Mt. Lebanon School District

Mt. Lebanon School District

To Provide the Best Education
Possible for Each and Every Student
Location
Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
United States
Information
Type public school district
Established July 1912
Superintendent Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
Staff 224[1]
Grades K-12
Number of students 5,300[2]
 • Grade 1 335
 • Grade 2 372
 • Grade 3 396
 • Grade 4 396
 • Grade 5 384
 • Grade 6 365
 • Grade 7 409
 • Grade 8 421
 • Grade 9 427
 • Grade 10 410
 • Grade 11 434
 • Grade 12 479
 • Other Enrollment is projected by Pennsylvania Department of Education to decline to 4600 by 2019
Color(s) blue and gold
Athletics conference WPIAL
Rival Upper Saint Clair
Budget $80.6 million 2012–13[3]
Website http://www.mtlsd.org

Mt. Lebanon School District is the public school system in Allegheny County for residents of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its high school recently underwent an extensive renovation and expansion.

Schools

All enrollment figures are for the beginning of the 2007–2008 school year.[1]

Note: Keystone Oaks High School is physically located in Mt. Lebanon, but it serves the youth of the adjacent communities of Greentree, Dormont and Castle Shannon.

^Markham Elementary School is a feeder school into Jefferson Middle School. Based on School District guidelines and proceures, a limited number of 5th graders will be allowed to request to attend Mellon Middle School for 6th grade.

Academic achievement

In 2012, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) ranked Mt. Lebanon High School 6th (out of the 676 public high schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) in regards to their combined math and reading test scores. Mt. Lebanon subsequently was ranked #1 in the Pittsburgh region.[4]

In 2013 (under the new guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education) the new accountability system for evaluating public schools, the School Performance Profile, ranked Mt. Lebanon High School 7th (out of 3004 Public, Charter, Cyber, and Magnet Schools), 3rd (of 678 High Schools), and 1st among Public Non-Charter, Non-Magnet High Schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[5]

Mt. Lebanon School District was ranked 2nd 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.[6] The school district ranked 2nd out of 105 western Pennsylvania school districts and 3rd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2008 in the Pittsburgh Business Times rating. In 2007, the district ranked 3rd of 500 Pennsylvania school districts for student achievement.[7]

The district has won multiple National Blue Ribbon School awards.[8] The high school was rated as one of the Top 500 high schools in the United States by Newsweek in 2000 and rated No. 1 in Western Pennsylvania by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2005.[9]

Graduation Rate
2009 – 99%[10]
2008 – 99%
2007 – 100%[11]

Mt. Lebanon High School

Mt Lebanon High School Campus

Mt. Lebanon High School is the public secondary school for grades 9–12. It is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools and Colleges. As of 2013, Mr. Brian R. McFeeley is the head principal. Unit or assistant principals are: Doug Szokoly unit 1, Erin Wright unit 2, and Peter Berg unit 3. Annual enrollment is approximately 1,750 students; it is 1,675 for the 2013–14 school year.[12]

Mt. Lebanon High School has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education each of the three times it requested certification: 1983–84, 1990–91, and 1997–98.[13] Newsweek (March 8, 2000) also rated the high school as one of the Top 500 high schools in the United States. It is one of only 24 non-Private secondary schools in the United States (and the only non-Private school in Pennsylvania) that is a chapter of the prestigious Cum Laude Society.

The high school ranked second out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools, by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2009, for academic achievement as reflected by three years of 11th grade results on: math, reading, writing and one year of science PSSAs.[14]

PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
2009 – 69% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.[15]
2008 – 69%, State – 65%
2007 – 69%, State – 65%

11th Grade Math:
2009 – 69% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.[16]
2008 – 69%, State – 56%
2007 – 69%, State – 53%

11th Grade Science:
2009 – 69% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2008 – 71% [17]

Mt. Lebanon High School Campus

Graduates

The Class of 2007 graduated 411 students, 9% of whom went on to pursue a full-time or Armed-Service education. Similarly, the Class of 2006 graduated 461 students, 96% of whom went on to some form of full-time college or armed services education (89% four-year college or higher) and 93% of whom took the SAT. Their cumulative mean score of 1168 is 147 points higher than the national mean and 175 points more than the Pennsylvania mean score.[13] In the new writing assessment, the cumulative mean score of 573 was 76 points higher than the national mean and 90 points higher than the Pennsylvania mean score.

Based on national test results, Mt. Lebanon students rank among the highest-achieving in the nation. Students have consistently scored above the national mean average in both the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

Mt. Lebanon students were top performers on the College Board SAT at the end of 2006. Of the 630 public schools in the state, Mt. Lebanon students posted a combined score of 1741 which ranks 4th in Pennsylvania and 1st in the county among public schools, catapulting Mt. Lebanon ahead of all public schools in Western Pennsylvania. In addition, the critical reading and math scores were the highest ever received by Mt. Lebanon students.[18]

Budget

The school district reports spending $7,669/student, about 25% over the national average of $6,058/student.[19]

In 2007, the district employed 389 teachers and the average teacher salary in the district was $60,908 for 180 days worked. The district ranked eleventh in Allegheny County for average teacher salary in 2007. The average teacher salary in Pennsylvania was $54,977.[20] As of 2007, Pennsylvania ranked in the top 10 states in average teacher salaries. When adjusted for cost of living Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the nation for teacher compensation.[21] Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, personal days, sick days, and other benefits.[22]

As of the beginning of the 2007–2008 school year, the school employed 460 professionals.[1] Teachers are paid on an 18-step schedule, from $39,955 (minimum with bachelor's degree) to $89,520 (maximum with master's degree plus credits).[1] Currently 68% of teachers have a master's degree or higher.[1]

Mt Lebanon School District administrative costs per pupil were $782.18 in 2008. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[23] The Pennsylvania School Board Association tracks salaries for Pennsylvania public school employees. It reports that in 2008 the average superintendent salary in Pennsylvania was $122,165.[24]

In 2005, Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner conducted an audit of the school district. The report faulted the school board for a confidentiality clause which held much of a termination agreement from public disclosure. Auditors found that the Mt Lebanon School District terminated Margery Sable, superintendent in October 2005 at 16 months into a five-year contract with a payment of $500,000. The reason for the termination was not released to the public.[25]

The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax, a local real property tax, a real estate transfer tax, and a per capita tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government.[26] Grants provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. 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 the income level.[27]

State basic education funding

In the 2009–2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2% increase in Basic Education funding for a total of $5,695,775. This was the lowest percentage point increase, in Basic Education Funding, for the school districts in Allegheny County and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 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 North Allegheny School District in 2008–09 was $5,584,093.23.[28] The amount of increase each school district receives is determined by the Governor and the Secretary of Education through the allocation set in the budget proposal made in February each year.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 92 students received free or reduced-price lunches due to low family income in the 2007–2008 school year.[29]

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.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]

Former Governor Edward Rendell had proposed that consolidation with adjacent school districts, in each county, would achieve substantial cost savings. The savings could be redirected to improving lagging reading and science achievement, to enriching the academic programs or to reducing residents' property taxes.[33]

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.[34] This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity.[35] 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.[36]

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports.

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.[37]

Fine arts

The Fine Arts Department was rated one of eight finest nationwide by the United States Department of Education.[13]

Theater

In the 2002–03 school year, the high school received one of six Outstanding School Awards from the Educational Theatre Association.[13] The school's theater program began in 1930 and has produced a number of notable actors.[38]

Music

In 2007, the American Music Conference listed Mt. Lebanon High school as one of the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education."[39]

Mount Lebanon Percussion ensemble, under the direction of Richard T. Minnotte, has been selected to perform at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Conference 4 times(2002, 2005, 2008, 2011), the National Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in Salt Lake City in 2006, the 2009, 2012 and 2013 National Percussion Festivals, as well as the 2010 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy in Oklahoma. Most recently they were invited by the NHL to perform at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic on live TV for the country.[40]

The high school's chamber string orchestra, string orchestra and symphony orchestra, all under the direction of Robert J. Vogel, have played three times at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City, in 1998, 2004, and 2015. They also comprised three of only six ensembles chosen nationwide for the 2006 Orchestra America National Festival.[41]

The high school's Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Jason Cheskawich performed at the 2012 Music for All National Festival as an add-on group to the Mount Lebanon Percussion[42]

Forensics

The Mt. Lebanon Forensic Team won the Western Pennsylvania District Forensic Championship four years in a row (2001–2004). In 2004, the team won the state championship in dramatic interpretation and extemporaneous speaking and then earned a second-place title in extemporaneous speaking at the national competition in Salt Lake City.[43] George Savarese is the coach of the team and has been since the late 1990s. During Savarese's tenure Mt. Lebanon has become the dominant school in Western Pennsylvania winning the district championship five of the last six years, and in 2003, 2004, and 2005 sending record numbers of students to National Forensic League national tournament.

In 2006, the team captured the Pennsylvania High School Speech League championship,[44] Events included extemp, dramatic interpretation, humorous interpretation, duo, and original oratory.

There is involvement in Forensics even at the elementary and middle levels, with Forensics teams currently held at the Lincoln Elementary (5th grade only), Jefferson Middle (grades 6-8), and Mellon Middle (grades 6-8) Schools. The team at Jefferson was started in 2013, after several members of the Lincoln team were eager to continue participating in Forensics during their middle school years; both the Jefferson and Lincoln teams have nearly tripled in size since 2013 as a result of a spread awareness about Forensics. The team at Lincoln is due to cease operations by the 2016-2017 school year because of a lack in funding from Lincoln School's administration. These teams are all members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Forensics League and attend the three to four annual tournaments that the league hosts during the school year. Every team participates in a variety of competition categories, which include, but are not limited to prose, poetry, declamation, and extemporaneous.[45] This league only operates at the chapter level, and competitors cannot advance and compete at a higher level.

Journalism

The Mt. Lebanon student newspaper, The Devil's Advocate, is an award-winning student publication that is distributed each month to students. The paper's topics range from serious issues, such as drinking and drug use in the community, as well as lighter topics, such as local activities and performances. The paper is written and edited by the students of the high school and draws its funding from local advertisers.[46]

Athletics

Mt. Lebanon has won numerous PIAA State Titles in many sports.[47] They have also produced many professional athletes such as Kurt Angle. School Colors are Royal Blue and Gold.

Rivalries

Mt. Lebanon has an ongoing rivalry with Upper St. Clair High School, highlighted by spirited taunts about the communities rather than individual athletes.[55] This rivalry goes back to the days before the establishment of Upper St. Clair High School, when St. Clair students enrolled at Mt. Lebanon High School following ninth grade. When in 1957, Mt. Lebanon schools decided not to admit Upper St. Clair students, and Upper St. Clair then created its own high school, the rivalry further intensified. It is among WPIAL's most natural rivalries due to the close proximity of the two communities, which are adjacent.

Other less notable rivalries include nearby towns Bethel Park, North Hills, Baldwin and Canon McMillan

Alumni

Mt. Lebanon is the Alma Mater of, among others:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mt. Lebanon School District (September 2007). "District Profile". Retrieved March 4, 2008.
  2. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Enrollment and projections Mt. Lebanon School District, July 2010
  3. ↑ Chute, Eleanor and Niederberger, Mary., 16 of 43 school districts in Allegheny County hike taxes, July 15, 2012
  4. ↑ "PSSA Scores". Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Pennsylvania School Performance Profile".
  6. ↑ Western Pennsylvania School District Rankings, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 15, 2009.
  7. ↑ Three of top school districts in state hail from Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Business Times. May 23, 2007.
  8. ↑ Elizabeth, Jane (July 30, 2002). "Changes afoot for Blue Ribbon Schools". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  9. ↑ Lott, Ethan (July 22, 2005). "Mt. Lebanon tops 'PBT Honor Roll' rank of region's school districts". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  10. ↑ Mt Lebanon School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
  11. ↑ Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children – High School Graduation report 2007
  12. ↑ Mt. Lebanon School District (September 2013). "District Profile" . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 2006 profile, Mt. Lebanon School District
  14. ↑ The Rankings: 11th Grades, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 15, 2009
  15. ↑ Mt Lebanon High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
  16. ↑ 2009 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing and Science Results by Grade and School
  17. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Science PSSA 2008 August 2008.
  18. ↑ The SAT rankings: Mt. Lebanon ranks highest among local schools
  19. ↑ "Neighborhood Profile". Sperling's Best Places Website. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  20. ↑ Fenton, Jacob, Average classroom teacher salary in Allegheny County, 2006–07. The Morning Call. Retrieved March 2009.
  21. ↑ Teachers need to know enough is enough, PaDelcoTimes, April 20, 2010.
  22. ↑ Mt Lebanon Professional Education Association Employment Contract 2009
  23. ↑ Fenton, Jacob. Pennsylvania School District Data: Will School Consolidation Save Money?, The Morning Call, February 2009.
  24. ↑ Public School Salaries 11th edition, Pennsylvania School Board Association. October 2009
  25. ↑ Rittmeyer, Brian. Bill requires details of superintendent firings. bnet.com Tribune Review June 16, 2006.
  26. ↑ What are the Local Taxes in Pennsylvania?, Local Tax Reform Education Project, Penn State Cooperative Extension web site. Accessed 2010.
  27. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Revenue – Income Tax information 2010
  28. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Funding by school district October 2009.
  29. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education Funding Report by LEA 2009.
  30. ↑ Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support, Governor's news office. January 20, 2010
  31. ↑ Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support
  32. ↑ Race to the Top Fund, U.S. Department of Education, March 29, 2010.
  33. ↑ Pennsylvania Public School Enrollments http://www.scribd.com/doc/26785165/Enrollments-Projected-by-school-district-A-F-2008-09
  34. ↑ Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, Study of the Cost Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts, 2007.
  35. ↑ Rendell, E. & Soderberg, M. (2009). Pennsylvania school district consolidation. 2009–10 Executive Budget Fast Facts. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor.
  36. ↑ Study of the cost-effectiveness of consolidating Pennsylvania districts. New York: Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services. 2007, p. 6.
  37. ↑ Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release, November 10, 2005
  38. ↑ Mary Niederberger (November 17, 2005). "Mt. Lebanon High School marks 75 years of theater". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  39. ↑ The 2007 "Best 100 Communities for Music Education" Roster
  40. ↑ "History". Mtlpercussion.com. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  41. ↑ Mt. Lebanon School District Fine Arts News, April 2006
  42. ↑ 2012 MFA National Festival Concert Schedule
  43. ↑ 2003–2004 Report Card, page 11
  44. ↑ Microsoft Word – 06May.doc
  45. ↑
  46. ↑ mtlsd.org
  47. ↑ "PIAA Championship Archives". PIAA. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  48. ↑ White, Mike (March 25, 2011). "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  49. ↑ "PIAA championship archives". PIAA.
  50. ↑ "WPIHL State Champions". eteamz. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  51. ↑ "Mt. Lebanon Wins State Hockey Title...". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  52. ↑ "PA Lacrosse State Champions". Philly Lacrosse. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  53. ↑ "Mt. Lebanon lacrosse". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  54. 1 2 3 "PIAA championship archives". PIAA. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  55. ↑ Pace, Laura (January 25, 2007). "Rivalry in the bleachers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  56. ↑ "Kurt Angle". The Washington Post.
  57. ↑ Time Magazine: A Bigger Screen for Mark Cuban, April 22, 2002
  58. ↑ Astronaut – NASA
  59. ↑ Head Coach – Carnegie Mellon University
  60. ↑ Associated Press. "Prank starts 25 years of computer security woes". CTV.

External links

Coordinates: 40°22′30″N 80°03′04″W / 40.375°N 80.051°W / 40.375; -80.051

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