PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It was a packed house at the Centennial School District’s board meeting Tuesday night. Parents and some board members voiced concerns over the district’s top candidate to become the next superintendent - the former head of the Central Bucks School District, who faced controversies over his handling of allegations of LGBTQ discrimination and his exit, which included a high-six-figure severance.
It was the first board meeting since the district announced, in a statement on its website on May 8, that Dr. Abram Lucabaugh would be appointed as the next Centennial superintendent after Dana Bedden steps down next month. A number of those in attendance waved pride flags and cheered in agreement with those who spoke up against Lucabaugh during the public comment period on Tuesday.
“Voting for Dr. Lucabaugh brings chaos and divisiveness. Look at what is already happening. Do you want the press and police at your board meetings for the next three, four, five years?” one woman asked. “What benefit does Dr. Lucabaugh bring to our district? Our community cannot afford the cost.
Lucabaugh, an educator for 27 years, was the head of the Central Bucks School District from 2021-2023. During his tenure, the ACLU filed two lawsuits against the district in less than a year over “discriminatory and punitive policies against LGBTQ students and their allies.” There were controversies over policies that prohibited teachers from displaying pride flags in classrooms and what critics described as book bans.
“We fear Dr. Lucabaugh will turn Centennial into another battleground for divisive political agendas, harming morale, limiting educational freedom, exposing our district to costly legal risks,” Nancy Pontius, spokesperson for the group “Concerned Citizens of Centennial School District,” said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Lucabaugh defended the policies during his tenure, including pushing back against the claims that they were banning books.
“The policy states that books should be appropriate for the subject area and the age, intellectual development, and ability level of the students for whom the material is selected,” he wrote in a message to the Central Bucks community in 2022.
Lucabaugh resigned from Central Bucks in 2023, soon after the general election shifted board control from Republican to Democrat. The GOP-led school board agreed on a $700,000 severance package for Lucabaugh that raised eyebrows at the time.
A few Centennial board members, when speaking Tuesday night, questioned the transparency of the hiring process. Board President Mary Alice Brancato defended it.
“The interview process was the same for all candidates, and the same process was used as was done in previous superintendent searches,” Brancato said.
Thirty-two candidates were interviewed. Brancato said there were two rounds of marathon interview sessions and, as a board, it was decided that a third round was not needed, “as one candidate scored well above others in the scoring system, thus moving him to the next step.”
In the initial district announcement, Brancato said Lucabaugh’s “experience, plans, and ideas elevated him to the top of the many candidates the Board reviewed and interviewed.”
Lucabaugh, in his statement, said he wanted to hold forums to meet with community members.
“We have important work ahead of us, and I’m confident that together, we can build an environment of excellence where every student has access, opportunity, and choice to become the best version of themselves,” he said.