Central Bucks School Board To Decide On New Voting Region Map

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Central Bucks School Board will meet tonight to consider a full agenda, including a decision on the district's new voting regions.

Over the summer, a committee of the board held a series of public meetings to consider proposals aimed at realigning the district's voting regions .

Due to population growth and loss over the past decade, the regions have become uneven in population and are required by law to be redistricted into more equal regions.

The current map divides the district into nine voting regions, each of which selects one member to the nine-member school board. Other configurations put forward include a three-region map with each region electing three members to the school board. Another option, which is not on the table, is an at-large election.

After listening to the options and reviewing the maps, the committee last week voted 3 to 2 to recommend staying with a nine-region plan. They are recommending that the school board approve a plan and map put forward by resident Mara Witsen over a three-region proposal from Fair Votes.

Above, left: Nine-region plan submitted by Mara Witsen. Above, right: Three-region plan from Fair Votes.

Committee chair and board member Sharon Collopy voted for Witsen’s nine-region plan, but said she would have preferred a plan that splits the district into seven voting regions with two at large seats.

“The regions are too large in the three region plans,” said Collopy. “If I had to choose between the three and the nine I prefer the nine. One vote in a region of 15,000 means a lot more than one vote in a region of 40,000. We are a large district, but we do things in this district to make it smaller and more personal. This also reflects various communities throughout our district without losing representation from a rural part of Plumstead or any region.”

Committee and school board member Dr. Tabitha Dell'Angelo backed the Fair Votes map calling it the fairest option out of the maps presented to the committee.

"Everyone is looking for a map that represents the district as a whole in a fair way,” she said. “The Fair Votes map gives candidates from both parties an equal chance of winning their elections and having a majority on the board."

Dell'Angelo said the three-region map also gives voters a voice in their representation by providing them the opportunity to vote every two years on board members who would be running on staggered terms for four year seats on the board.

In addition, Dell'Angelo said the plan would promote more collaboration between board members. The current nine-region map, she said, would continue to promote an "us versus them" mentality. "Having three regions, board members representing the same region have the potential to build collegiality and cooperation in a way that we are not currently experiencing."

Also at Tuesday night's meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Abram Lucabaugh will officially welcome Deputy Robert Landis from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office to the district as its new School Resource Officer at Central Bucks West.

Later in the meeting, the school board will formally vote to approve agreements with the Sheriff’s Department and with Buckingham Township to provide SRO’s to CB West and CB East high schools as part of its broader plan to enhance security at its schools.

Also at the meeting, Superintendent Lucabaugh is expected to provide a legal update to the community. The update is listed as informational. No further specifics are provided.

The superintendent also is expected to brief the school board and the community on the district's proposed 2025-26 grade realignment.

In other action, the school board is expected to formally approve a memorandum of understanding that will give its support staff union and its bus drivers significant wage increases.

“These wage increases, which have a cumulative value of $4 million across the duration of these contracts and agreements, will enable our employees to enter and progress across our salary scales at market value,” said Lucabaugh. “Our auxiliary employees will also see increases in the coming weeks.”