Central Bucks To Update Community On Demographics, Recommendations

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Central Bucks School District will update the public this evening on its demographics study and recommendations. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. on April 27 in the auditorium of Central Bucks West High School.

Last fall, the administration briefed the public on an "Enrollment, Capacity, and Attendance Boundary Study" done by Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates (CRA), which was asked by the district to analyze enrollment trends and the utilization of space within the district’s school buildings and to make recommendations.

The two major recommendations coming out of that study are a grade realignment of the school district and the closure of Linden Elementary School.

“Over the past several months, district officials have continued to assess enrollment and community housing trends, as well as the changing composition of our student population, in consultation with CRA’s recommendations,” said Superintendent Dr. Abram M. Lucabaugh in announcing the special meeting.

“The goal of the meeting is to provide our community with an update regarding available options, recommendations for action, a timeline of next steps, and an overview of how we can best implement a plan that ensures optimal use of our facilities and academic programming that leads to improved outcomes for our students,” said the superintendent.

The CRA analysis found that the district has the capacity to realign its grades to a K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 configuration. According to the study, the reconfiguration would allow for further efficiencies at the elementary schools.

“The middle schools remain three grade buildings with more than adequate space to serve the projected enrollment,” says the study. “The high schools have just enough room to accept the ninth grade and the enrollment models indicate the high school student body will continue to
decline.”

In its recommendation to close Linden, the study says “the cost of bringing Linden to physical and educational standards is costly and the market value of the land is reported as being high … Linden is the elementary school, that if consolidated, creates the greatest efficiencies and return on the investment.”

According to the study, Doyle along with its sister middle and high schools create a K-12 grouping in the geographic and demographic center of the district. It also says that “Kutz is in better physical condition and though smaller than Linden is more efficiently enrolled.”

Linden parents, graduates, neighbors and employees have been outspoken in recent weeks against the closure of their neighborhood elementary school.

In March they took their opposition to Doylestown Borough Council, which responded by sending a letter to the school district asking for a public meeting to allow Linden supporters to make their case against the recommended closure. The council also unanimously passed a resolution urging the school district to revisit the recommendations.

Click Here To Review the Fall Presentation by CRA