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Central Bucks School District, Pennsylvania, elections

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Central Bucks School District
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District details
School board members: 9
Students: 17,257 (2023-2024)
Schools: 23 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Central Bucks School District is a school district in Pennsylvania (Bucks County). During the 2024 school year, 17,257 students attended one of the district's 23 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Central Bucks School District school board Region 1

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 1

Incumbent Karen Smith defeated Stephen Mass in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 1 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Karen Smith
Karen Smith (D) Candidate Connection
 
54.0
 
3,099
Image of Stephen Mass
Stephen Mass (R)
 
45.9
 
2,633
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
4

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source

Total votes: 5,736
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 2

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 2

Heather Reynolds defeated incumbent Dana Hunter in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 2 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Heather Reynolds
Heather Reynolds (D)
 
52.8
 
2,670
Image of Dana Hunter
Dana Hunter (R)
 
47.1
 
2,381
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
2

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source

Total votes: 5,053
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 3

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 3

Dana Foley defeated Glenn Schloeffel in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 3 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dana Foley
Dana Foley (D)
 
54.2
 
3,279
Image of Glenn Schloeffel
Glenn Schloeffel (R)
 
45.7
 
2,767
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
3

There were no incumbents in this race. Source

Total votes: 6,049
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 6

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 6

Rick Haring defeated Aarati P. Martino in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 6 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Haring
Rick Haring (D)
 
58.5
 
3,138
Image of Aarati P. Martino
Aarati P. Martino (R)
 
41.3
 
2,217
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
7

There were no incumbents in this race. Source

Total votes: 5,362
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 8

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 8

Susan M. Gibson defeated Tony Arjona in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 8 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Susan M. Gibson
Susan M. Gibson (D)
 
68.5
 
3,944
Image of Tony Arjona
Tony Arjona (R)
 
31.3
 
1,803
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
7

There were no incumbents in this race. Source

Total votes: 5,754
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 4

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 4

Incumbent Nicole Young won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 4 on November 7, 2017.

Candidate
✔
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Nicole Young (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 5

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 5

Incumbent Tracy Suits won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 5 on November 7, 2017.

Candidate
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Tracy Suits (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 7

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 7

Incumbent Jodi Schwartz won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 7 on November 7, 2017.

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Jodi Schwartz (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 9

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 9

Incumbent John Gamble won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 9 on November 7, 2017.

Candidate
✔
Image of John Gamble
John Gamble (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 1

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 1

Incumbent Karen Smith won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 1 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Karen Smith
Karen Smith (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 2

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 2

Incumbent Dennis Weldon won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 2 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Dennis Weldon
Dennis Weldon (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 3

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 3

Incumbent Glenn Schoeffel won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 3 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
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Glenn Schoeffel (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 6

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 6

Incumbent Sharon Collopy won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 6 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Sharon Collopy
Sharon Collopy (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Central Bucks School District school board Region 8

General election

General election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 8

Incumbent Beth Darcy won election in the general election for Central Bucks School District school board Region 8 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Beth Darcy
Beth Darcy (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

School board primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May every two years in odd-numbered years.

School board general elections in Pennsylvania are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state except the Philadelphia School District

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state except the Philadelphia School District. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: March 10, 2027
  • Primary election date: May 18, 2027
  • General election date: November 8, 2027

Election system

Elected school board members in Pennsylvania are elected through a system of a partisan primary election and a partisan general election. As of 2022, all school boards except the board of the Philadelphia School District had elected school board members. The nine members of the Philadelphia School District Board of Education are appointed by the Philadelphia Mayor and confirmed by the city council.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320

Party labels on the ballot

School board elections in Pennsylvania are partisan, which means political party labels do appear on the ballot for school board candidates. School board candidates are nominated in closed partisan primary elections to appear on the general election ballot. Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means that voters have to be affiliated with a political party in order to participate in primary elections. State statute allows school board candidates, among candidates for other offices, to file for nomination by multiple political parties. This practice, which is known as cross-filing, allows candidates to appear on both the Democratic primary election ballot and the Republican primary election ballot.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320

Winning an election

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in a closed party primary is the nominee for that party and advances to the general election ballot.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Statute 1937 Act 320 and Pennsylvania Statute 1937 Act 320

Term length and staggering

Elected school board members in Pennsylvania have four-year terms. State law provides for six-year terms for the members of a reorganized First Class A district containing former districts of lower classes. As of 2022, all school districts in the state had board members with four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III

As close to half of school board members as possible are elected every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two, depending on the class of the district and whether or not a district has established a plan to elect board members from regions (sub-districts).

School districts classified as school districts of the second, third, or fourth classes can elect their school board members at large, by sub-district, or a combination of both.

Schools districts classified as First Class and First Class A School Districts must elect their school board members by sub-district.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303
and Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303(b)
and Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303(a)

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The deadline for independent and minor party candidates to file nomination papers to qualify for the general election ballot is August 1. Although Pennsylvania Statute states that independent and minor party candidates must file nomination papers on or before the second Friday after the primary election, the state moved the filing deadline to August 1 each year following two consent decrees in Hall v. Davis and Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania v. Davis.

Candidates running in the primary must file nomination petitions by the tenth Tuesday before the primary election held on the third Tuesday in May in odd-numbered years. This filing deadline is in early March.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections Calendar; Nomination Paper Instruction Sheet; Hall v. Davis, 84-cv-1057 (E.D. Pa.); and Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania v. Davis, 84-cv-0262 (M.D. Pa.) and Pennsylvania Election Code, Act No. 320 of 1937, Article IX

Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first Monday in December according to state law.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Pennsylvania Election Code, Act No. 320 of 1937, Article IX

 


About the district

School board

The Central Bucks School District consists of nine members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Rob DuggerRegion 7
Dana FoleyRegion 32027
Susan GibsonRegion 82027
Rick HaringRegion 62027
Heather ReynoldsRegion 22027
Karen SmithRegion 120152027
Daniel KimicataRegion 52025
Jim PepperRegion 92025
Jenine ZdanowiczRegion 42025

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Central Bucks School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29Tim BrennanDemocratic Party 44% 65%
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143Shelby LabsRepublican Party 33% 30%
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 144Brian MunroeDemocratic Party 13% 60%
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178Kristin MarcellRepublican Party 9% 22%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $14,023,000 $798 4%
Local: $278,162,000 $15,832 76%
State: $73,571,000 $4,187 20%
Total: $365,756,000 $20,817
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $355,731,000 $20,246
Total Current Expenditures: $318,865,000 $18,148
Instructional Expenditures: $212,514,000 $12,095 60%
Student and Staff Support: $34,765,000 $1,978 10%
Administration: $23,476,000 $1,336 7%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $48,110,000 $2,738 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $15,605,000 $888
Construction: $10,922,000 $621
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $5,206,000 $296
Interest on Debt: $567,000 $32

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 55 75 35-39 32 >=50 50-54 55
2018-2019 67 85 40-44 46 PS 65-69 67
2017-2018 68 87 45-49 47 PS 60-64 69
2016-2017 70 87 45-49 49 PS 65-69 70
2015-2016 73 87 55-59 48 >=50 70-74 73
2014-2015 70 86 45-49 46 >=50 65-69 71
2013-2014 91 96 75-79 74 >=50 80-84 91
2012-2013 90 95 75-79 79 >=50 85-89 91
2011-2012 91 96 80-84 80 >=50 70-79 91
2010-2011 91 96 75-79 80-84 >=50 70-79 91

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 71 84 50-54 48 >=50 70-74 72
2018-2019 83 91 70-74 67 PS 80-84 84
2017-2018 85 95 70-74 67 PS 75-79 85
2016-2017 86 93 75-79 72 PS 80-84 86
2015-2016 86 92 75-79 69 >=50 80-84 87
2014-2015 86 93 70-74 66 >=50 80-84 86
2013-2014 89 94 85-89 74 >=50 80-84 89
2012-2013 89 92 80-84 77 >=50 80-84 89
2011-2012 90 92 75-79 80 >=50 80-89 91
2010-2011 90 92 75-79 80-84 >=50 70-79 91

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 97 >=95 >=80 90-94 PS >=80 97
2018-2019 96 >=95 >=90 90-94 PS >=80 97
2017-2018 96 >=95 >=80 85-89 PS >=80 96
2016-2017 97 >=95 >=80 85-89 PS >=90 98
2015-2016 98 >=95 >=80 80-89 PS >=80 98
2014-2015 98 >=95 >=80 >=90 PS >=80 98
2013-2014 98 >=95 >=90 >=90 >=50 98
2012-2013 >=99 >=95 >=80 >=90 PS PS >=99
2011-2012 97 >=95 >=80 >=80 PS >=50 97
2010-2011 98 >=95 >=80 >=90 PS PS 98

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 17,257 -1.6
2022-2023 17,540 -0.2
2021-2022 17,570 0.0
2020-2021 17,571 -3.0
2019-2020 18,104 -0.7
2018-2019 18,224 -0.2
2017-2018 18,257 -1.0
2016-2017 18,438 -1.8
2015-2016 18,765 -2.0
2014-2015 19,145 -2.5
2013-2014 19,621 -1.0
2012-2013 19,814 -1.3
2011-2012 20,081 -1.7
2010-2011 20,432 0.0
2009-2010 20,436 0.4
2008-2009 20,364 0.0
2007-2008 20,357 0.0
2006-2007 20,349 1.6
2005-2006 20,015 2.1
2004-2005 19,586 2.5
2003-2004 19,089 2.8
2002-2003 18,549 3.4
2001-2002 17,924 3.5
2000-2001 17,305 4.2
1999-2000 16,575 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Central Bucks School District (%) Pennsylvania K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 10.6 4.7
Black 1.4 14.4
Hispanic 7.9 14.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 4.1 5.3
White 76.0 60.4

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Central Bucks School District had 1,241.81 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.9.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 25.50
Elementary: 568.62
Secondary: 522.67
Total: 1,241.81

Central Bucks School District employed 6.00 district administrators and 47.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 6.00
District Administrative Support: 15.00
School Administrators: 47.00
School Administrative Support: 101.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 546.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 35.80
Total Guidance Counselors: 51.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 23.40
Library/Media Support: 20.00
Student Support Services: 111.61
Other Support Services: 375.00

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Central Bucks School District operates 23 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Barclay El Sch685KG-6
Bridge Valley El Sch657KG-6
Buckingham El Sch448KG-6
Butler El Sch795KG-6
Central Bucks Hs-East1,34010-12
Central Bucks Hs-South1,75910-12
Central Bucks Hs-West1,46510-12
Cold Spring El Sch485KG-6
Doyle El Sch400KG-6
Gayman El Sch400KG-6
Groveland El Sch794KG-6
Holicong Ms9097-9
Jamison El Sch599KG-6
Kutz El Sch455KG-6
Lenape Ms7817-9
Linden El Sch353KG-6
Mill Creek El Sch735KG-6
Pine Run El Sch496KG-6
Tamanend Ms8887-9
Titus El Sch600KG-6
Tohickon Ms8657-9
Unami Ms7787-9
Warwick El Sch502KG-6


About school boards

Education legislation in Pennsylvania

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Pennsylvania
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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