What could Centennial pay Lucabaugh? Here's what Bucks County superintendents get paid
Centennial School District officials could be replacing its top administrator with the former head of the Central Bucks School District, who at one point was among the highest paid superintendents in the Pennsylvania public school system.
School board member Patti Crossan confirmed last Friday the board majority greenlit a reference check and was drafting a contract for Abram Lucabaugh as the district's current superintedent, Dana Bedden, is preparing to leave in August.
While it's unknown at this time how much Lucabaugh could be paid if he is hired, Centennial would need to pay at least $171,000 and as much as $300,000 to compete with other salaries in the area, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education salary reports published in late April.
Bedden left the Boyertown School District to join Centennial with a five-year contract in 2020 and was making $227,693, according to the salary reports. Bedden was the 63rd-hightest paid superintendent in Pennsylvania.
Lucabaugh was making $315,000 about a month before a prompt and controversial resignation in November 2023.
Lucabaugh resigned shortly after that year's municipal election saw a slate of five Democrats sweep the race. The Republican-controlled board approved a six-figure severance package for Lucabaugh as one of their final votes before leaving office.
Lucabaugh's salary made him the third-highest paid superintendent in the state, behind the superintendents of Unionville-Chadds Ford School District ($322,967) and Philadelphia City School District ($340,000).
School superintendents in Bucks and eastern Montgomery counties tend to fall in the upper end of the pay scales compared to their colleagues across Pennsylvania.
The average superintendent salary for the 2024-2025 school year in Bucks County's 13 school districts and the North Penn, Abington, Hatboro-Horsham, Upper Moreland, Lower Moreland and Souderton Area school districts in Montgomery County is about $230,876.68.
The average superintendent pay for the 2024-2025 school year, according to state data, was about $170,983.66.
Here's a breakdown of what each area school district paid its superintendent, including how their salary compares to the statewide list and the years they have worked in each district.
Todd M. Bauer North Penn School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $297,201, 6th-highest in the state. Years in district: 10.
Steven Yanni Central Bucks School District, Bucks County. Salary: $275,000, 16th-highest in the state. Years in district: 1.
Jeffrey S. Fecher Abington School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $268,515, 19th-highest in the state. Years in District: 18.
Scott T. Eveslage Hatboro-Horsham School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $263,925, 21st-highest in the state. Years in district: 5.
Charles Lentz New Hope-Solebury School District, Bucks County. Salary: $249,071, 36th-highest in the state. Years in district: 6.
Susan Elliott Upper Moreland Township School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $247,883, 38th-highest in the state. Years in district: 3.
Andrew J. Sanko Council Rock School District, Bucks County. Salary: $240,240, 45th-highest in the state. Years in district: 35.
Dana Tyrone Bedden Centennial School District, Bucks County. Salary: $227,693, 63rd-highest in the state. Years in district: 5.
Bridget T. O'Connell Palisades School District, Bucks County. Salary: $225,500, 67th-highest in the state. Years in district: 18.
Jason Bowman Neshaminy School District, Bucks County. Salary: $225,000, 68th-highest in the state. Years in district: 3.
Dennis Best Lower Moreland Township School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $225,000, 68th-highest in the state. Years in district: 1.
Michael Nitti Bristol Township School District, Bucks County. Salary: $222,789, 71st-highest in the state. Years in district: 2.
Thomas Smith Pennsbury School District, Bucks County. Salary: $219,593, 74th-highest in the state. Years in district: 4.
Angelo Berrios Pennridge School District, Bucks County. Salary: $215,000, 86th-highest in the state. Years in district: 1.
Samuel Lee Bensalem Township School District, Bucks County. Salary: $214,322, 90th-highest in the state. Years in district: 10.
Matthew Friedman Quakertown Community School District, Bucks County. Salary: $212,175, 94th-highest in the state. Years in district: 2.
Frank T. Gallagher Souderton Area School District, Montgomery County. Salary: $208,000, 107th-highest in the state. Years in district: 24.
Broadus W. Davis Bristol Borough School District, Bucks County. Salary: $178,250, 193rd-highest in the state. Years in district: 11.
Andrew Doster Morrisville Borough School District, Bucks County. Salary: $171,500, 218th-highest in the state. Years in district: 1.
The data is from the individual salary reports, which include district-reported salaries of every professional in public and charter schools across the state on Oct. 10, 2024.
Chris Ullery can be reached at cullery@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County school superintendent salaries highest in PA
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