Centennial hires former Central Bucks superintendent Lucabaugh despite opposition

The Centennial school board hired Abram Lucabaugh as its next superintendent Tuesday, over the opposition of community members alarmed by the controversy surrounding his tenure in Central Bucks.

The board voted 5-4 to approve a three-year contract for Lucabaugh, with a starting annual salary of $225,000. That’s less than the $315,000 salary Lucabaugh made in his final months leading Central Bucks in 2023 under a raise awarded by the former GOP-led board.

The lower salary did not appease critics, who questioned Lucabaugh’s leadership in Central Bucks as the district enacted policies that drew intense backlash and media attention — banning “sexualized content” in library books and prohibiting Pride flags, along with other displays of “advocacy,” from classrooms.

Lucabaugh told Centennial community members last week that the school board, not he, had passed those policies, and that he was not calling for them in Centennial.

But on Tuesday, numerous residents — who unleashed boos and shouted “Shame on you” after the vote inside the Log College Middle School auditorium — said they didn’t buy that explanation, citing Lucabaugh’s statements at the time defending the policies.

They also pointed to his resignation with a $700,000 separation agreement days after Democrats swept the Central Bucks school board elections in November 2023. Some residents questioned whether Lucabaugh would leave Centennial if the board, currently controlled by Republicans, flipped to Democratic leadership this fall.

There’s “no way you can appoint Lucabaugh except as an act of naked partisanship,” Daniel Crofts told the board.

Centennial residents, Crofts said, “don’t want to be fleeced, and they don’t want to provide a stage for the second installment of the Central Bucks circus.”

Another resident, Kissie Garttmeyer, said Lucabaugh failed to effectively navigate the political environment in Central Bucks, and instead “used the school board as a scapegoat to avoid responsibility.”

By appointing Lucabaugh, “you will have pushed our district into a politically charged environment, whether you wanted to or not,” Garttmeyer told the board.

Before the vote, the Centennial school board president, Mary Alice Brancato, reiterated Lucabaugh’s position while emphasizing the difference between the roles of the superintendent and school board members.

“The board makes the policies, not a superintendent,” said Brancato, who has said Lucabaugh’s experience and plans for Centennial made him a top contender in the district’s superintendent search. Earlier in the meeting, Brancato told the audience: “We are not Central Bucks. We are Centennial.”

A dissenting board member, Jane Lynch, said Lucabaugh’s selection had already brought unwelcome attention to the district.

“This is too much. We are a good community. We are a good school district. We do not need all this diversion from a superintendent,” said Lynch, who asked at the start of the meeting for Lucabaugh to withdraw from contention.

The board vote on Lucabaugh largely split along party lines, though one member, Charles Martin, said that, “as a proud Republican since 1964,” he would vote no.

Immediately after the vote, a group opposed to Lucabaugh — Concerned Citizens of Centennial School District — sent out a statement promising “to hold Dr. Lucabaugh and the school board accountable.”

While “we sincerely hope Dr. Lucabaugh chooses a new path,” said spokesperson Nancy Pontius, “we are prepared to challenge any action that threatens the rights, well-being, or educational future of our children.”

Residents who addressed the board Tuesday also said they would be watching closely.

While it’s true Centennial is not Central Bucks, Neal Miller told the board, “the difference is Centennial is going into this with its eyes wide open.”