Abram Lucabaugh appointed superintendent of Centennial School District

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In a 5-4 vote, the Centennial School District board of directors appointed Abram Lucabaugh as superintendent Tuesday night, despite community pushback.

The meeting showcased the latest public outpouring of opposition to the choice. Community members shared their concerns about Lucabaugh’s track record as superintendent of Central Bucks School District from 2021 to 2023, citing an anti-LGBTQ discrimination lawsuit against the district and the $700,000 severance package Lucabaugh received just weeks after the Central Bucks school board flipped Democratic.

“It is an indisputable fact that he racked up over a million dollars in legal fees defending controversial policies,” Neal Miller told the board at the meeting. “We also know that he walked out with an enormous golden parachute after a new school board was elected.”

School board president Mary Alice Brancato, who voted for Lucabaugh, told community members that “a board makes the policies, not the superintendent.”

Nancy Pontius, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Centennial School District, the group that opposed Lucabaugh’s appointment, told WHYY News she was “disappointed” by the board’s vote.

She said she wants to ensure the policies implemented at Central Bucks School District under Lucabaugh’s leadership, which included Pride flag and book bans, won’t come to Centennial.

“The plan now is to keep watching,” she said. “We pay attention to the school boards. We watch the agendas. We listen for concerning policies that are coming up. Any time we have questions, we have allies in Central Bucks that have already connected with me. We can turn to them for resources, for ideas.”

At a community forum last week, Lucabaugh said he would not advocate for policies like those passed in Central Bucks when he was superintendent. He also promised to meet with LGBTQ students and community members.

“I want to understand what you’re feeling. I want to understand what your days look like,” he said at the forum. “I want to understand how we can start to remove some of the obstacles and build bridges and work together to make you feel welcome.”