.2
82.0
72.7
56.063.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
6th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
77.972.975.9
67.8
56.063.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
High school studentswho are members of theManor FFA chapter visitthird grade classrooms inall seven district elemen-tary schools during Ag inthe Classroom week toshare information abouttheir activities.
High School Improvement
Penn Manor High School is on School Improvement II. While the high schoolmet 15 of 17 performance targets, the special education sub group did notmeet proficiency in either reading or math. Overall, 67.4% of students testedwere proficient in reading, exceeding the target of 63%, while in the specialeducation subgroup 21.4% were proficient. In math, 59% of the tested stu-dents exceeded the proficiency target of 56%, while 19.6% of special educa-tion students were proficient.
11th Grade PSSA Scores 2009
58.3
66.7
56.0
65.6
56.0
63.0
50.0
52.0
54.0
56.0
58.0
60.0
62.0
64.0
66.0
68.0
Math Reading
Penn Manor State Average US Target
AP Participation
Penn Manor High School offers Advanced Placement courses in which students havethe opportunity to gain college credit for high school coursework. The CollegeBoard Advanced Placement program is considered one of the most rigorous pro-grams available for high school students. An increasing number of students haveenrolled in the AP classes and have experienced great success on the tests. Manystudents earned a score of three or higher, which enables them to receive collegecredit or exempt them from an introductory level college class.
In May 2009, 242 students completed 371 exams. Thirty-one stu-dents were honored as AP Scholars by the College Board, eightstudents received AP Scholar with Honor recognition, and five stu-dents - Alexandra Adams, Evan Crisman, John Myers, WilliamNapier, and Sean Stover were awarded AP Scholar with Distinctionhonors.
Penn Manor High School currently offers the following AP courses -Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,Economics, U.S. Government, U.S. History, European History,Psychology, Literature & Composition, and Studio Art.
Number of students who participated in the AP exam 2006-2009
168
254 262
371
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2006 2007 2008 2009
Graduation Year
Students in the TextileArts class at Penn ManorHigh School transformedpillowcases into dresses tohelp clothe children in anorphanage in Malawi, asmall country in southeastAfrica that is one of thepoorest countries in theworld.
The scores of Penn Manor students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.)and ACT test have shown consistency over the past five years. Penn Manor’s2009 SAT scores are well above both the US average and the state average inmath, verbal, and writing aptitudes.
S.A.T. / ACT Scores
ACT Composite Scores 2007-2009
23.223.1
23.5
2222.2 22.1
21.1 21.121.2
19.5
20
20.5
21
21.5
22
22.5
23
23.5
24
2007 2008 2009
Penn Manor PA Average US Average
2009 Penn Manor SAT Results
540
526
516510
493
483
515
501
493
450
460
470
480
490
500
510
520
530
540
550
Math Reading Writing
Penn Manor PA Average US Average
Co-Valedictorians JohnMyers (left) attends PennState University whileWilliam Napier (right)attends Lehigh University.Salutatorian AlexandriaAdams (center) attendsYale University.
Budgeting Process
2009 Property Tax Bill Comparison
The Pennsylvania School Code requires that an operating budget be passed forevery school year. The administration begins this process every fall and presentsa budget to the School Board for discussion and approval in the spring. The budg-et is crafted in such a way that the educational needs of the students are weighedagainst the burden placed upon taxpayers.
The budget process is now underway for the 2010-11 school year. Over the nextseveral months, presentations will be made to the School Board to explain the dis-trict’s spending plan as well as the revenues expected from various local, stateand Federal sources. Every effort is made to present a conservative budget thatallows the district to meet educational goals while being fiscally responsible in boththe short term and over the long term.
The 2010-11 fiscal year holds many challenges that need to be addressed in thebudget. The economic slow-down affects us all and is sure to be seen in loweredprojections from many revenue sources. In addition, the district must plan formaintenance and renovation projects that are appearing on the horizon. Longrange planning must also take into account the projected rise in the cost of bene-fits in coming years. Be assured that these and other issues are being reviewedduring the budgeting process.
This chart compares the Real Estate MillageRates for the school districts in Lancaster County.As the chart indicates, Penn Manor’s millage ratefalls below the county average. In addition, themillage rate at Penn Manor ranks 11th out of the16 county school districts. (Penn Manor ranks4th in enrollment.)
Real Estate Tax Millage Rate Comparisons
2009-10 2009-10
County Average 17.25 RANK Penn Manor 15.91 11 Cocalico 19.84 3 Columbia 24.36 1 Conestoga Valley 13.27 14 Donegal 19.45 4 Eastern Lancaster County 12.60 15 Ephrata 18.52 5 Elizabethtown 16.59 9 Hempfield 17.39 8 Lancaster 23.26 2 Lampeter-Strasburg 17.80 6 Manheim Central 15.85 12 Manheim Township 16.55 10 Pequea Valley 15.74 13 Solanco 10.16 16 Warwick 17.40 7
Real Estate Tax Historical Increase Comparisons
AVERAGE TAX INCREASE 05-06 - 09-10
AVERAGE TAX INCREASE 05-06 - 09-10
County Average 5.0% RANK Penn Manor 3.1% 15 Cocalico 4.8% 6 Columbia 6.8% 3 Conestoga Valley 3.6% 12 Donegal 9.5% 1 Eastern Lancaster County 3.3% 14 Ephrata 4.5% 9 Elizabethtown 8.3% 2 Hempfield 5.3% 5 Lancaster 4.7% 7 Lampeter-Strasburg 4.2% 10 Manheim Central 2.2% 16 Manheim Township 4.1% 11 Pequea Valley 4.6% 8 Solanco 5.3% 4 Warwick 3.4% 13
This chart looks at the average real estate taxincrease for the school districts in Lancaster Countysince the last county-wide reassessment. As thechart indicates, Penn Manor not only falls below thecounty average, it ranks 15th out of 16. In addition,Penn Manor is proud to be one of two county dis-tricts that did not raise taxes for the 2009-10 fiscalyear.
Board of School DirectorsJoseph P. DeLucaRichard L. Frerichs, E d . D .Johnna M. FriedmanFranklin C. HokeJ. Kenneth LongCarlton L. RintzKirk D. SchlotzhauerChristopher C. StraubDonna J. We r t
Ex Officio Members:Christopher L. Johnston, Tr e a s u r e rPaula E. Howard, S e c r e t a r y
A d m i n i s t r a t i o nMichael G. Leichliter, Ed.D.S u p e r i n t e n d e n tEllen PollockAssistant Superintendent Christopher L. JohnstonBusiness ManagerStephen B. SkrockiChief Financial Officer
Cindy L. RhoadesE d i t o r, Community Relations Coordinator
P.O. Box 1001Millersville, PA 1 7 5 5 1 - 0 3 0 1An Equal Opportunity Employer
Postal Customer
Penn Manor Logo: Time for a changeWhat is Penn Manor’s “official” logo? What are the school’s colors? Depending on where you look, you could seeany of these logos and others used to represent the school district. The colors are not consistent and the designchoices are many. The Penn Manor School District wants to present a more uniform look for the district and isasking for your help. If you have a design idea for a new logo or a preference for one already in use, let usknow. New logo designs need to be easily adapted for use on the web, in publications, on stationery, and onathletic wear.
You don’t have to be an artist or graphic designer to suggest an idea. We will be looking at the concepts submit-ted and choosing one to be designed as the new logo. Please email your ideas or opinions [email protected] or mail to PM Logo, P.O. Box 1001, Millersville, PA 17551 by January 15, 2010.
NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDMillersville, PA
17551PERMIT NO. 12
Visit Penn Manor online at www.pennmanor.net