Voters sent a clear message: Extremists don’t belong on school boards | Editorial
Election Day put an end to the rightward push that turned school board meetings into culture war battlefields — at the expense of educating all students.
A national backlash against runaway school boards restored some normalcy to at least three area suburban school districts and beyond. The newly elected board members who are set to take control in Central Bucks, Pennridge, and Perkiomen Valley can now focus on what really matters: educating all students.
Yet on their way out the door, the extremist Republicans on the Central Bucks School Board had some final insults for taxpayers and civil rights advocates.
In their final meeting after getting swept out of power, the Republicans voted 6-3 to award Superintendent Abram Lucabaugh a $700,000 separation package. The conservative majority then decided to take one more shot at LQBTQ students by barring transgender athletes from participating on sports teams with their gender identities.
» READ MORE: Voters can ensure Central Bucks school board focuses on education, not culture wars | Editorial
The last-minute actions by the crass, backward-thinking GOP board members confirmed that Central Bucks residents did the right thing by voting them out. Similar voter revolts occurred in Pennridge, Perkiomen, and across the country, where candidates backed by extremist groups such as Moms for Liberty and The 1776 Project lost about 70% of their races, according to the American Federation of Teachers.
The Republican-controlled Pennridge board lost power after overreaching with extreme policies, including banning books and implementing a conservative curriculum that critics said whitewashes history. Republicans in Perkiomen Valley were voted out after banning books and prohibiting transgender students from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identities.
But the Republicans in Central Bucks did the most damage to a school district that, before their arrival, was best known for academic excellence. Lucabaugh’s lucrative payout — after just over two years as superintendent — was an apparent valentine for loyally carrying out the GOP board members’ politically driven agenda.
The hefty buyout included a $315,000 severance payment to match his salary — which Republican board members had already increased by 40% after his first year on the job. The agreement also includes nearly $300,000 for 219 unused sick and vacation days.
The Democrats taking control of the board are rightly considering a legal challenge to the severance. They should also look to eliminate or at least cap the costly perk that allows employees to stockpile unused days for years on end. It’s even more egregious in Lucabaugh’s case since the recent pay hike boosted the overall payout for a brief tenure that was a costly embarrassment in more ways than one.
Lucabaugh presided as the Republicans on the school board focused on fighting culture wars, banning books and Pride flags and other partisan, political, and social policy materials in classrooms. Sadly, students became collateral damage as board meetings turned into ugly political spats.
In Central Bucks and across the country, the rightward push in what traditionally were once nonpartisan elections was part of an orchestrated attack on public schools following a backlash regarding shutdowns and mask mandates during the pandemic. That morphed into book bans, a whitewashing of curriculums that taught about racism and slavery, and attacks on LGBTQ people.
» READ MORE: Superintendent claims the spoils of the Bucks County culture wars | Editorial
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a discrimination complaint against the Central Bucks School District in October 2022 alleging it perpetuated a “hostile environment for LGBTQ students.” The complaint, filed on behalf of seven students, detailed incidents of bullying and discrimination that were ignored by staff and administrators. A similar complaint was filed this month in Pennridge.
The Republicans on the Central Bucks board responded by wasting more than $1 million on public relations and a legal firm hired to discredit the allegations. Throughout the saga, the school district received unflattering local and national media coverage from numerous outlets, including CNN, the New York Times, and Politico.
By Election Day, voters had enough. Even as conservatives poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race and stooped so low as to post yard signs that said “Groom dogs, not kids,” Democrats in Central Bucks won all five seats up for grabs, giving them control.
It was a victory for students and teachers, as voters hope to end the divisive politics and make school board meetings boring again.