Burrell School District

Burrell School District
Address
1021 Puckety Church Road Lower Burrell , Westmoreland , Pennsylvania 15068 United States
Information
Type	Public
Superintendent	Shannon Wagner
Grades	K-12
Enrollment	1902 (2009-2010)
• Kindergarten	136
• Grade 1	126
• Grade 2	141
• Grade 3	139
• Grade 4	131
• Grade 5	152
• Grade 6	161
• Grade 7	147
• Grade 8	139
• Grade 9	160
• Grade 10	171
• Grade 11	148
• Grade 12	151
• Other	Projected to be 1862 in 2019
Color(s)	Blue and White
Mascot	Buccaneer
Team name	Burrell Bucs
Newspaper	Burrell Hi-lites
Yearbook	Buccopia
Website	http://www.burrell.k12.pa.us/

The Burrell School District is a small, public school district located in northern Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The District is 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. The Burrell School District serves the City of Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell Township. The district covers 27 square miles. According to 2000 federal census data, Burrell School District serves a resident population of 14,848. In 2009, the district residents’ per capita income was $19,871, while the median family income was $49,425. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. Per District officials, in school year 2007-08 the Burrell School District provided basic educational services to 2,023 pupils. The District reported employing: 135 teachers, 82 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 13 administrators. Burrell School District received more than $8.9 million in state funding in school year 2007-08.

The district operates Burrell High School (9th-12th), Charles A. Huston Middle School (6th-8th), Stewart School (4th-5th) and Bon Air School (K-3rd). The district is part of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit which provides special education services to the district. The administrative complex of Burrell High School contains both levels of district-wide administration. Superintendent - Mrs. Shannon Wagner and Assistant Superintendent Matthew Conner.

District wide ranking

Burrell School District was ranked 192nd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2011, by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on four years of student academic performance on the reading, writing, math and two years of science PSSAs.

• 2010 - 178th
• 2009 - 163rd
• 2008 - 156th
• 2007 - 136th out of 501 school districts.

In 2009, the academic achievement of the students of Burrell School DIstrict was in the 66th percentile among 500 Pennsylvania School Districts. Scale - (0-99; 100 is state best)

Bon Air Elementary School

Bon Air Elementary was newly remodeled in 1997 in the Burrell School District. Construction of the building was completed in time for the beginning of the 1997 school year. A photo of the building on Google Maps can be found here.

Bon Air Elementary School achieved AYP status in both 2010 and 2011. In 2011, 79% of the schools students were reading on grade level, while 82% were able to perform mathematics on grade level.

History

Dating back into at least the 1950s, Bon Air Elementary was a small building that originally housed grades one through six. Kindergarten was later added. Eventually, other small schools (Gladeview, Upper Burrell, and Wills in Kinloch) in the Burrell School District closed, forcing the district to renovate Bon Air. Small parts (mainly the second-grade hall) of the old building can still be found in the new architecture.

Present

The new building, completed in time for the 1997-1998 school year, was built for new technological applications. Phone and network jacks are in place in each of the rooms, including the cafeteria and "multi-purpose room", which is a gym/auditorium. The building currently houses grades Kindergarten through Third. Recently, proposals have been made to the school board to make it the only elementary school. These, however, have failed due to the wishes of the public to retain "neighborhood schools". Bon Air's principal is Ms. Amy Lenart.

Stewart Elementary

Stewart Elementary School is the oldest of the schools in Burrell. The building's exterior has remained mostly unchanged in the long period of time it has been open, as can be seen on a Google Maps picture here.

History

Stewart School was built on the property of the Stewart Family farm in the 1930s. There are certain rumors that the land is still owned by the Stewarts, but rented by the district. The building was once the flagship building, but is now the lesser of two elementary schools.

Present

Stewart Elementary School is the oldest of the four buildings and has undergone renovations from time to time to keep it "current". The inside has changed drastically, especially with the addition of computers and network jacks in virtually every room. Stewart, like Bon Air, once housed Kindergarten-Sixth, but now houses Fourth and Fifth grades. It has been proposed that Stewart should consolidate with Bon Air, forming one large elementary school. These proposals have been largely unpopular with the residents who live within Stewart's student radius, and no further action has been taken. The school's principal is Mr. Gregory Egnor.

Charles A. Huston Middle School

Charles A. Huston Middle School (more commonly known as Huston Middle School or HMS) is the second oldest building in the district, completed in 1964. A Google Maps picture of the building during construction can be seen here. Building administration includes both a principal and an assistant principal. The principal's duties mainly focus on administration and academic quality. The assistant principal is focused mainly on discipline. Mr. Brian Ferra is principal for the Middle School. The assistant principal position belongs to Mr. Kenneth Pruitt.

Academic achievement

In 2011 and 2010, the school achieved AYP status. The attendance rate in 2011 was 94%, while in 2010 it was 95%.

PSSA Results:

8th Grade Reading

• 2011 - 88% on grade level (7% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 81.8% of 8th graders on grade level.
• 2010 - 86% (4% below basic). State - 81%
• 2009 - 90% (5% below basic), State - 80%
• 2008 - 92% (5% below basic), State - 78%

8th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 79% on grade level (8% below basic). State - 76.9%
• 2010 - 85% (5% below basic). State - 75%
• 2009 - 84% (5% below basic). State - 71%
• 2008 - 82% (7% below basic). State - 70%

8th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 58% on grade level (21% below basic). State – 58.3% of 8th graders were on grade level.
• 2010 - 62% (16% below basic). State – 57%
• 2009 - 69% (11% below basic). State - 55%
• 2008 - 64% (16% below basic), State - 52%

In 2011, Huston Middle School 8th grade ranked 44th among Western Pennsylvania 8th grades for academic achievement. In 2010, the 8th grade ranked 33rd. In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 30th 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. (Includes schools in: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Westmoreland County, and Washington County

7th Grade Reading

• 2011 - 80% on grade level (5% below basic). State – 76%
• 2010 - 82% (5% below basic). State - 73%
• 2009 - 77% (4% below basic). State - 71%
• 2008 - 82% (5% below basic). State - 70%

7th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 73% on grade level (8% below basic). State - 78.6%
• 2010 - 75% (8% below basic). State - 77%
• 2009 - 81% (4% below basic), State - 75%
• 2008 - 82% (5% below basic), State - 71%

6th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 78% on grade level (8% below basic). State - 69.9%
• 2010 - 71% (14% below basic). State - 68%
• 2009 - 68% (8% below basic). State - 67%
• 2008 - 68% (11% below basic). State - 67%

6th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 78% on grade level (7% below basic). State - 78.8%
• 2010 - 73% (7% below basic). State - 78%
• 2009 - 74% (6% below basic). State - 75%
• 2008 - 71% (14% below basic). State - 72%

History

Originally, the building was named Burrell Junior High School and housed grades seven through nine. The 1980s marked change in the school, when the building was renamed to honor the former principal and then-superintendent Charles A. Huston, and to reflect the change to a sixth through eighth grade building. Huston Middle School has been remodeled and was finished in 2008. Charles Huston attended a final renovation ceremony for the official ending of the renovations. Charles Huston died soon afterward.

Renovations

Renovation work to the building was started on June 1, 2006 with a ground-breaking ceremony (an article describing the renovation and ground-breaking can be found on the Burrell website).

Burrell High School

Burrell High School is the second newest building in the district. The picture from Google Maps shows the track/football field (black, bottom right) and the tennis courts (red, middle left). The district's administration, tennis court, swimming pool, athletic offices, and the track/football field are in the high school grounds. The school currently is home to grades nine through twelve. The principal is Mr. John Boylan and the assistant principal is Mr. James Croushore.

Burrell Senior High School was completed in the mid-1960s. Grades ten through twelve were housed in the building, and later changed to grades nine through twelve (the name also changed from Senior High to High).

Academic achievement

In 2011 and 2010, the high school achieved AYP status.

Graduation Rate

In 2011, Burrell HIgh School's graduation rate was 94%. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Burrell High School's rate was 86% for 2010.

According to former graduation rate calculations

• 2010 - 94%
• 2009 - 94%
• 2008 - 96%

PSSA Results

11th Grade Reading

• 2011 - 79% on grade level, (9% below basic). State - 69.1% of 11th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 - 73% (8% below basic). State - 66%
• 2009 - 68% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.
  
• 2008 - 75%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 74%, on grade level (11% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 60.3% of 11th graders are on grade level.
• 2010 - 68%, (21% below basic). State - 59%
• 2009 - 57% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.
• 2008 - 64%, State - 56%

11th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 41% on grade level (11% below basic). State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
• 2010 - 44% (11% below basic). State - 39%
• 2009 - 34%, State - 40%
• 2008 - 34%, State - 39%

College Remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 16% of Burrell 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. 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. 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.

SAT Scores

In 2010-2011, 103 Burrell School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 503. The Math average score was 520. The Writing average score was 497. Pennsylvania ranked 40th among state with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479. In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.

Dual Enrollment

The high school 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 at their high school. 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. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions. For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $26,878 for the program.

Special Education

In December 2010, the district administration reported that 261 pupils or 13.4% of the district's pupils received Special Education services.

In order to comply with state and federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act rules and regulations, the school district engages in identification procedures to ensure that eligible students receive an appropriate educational program consisting of special education and related services, individualized to meet student needs. At no cost to the parents, these services are provided in compliance with state and federal law; and are reasonably calculated to yield meaningful educational benefit and student progress . To identify students who may be eligible for special education services, various screening activities are conducted on an ongoing basis. These screening activities include: review of group-based data (cumulative records, enrollment records, health records, report cards, ability and achievement test scores); hearing, vision, motor, and speech/language screening; and review by the Special Education administration. When screening results suggest that the student may be eligible, the District seeks parental consent to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation. Parents who suspect their child is eligible may verbally request a multidisciplinary evaluation from a professional employee of the District or contact the district's Special Education Department.

In 2010, the state of Pennsylvania provided $1,026,815,000 for Special Education services. This funding is in addition to the state's basic education per pupil funding, as well as, all other state and federal funding. The Pennsylvania Special Education funding system assumes that 16% of the district’s students receive special education services. It also assumes that each student’s needs accrue the same level of costs. The state requires each district to have a three year special education plan to meet the unique needs of its special education students. Overidentification of students in order to increase state funding has been an issue in the Commonwealth. Some districts have more than 20% of its students receiving special education services while others have 10% supported through special education.

The School District received a $1,104,478 supplement for special education services in 2010. For the 2011-12 school year, all Pennsylvania public school districts received the same level of funding for special education that they received in 2010. This level funding is provided regardless of changes in the number of pupils who need special education services and regardless of the level of services the respective students required.

Gifted Education

The District Administration reported that or  % of its students were gifted in 2009. By law, Burrell School District must provide mentally gifted programs at all grade levels. The referral process for a gifted evaluation can be initiated by teachers or parents by contacting the student’s building principal and requesting an evaluation. All requests must be made in writing. To be eligible for mentally gifted programs in Pennsylvania, a student must have a cognitive ability of at least 130 as measured on a standardized ability test by a certified school psychologist. Other factors that indicate giftedness will also be considered for eligibility.

Extracurricular activities

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 home schooled, 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.

See also

• List of school districts in Pennsylvania

External links

• Burrell School District website