Central Bucks superintendent to get 90K raise after school board approved contract
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The Central Bucks school board voted to approve the extension of the current superintendent's contract for five more years. The move includes a nearly $90,000 base salary raise.
Many parents say the new contract was only announced Monday and comes in a district that's already faced school tax increases in recent years.
Tuesday night, parents in Central Bucks lined up early to get their voices heard about a new contract that would raise superintendent Dr. Abram Lucabaugh's base salary for the next five years from $225,000 to $315,000.
The roughly 40% increase would immediately make Lucabaugh, who leads Pennsylvania's third-largest school district, one of the state's highest-paid superintendents, behind only Philadelphia's superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington.
"Taxpayers don't like to hear that a person who is already making $225,000 is now going to be making $315,000 when there wasn't any indication that they needed to do this to retain him," Katherine Semisch said.
Lucabaugh is currently in his second year of an existing five-year contract. Residents were often divided during the school board's monthly public comment session.
"Similar to a rookie contract, the work Dr. Lucabaugh has done was worth more, but due to the fact that he was in a stage of proving his worth, he was underpaid," a person said.
"These are my tax dollars and I consider this increase unacceptable, I'm not aware of anyone getting this type of increase it doesn't match inflation it's just ridiculous," another person said.
We reached out to the school board for a comment and we have yet to hear back.
